Freswick feature at fantasy film festival
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A SUPERNATURAL thriller made by two Caithness brothers and set in Freswick Castle will have its premiere at a major film festival at the end of this month.
The feature-length film called Playhouse was written by Toby Watts and produced and directed by him along with brother Fionn and is their debut feature.
Toby said: "After the gruelling process of developing the idea, writing the script, raising the finance, shooting and completing all the post-production on the film, we’re absolutely delighted to have had it accepted into the UK’s best horror and fantasy film festival, FrightFest.
"This is a dream for us and an incredible platform for fans and critics to see the film at its world premiere. Getting a premiere like this will really raise the profile of Playhouse and help it to travel further around the world afterwards."
Playhouse is set in Caithness and was filmed entirely on location in Freswick, making it the first feature film to have been shot exclusively in the county.
The Silver Darlings made in 1947 featured exteriors shot at Latheronwheel harbour, Thurso and Dunbeath but studio scenes were shot at Welwyn Studios in Hertfordshire.
Playhouse is about a notorious horror writer who moves to a castle to develop a new play. However, he faces terrifying consequences as the dark history of the castle emerges once more and his teenage daughter falls prey to an evil curse lurking with the walls.
The brothers' debut feature film comes was created through their production company Far North Film which they set up in 2011 while living in Caithness.
The finished film is now to have its premiere at the prestigious horror and fantasy film festival, Frightfest on Saturday, August 29, at 4pm.
Toby said: "Interestingly, as coronavirus has forced film festivals such as FrightFest to move online instead of having physical premieres, it means that people from all around the UK will be able to buy tickets to watch the film. The thought of Caithness folk sitting in their front rooms and tuning in to our world premiere at a prestigious film festival is just incredible.
"We really hope that local people enjoy the film and are proud to own it as a part of Caithness’s cultural output. There were quite a number of local people involved in the production, from acting [Helen Mackay] and production design [Lindsay Broomfield] to set construction and catering. We hope this is just the first of many more films to be made in the area."
Actress Helen Mackay, from Thurso, lives in Glasgow now but said she was thrilled to feature in a film shot in Caithness.
She said: “Coming home to Caithness to film Playhouse was amazing. Although the cast and crew were from all over, there was such a strong local connection. Myself and Fionn went to Thurso High School together and Lindsay Bloomfield, who was the production and costume designer, is also from Caithness.
“Covid-19 has hit our industry hard, with the arts looking like one of the last things to get back to some sort of normality. The news that Playhouse has made it into such a prestigious festival at this time has given us all such a lift – a real hope for the future. I’m so excited for everyone to see it."
Playhouse is being featured in a strand of the festival called First Blood, sponsored by the Horror Channel, which profiles first-time feature film directors.
The brothers say there will be a release of the film in the US and the UK later this year.
For more information on the full FrightFest line-up and how to buy tickets visit www.frightfest.co.uk/2020FilmsDigitalEdition
Tickets are on sale now and priced £5 for an individual film or £60 for the long weekend of 25 films.
