I’ve said many times before that I’m a frustrated filmmaker at heart. When I started out, media courses were few and far between and the price of equipment was prohibitive. I fell into writing because I had a headful of stories I wanted to tell, and with no way of getting them onto the screen, I instead turned to publishing. Even getting a book out into the wild independently was an ordeal back then. In the twenty years or so since, it’s become incrementally easier for indie writers to tap into the print, eBook, audio, and translation markets. I think filmmaking and distribution has now reached a similar stage, where professional standard tools are available to all. Who knows… one day I might finally get my ass into gear and try to film something I’ve written.
Until then, I’m always happy to support indie filmmakers. I’m under no illusions – I know it takes a lot of time, effort, and commitment to translate an idea into a finished film. I’ve encountered a lot of people who’ve found success over the years, and today I wanted to post about the folks at HEX STUDIOS who are intent on taking their indie horror vision to a new level.
Back in 2013, I watched (and loved) the first HEX movie – LORD OF TEARS. Director LAWRIE BREWSTER and writer SARAH DALY took me by complete surprise with a haunting and unnerving movie. It also introduced the world to the sinister (and immediately recognisable) OWL MAN.
Fast-forward ten years (where the hell did that decade go?) and HEX appears to have gone from strength to strength. They’ve produced a string of movies which have largely been funded through Kickstarter. Personally, I’m not a fan of using crowdfunding for books, but for the development and funding of movies I think it’s a perfect approach. Their resume seems to indicate that they’ve fine-tuned the process.
The reason for today’s post is to bring your attention to a new initiative – HEX are looking to establish a new British horror studio. Following in the footsteps of genre greats like HAMMER and AMICUS, they’re looking (to quote Lawrie) to create a “place that would become a spiritual home for horror artists, fans and independent filmmakers”.
Sounds good to me. And given the HEX track record, I’ve no doubt it’ll happen.
It’s early days, but visit www.britishhorrorstudio.com and join the mailing list to get involved.