An absolute wild ride! | Screams by the Sea 2026
B: What started your relationship with horror?
R: Oh my God. You know, it kind of developed. It didn’t start. I think it’s like Brothers Grimm, extremely dark. I believe fairy tales are horror films. They’re just cautionary tales for children. The promise of like, don’t fuck with the supernatural and the ghosts and respect the ghosts, respect all these forces, all of these scary, spooky things. Horror is this fantastic genre that, like transcends languages and transcends societies and communities. We’re all afraid of something, right?
DAY 1
This was the third year of Screams by the Sea [SBTS]. There had been a lot of hype and build up on social media leading up to the festival and, as an unashamed horror nerd, I was ready for it! I Travelled down to Bournemouth, arriving to blue skies and beautiful sandy beaches. The main venue for the festival, Pavilion Dance, is spitting distance from the seafront.
As I entered the foyer, there was a real buzz of excitement. An ocean of bright green and black filled the entrance as crowds of horror fans and film-makers, clad in horror themed tees and paraphernalia gathered for the first screening of the festival. All had a shock of bright green ribbon around their necks. I approached the box office desk and in exchange for my ticket received a fantastic SBTS festival lanyard, one reminiscent of the ones you used to get at music festivals back in the 90s/00s.
Hullo...
Thank you for reading. We could do with your help to keep going. All our content is free... But if you can, you can support us to continue bringing you this coverage, these articles, interviews and reviews. This connection with real indie filmmakers.
It's here we encourage you to get out, watch indie films, support crowdfunders, go to your local venue.
And if you can, Pay What You Can to keep all this going. From £1 a week - £4 a month - a fiver, or whatever you can spare. Much appreciated.
Adorned with the Green Ghoul, along with a plethora of supporting partners, Including the BFI and Bournemouth Town Centre Bid, which Radi told me had both been instrumental in making sure the fringe events could happen in the town. The weekend’s schedule, film synopsises, events and maps were now all at hand and with the bright green lanyard secured around my neck, I was now officially part of the gang.
As we were ushered in to the first screening we passed a table full of SBTS stickers, merch and several smiley faces, including festival director Radi Nikolov’s, who welcomed us to the festival. Guests where also asked to sign this year’s official festival poster, which was a nice touch.
We took our seats in the packed auditorium, and as the lights dimmed the excited chatter faded into silence. This silence was broken as Radi burst onto the stage delivering a fearless and entertaining introduction. He welcomed us and then talked about the seeming lack of strangeness and weirdness in the modern world, blaming the fall of MTV for the reason creativity in film has become so safe and sterile. His answer to this issue? Open the festival with a group ritual.
Together, the crowd, who from this point on were addressed to lovingly as ‘Screamers’; repeated a mysterious chant, which grew louder and more powerful with each cycle. Eventually the magic words summoned forth the festival mascot, the Green Ghoul, who is currently nameless. The mascot high-fived the front row and then turned their attention to Radi. Making contact with the host, some kind of crazy energy passed between them, causing Radi to collapse in a heap on the floor before reawakening, momentarily possessed by ‘Evil Radi’ before returning to himself!
Radi warned us it would be dramatic.
He told us he did D&D.
We (The Screamers) loved it!
A giant mischievous ghost which looms over Bournemouth, with Screams by the Sea organiser, Radi (right)
B: I wanted to ask about your logo. Your little character. Can you tell me about him, her, them, they?
R: Well, yeah, It’s definitely they. They don’t have a name yet. Perhaps we can find their name next year. I think this is the plan. It’s something [the mascot] that was extremely important for me when we started. It is like I need a character, right? Like, I love a good sort of mascot/character. It was a very integral part of the branding. I came up with the very first poster, which was like a giant ghost looming over Bournemouth. And I was like, oh yeah. It’s a ghost. It’s a big ghost. It’s very mischievous.
After whipping the crowd into a frenzy, the first feature of the festival screened. Mag Mag, a Japanese horror from director Yuriyan Retriever. This opener set the vibe. Blood, comedy, ghosts, practical effects and surreal strangeness. It was clear that this festival was going to deliver the unexpected and the audience where more than happy to suspend their disbelief, and let their imaginations eat it all up.
From the screening I headed to the opening party at the nearby Brass Haus. Here, the weird and wonderful continued, as the drinks flowed, horror themed tunes filled the air, and an off-kilter burlesque cabaret took to the stage. When I asked Radi to sum up the festival in a few words, he said ‘an absolutely wild ride’. I buckled in, I couldn’t wait to see what day two had in store.
B: Have you got any highlights of this year’s festival?
R: Oh my god, I’ve got so many. I think last night’s cabaret was spectacular. I think that was a really great success. I can’t wait to hear the audience feedback at the end of the festival to actually see how people felt. But I was so excited and thrilled, especially that the film that we watched was really strange and out there. Bizarre. And then we went into this like cabaret, and it was really, really nice. The fringe events are an experiment, but I think they’re working well. Definitely something we would like to explore further. And the movie highlights – we’ve got like two South West premieres here. Mag Mag, the Japanese horror that we saw on the opening night. And Dead by Dawn – a Polish slasher film. You can’t see these films anywhere else, but here.
DAY 2
It was an early start to Day 2, with the opening movie, Human directed by Matt Stuertz setting the ball rolling at 9.15am. With coffee in hand I settled into a busy cinema. The crowd were up early and primed for a full day of horror action. The film started slowly. Around 10 minutes of texting on the screen set up the plot and introduced the characters. Not everyone’s cup of tea. But, once the texting was over, this film delivered. Imagine Evil Dead with all of its bloodshed, hyper-gore and possessed body parts, set it in a small LA film studio rather than a cabin in the woods. Practical effects, a strong female lead, and a lot of fun. There is nothing quite like sitting in a dark cinema full of horror fans, seeing the wide-eyed joy when there’s an inventive kill or a lavish practical effect involving buckets full of blood, gunk and gore. Sharing the screams, the laughs and the love of all things spooky and splatter. ‘Human’ set the tone for the rest of the day. Radi was a man of his word.
It was going to be wild!
After the first movie, the Screams market opened its doors. On sale were an array of ghoulish goodies, from horror-themed garden ornaments made by ‘Lawn of the Dead’, to graphic novels, to every modern witch’s needs – available from Anathema Witchcraft Emporium. I had my cards read by Teddy’s Tarot… It was good news thankfully :)
Screenings continued throughout the day with three other features and two blocks of five short film that were in partnership with Purbeck Film Festival. The shorts were, like the features, from across the globe, and included films with varying budgets from the hundreds, to the hundreds of thousands of pounds.They included twisted tales of middle-class cults, demonically possessed vending machines, creepy creatures that lurk in the shadows and zombie pets. Micro-short claymation Cosmic Crash directed by James Smith, was a charming, gore-filled story of parasitic, human head-bursting aliens.
The next feature focused on the more common chest-bursting extraterrestrials. An inspired break from the bloodshed and carnage, UK documentary Alien on Stage, directed by Lucy Harvey and Danielle Kummer, told a heart-warming and uplifting story about a team of bus drivers and co-workers from Dorset who, rather than sticking to their annual tradition of putting on a Christmas panto decided to go for something a bit alternative – Alien.
And why not?!
The audience laughed, cried, and cringed, as we followed this extremely likeable group of everyday humans, as they embarked on the epic task of staging the 1979 sci-fi/horror cult classic. As they race against the clock to meet their deadline, we are witness to the BTS action: home-made costumes, props and special effects, tense rehearsals and enough booze and cigarettes to open a duty free, the cast proved that any dream is possible when you believe in it, and you are surrounded by supportive like-minded friends. When I asked Radi what his favourite horror movie was, he replied ‘Alien 100%’. It all makes sense.
Alongside the screenings, at sister venue The Patch, an Industry Hub had a full day of talks and events including ‘How to make your first feature film’ with Dark Rift Horror, ‘How to write for the studios’ with Peter Stanley Ward and ‘Hot Swap’ tables, where filmmakers could book 10 minute, 1-2-1 chats with industry professionals. The script pitching competition was also hosted here. A selection of finished scripts, polished and ready to be transformed into film, were pitched to a panel. The prize? The winning script would be made into a feature film.
What’s a film festival without an awards ceremony?
The festival came to a close with an awards ceremony, where the winner of the script pitch was announced, along with the best short film and best feature, which were voted for by the audience.
The winner of Best Short film was The Complete Package – a UK short directed by Wyn Wallace – a hilarious and grotesque take on the dating and wellness industry, delivered as a series of VHS self tapes presenting uber-fit, lycra-clad characters in full 80s fashion, selling themselves to potential ‘buyers’ on screen. Its unexpected twist had the audience awkwardly laughing and squirming in their seats.
The Other People, directed by Chad McClarnon, took the award for Best Feature. Based on true events, this well-polished, but very creepy production sent everyone home on edge! Described as a ghost story for people who don’t believe in ghosts, the narrative follows the everyday life of a broken family who have Other People living in the shadows in their house. These horrible housemates emerge and then disappear through cupboards and wardrobes, hiding in crawl spaces. They only come out at night and when the family are out. Things take a dark turn as the daughter begins to attract attention from the uninvited guests. Her imaginary friend wasn’t so imaginary, neither was the creepy man in the closet!
Once the awards were over, us ‘Screamers’ were invited to the afterparty back at the Brass Haus, where the much anticipated festival raffle would be drawn. People still LOVE a raffle! A load of SBTS and horror prizes gifted by the market sellers were on offer. Sadly, I didn’t win anything. :( But this didn’t dampen my spirits. The buzz continued as Screamers chatted, and reflected on what a fantastic weekend it had been.
Screams By the Sea has a truly international feel, but it also feels very personal. The audience are valued, and encouraged to be a part of the event, filmmakers’ dreams come true, knowledge is shared, new friends and connections are made, and above all, the Screamers are taken on a lovingly curated journey into the world of modern horror.
B: What are the aims of the festival and what’s your vision of going forward?
R: The festival has grown and expanded and it’s maintained the core, which is audience. We want to make sure that we bring great entertainment, good independent genre films to general audiences. We want to be the place where people come and see these new films. We want to be the festival where people go ‘I saw that at Screams By The Sea’. We want to build this community, this engagement. We want to grow. We want to expand that. We want to give more opportunities for people to springboard their movies into the world.
Horror film festivals really are something special.
Not that I’m biased.
At all. ;-)
The commitment to the genre, the supportiveness of the community, the willingness to suspend belief and laugh in the face of darkness, the shameless nerding out over all things weird and wonderful. The horror family may have a slightly twisted dark heart, but it’s a big heart and, it’s a welcoming, exciting, inclusive family that I am completely in love with.
There is no doubt in my mind that Radi, with his endless energy supply, passion and enthusiasm, and the fantastic team he has standing by his side, will achieve their goal and deliver an even bigger, better and stranger Screams in 2027. And maybe the green ghoul will have a name?
I can’t wait!
Plan your trip to the next Screams by the Sea.
The Medusa Box, the debut horror feature by Bex Phillips, is currently in post production. Find out more, and support indie filmmaking.
top image: Packed houses, plenty of films, loads of connection. Screams by the Sea is an absolute wild ride!
- An absolute wild ride! | Screams by the Sea 2026 - March 19, 2026
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre | ‘a blood-soaked jewel in the indie horror crown’ - June 11, 2024
- Children of the Corn | idiots to the slaughter - July 29, 2023
Discover more from D&CFilm
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
