THERE'S a spooky kind of buzz going on around the forthcoming Horror-on-Sea festival, the sixth one to take place in Southend, thanks to its founder, local film aficionado Paul Cotgrove and organisers from The White Bus film group.

But what to see, what to see?

If you've just landed on our blustery shore and this is the first you've read about it, the festival is one of the biggest of its kind in the UK, and takes place across two weekends from January 19 – 28, at the Park Inn Palace Hotel on the seafront at the end of Southend High Street.

The festival not only celebrates the genre in all its 'gory', but is an important platform for giving up-and-coming writers, directors, producers and actors an opportunity to showcase their work to a knowledgeable and enthusiastic audience.

It receives submissions from across the world, with America, Europe, India and Brazil represented amongst the 30 feature films and around 40 shorts.

This year, the second weekend offers the chance to see a variety of short films with free admission. These will be shown between 11am and 12 noon on Saturday January 19 and Sunday January 28.

There are various price packages depending on how many films you want to see and when, but a basic guideline is that it's £6 a ticket per film showing, between £20 - £25 for a full day, and between £40 - £60 for a full weekend pass.

You can find out more details about each individual film and more specific prices at horror-on-sea.com, but to whet your bloodthirsty appetite in the interim, feast your eyes on this concise programme.

All films are classified 18.

Film Programme

Friday, 19 January

10am

Islamic Exorcist - India 1h 23 mins

+ Daughter of the Lake - USA 15 mins

+ Not Alone - Greece 5 mins

12.30pm

Pitchfork - USA 1h 34 mins

+ Mea Maxima Culpa - Canada 16 mins

+ The Mountain King - Canada 5 mins

3pm

Darken - Canada 1h 22 mins

+ The Plan - France 13 mins

+ Monitor Against Mexicans over Nationwide - Uruguay and Mexico 5 mins

5.30pm

Blessed are the Children - USA 1h 38 mins

+ Down Under - Spain 20 mins

8pm

Mask of Thorn - UK 1h 42 mins

+ Judge - UK 10 mins World Premier

10.30pm

Dead Love - UK 1h 41 mins

Saturday, January 20

10am

Holy Terrors - UK 1h 13 mins

+ Devil Town - UK 16 mins

+ Happy Valentines - UK 9 mins

12.30pm

Egomaniac - UK 1h 12 mins

+ The Weird World of Molly Brown- UK 15 mins

+ Chihuahua Man - UK 5 mins

3pm

Escaping the Dead - Denmark 1h 16 mins

+ Extinction - UK 7 mins

+ Precious - UK 8 mins

3pm

Pat Higgins Masterclass: Fear and Film

5.30pm

Witches Brew - UK 1h 13 mins

+ The Flytipper - UK 16 mins

+ Life of the Party - UK 7 mins

8pm

The Snarling - UK 1h 23 mins

+ Alex - UK 10 mins - World Premier

+ Baby Monitor - UK 4 mins

10.30pm

Mania - USA 1h 28 mins

+ AR - Augmented Reality - UK 3 mins

Sunday January 21

10am

Beast - UK 1h 27 mins

+ Nick - UK 15 mins

12.30pm

Crispy's Curse - UK 1h 45 mins

+ Fugly - UK 5 mins

3pm

Blood on Satan's Paw - UK 1h 10 mins

+ Bella in the Wych Elm - UK 36 mins

5.30pm

Seizure - UK 1h 26 mins

+ The Welcoming - UK 7 mins

+ The End - UK 3 mins

8pm

Pumpkins - UK 1h 30 mins

+ Stag Do - UK 11 mins

+ Hush - UK 2 mins

10.30pm

She Kills - USA 1hr 41 mins

Friday, January 26 - Great Value Double Bill

7pm

Mortuary Massacre - USA 1h 23 mins

9pm

Charismata - UK 1h 40 mins

+ Unto Death - UK 8 mins

+ The Gardener - UK 3 mins

Saturday, January 27

11am

Horror Shorts - Free Admission!

+ Bride of Frankie - USA 19 mins

+ Beyond Macabre - UK 7 mins

+ Maelstrom - Spain 3 mins

12pm

The Girl with Two Faces - France 1h 15 mins

+ Lost Face - Australia 14 mins

2.30pm

No Solicitors - USA 1h 39 mins

(No Solicitors is now known as No Visitors)

+ Lucky Shrooms - Canada 8 mins

5pm

The Child Remains - Canada 1h 52 mins

+ The Zoo - Finland 4 mins

7.30pm

Bonejangles - USA 1h 18 mins

+ The Foodies - France 18 mins

10pm

Pazucus: Island of Vomit and Despair - Brazil 1h 50 mins

Sunday, January 28

11am

Horror Shorts - Free Admission!

+ Low Rise - UK 9 mins

+ Cambio - Spain 10 mins

+ I See You - UK 11 mins

12pm

Empire of the Sharks - USA 1h 26 mins

+ Taste - UK 13 mins

2.30pm

The Redeeming - UK 1h 25 mins

+ The Ingress Tapes - UK 8 mins

+ Dead Celebrities - UK 1 mins

5pm

Where the Skin Lies - UK 1h 31 mins

+ Clanker Man - UK 11 mins

+ Goodnight Gracie - USA 5 mins

7.30pm

Aux - UK 1h 23 mins

+ Long Drive Home - UK 15 mins

+ Head - UK 6 mins

10pm

Secret Santa - Canada 1h 18 mins

Please note that all films are subject to possible late change without notice