Werewolves, zombies and cannibalistic vegan goths (no, really!), will all get their time to shine at the Horror-On-Sea festival in January.

After a decade of showing some of the very best, and indeed worst, horror films, the much loved Southend film festival attracts entries from across the world.

It all kicks off on January Friday 13 (naturally) with the thriller The Hunting when 13 films will be screened that day with Molly Brown’s The Curse of Room 102 providing hyper-local interest as it was filmed during the 2022 event at the festival’s venue - the Park Inn Radisson Hotel, on Southend’s famous seafront and features a cast of Horror-On-Sea regulars.

Paul Cotgrove, director and creator of Horror-on-Sea said: “I can’t believe that we’ve hit a full ten years since the projectors first began showing all manner of scary films in my hometown. Cannes has the Palme d’Or and Southend has horror! Joking aside, since its inception Horror-On-Sea has been a vital opportunity for a huge number of people who love the macabre, spooky and downright frightening to make, create and celebrate the kinds of film they love.”

The 2023 festival will feature screening more than 35 feature films, more than 70 short movies from countries including the UK, Canada, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Russia, Finland, Ukraine, India, Ireland, and the USA.

Honouring the festival’s tradition, a number of films made right here in South Essex will also be featured, such as; Video Shop Tales of Terror, Conkers for the Brave, Eat your Eggs and Powertool Cheerleaders VS. The Boy Band of the Screeching Dead.

Legendary Essex-based film maker and horror auteur Pat Higgins makes a welcome return with his masterclass on Saturday 14 January. Full of hacks, tricks and techniques for breaking into the industry, plus getting movies off the ground and generating the maximum bang for money, Pat will explain how, from coming up with a killer idea, through to getting a concept traction on social media, plus plenty of audience interaction and much more to show how people can become the next George Romero, John Carpenter of Wes Craven.

Tickets cost £7 per film, or £32 for a day pass and a festival pass costs £130 for the entire festival. See www.horror-on-sea.com or call 07754 391 163.