It’s still August, but if you are one of those people who hankers for Halloween, the Huldra Horror Shorts Festival might be for you. Taking place in the woodland near Notts Maize Maze this September, we meet the makers Dan and Kym Lord to ask what horrors await this year…
There are so many things that mark the official start of the spooky season from pumpkins appearing in Tesco to the leaves turning orange-y brown. In Nottingham, it can only mean one thing: Huldra time.
Huldra is an annual horror film festival situated in the middle of a haunted forest in Arnold. Visitors to the festival will have to walk through the suitably spooky woods to get to the outdoor screening. Also, there are horror-adjacent local vendors on site offering everything from gorgeous jewellery to cult classic clothing. All while a faux campfire flickers in the darkness.
The festival is the creation of lifelong horror fans, Dan and Kym Lord. “Huldra was the one good thing to come out of lockdown,” Dan said. “Being stuck in watching late-night horror films every night after getting our three and six-year-old kids to bed, we felt there must be a way to make something out of our new pandemic routine, so we decided to bring our skills and passion for all things macabre together to create a horror shorts festival.”
“We called on our contacts and decided a festival in a forest could be created. In year one, we got 9000 submissions and the first night of horror short films went ahead under the canopy of trees and stars at Notts Maze site. The idea escalated quickly with a fully licensed bar, stonebaked pizza, multiple clothing, jewellery and curio stalls followed and a surprisingly large turnout of horror fans descended on the woods.
Each film selection is meticulously chosen with something for everyone, from ghosts to blood, guts and gore galore. The result has been a cult following of Huldra heads who couldn’t wait for the next instalment. Attendance has tripled since the first year as word of mouth spread.
Huldra isn’t a jump scare attraction, more a representation of the myth and lore of all cultures… a safe space for all things creepy
“The first Huldra night exceeded expectations in turnout and feedback was phenomenal with a definite thirst for another year,” Dan explained. “Many messages were received asking if they would be another Huldra and filmmakers began submitting to our social media long before planning for the second year. A community was forming with a shared passion for all things dark, mysterious and horrifying.”
Dan and Kym do vet each submission which means incredible movie nights and the occasional battle over which to include.
“The film selection process runs mainly through our film freeway channels, we keep the submission fee low as we want to keep the festival accessible to filmmakers of all levels of experience and open to all budgets. We see value in all creativity and Huldra is about reflecting the weird, the wild and the wonderful from around the world,” Dan said.
“We rarely conflict with each other in selections, as we have remarkably similar taste in what we are looking for in a Huldra submission, but if we do, we fight it out over a bottle of wine first. We passionately support the films we choose and look forward to showcasing them to a forest of film lovers. We have had standout favourites and have found that films with next-to-no budget can be just as creative, unusual, and fantastic as those with funding.”
While many are firm favourites, some should require a warning. “In our first year, we decided to keep film submissions free as we were unsure as we were new to the whole process, this opened us up to a world of unfiltered homegrown horror, questionably some of the greatest submissions. We certainly received more than a fair share of films we weren’t sure should actually be viewed. One film, in particular, took taboo a little too far and would have required counselling afterwards if we were to have screened it! (Think A Serbian film!)”
Last year saw a temporary move to a barn but thankfully Huldra 2024 is being restored to its original location - Lime Lane Woods near Notts Maze.
“The forest in which Huldra is set means a lot to us and we visit regularly throughout the year,” Dan said. “We always wish to keep the night in the woods as we always want to keep a festival feel. Last year due to circumstances and higher powers we had to open the barn for one year which came with its challenges but was well received. This year, we will be back in the original site this year which we can’t wait for. Huldra will always have a place in the woods.”
“We are proud of everything the festival has to offer and how quickly it is expanding. Attendees are now travelling from across the country to attend and last year filmmakers from Sweden travelled all the way for the festival. But without doubt, our proudest moment of running the Huldra Festival was becoming what attendees dub Huldra as: ‘the official start of the spooky season”
Dan added: “We are very lucky to work with Notts Maze and Owen productions as they have made it very easy for us to achieve our vision in the festival from giant sacrificial fires to film installations among the trees, we are striving to keep the festival much more than just a cinematic experience.”
“We have a deep passion for myth and folklore traditions and the forest is the perfect setting to accomplish that. Huldra isn’t a jump scare attraction, more a representation of the myth and lore of all cultures… a safe space for all things creepy.”
Huldra Horror Shorts Festival takes place from 4pm on Saturday 7 September. You can book tickets via the Notts Maze website.
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