Winchester Film Festival heads for the woods for horror film showing (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Winchester Film Festival heads for the woods for horror film showing

5:00pm Tuesday 3rd May 2011 in Winchester

IF you go down to the woods soon you could be in for a horrific surprise.

The Winchester Film Festival is showing the 1981 zombie horror classic The Evil Dead in Spinney Hollow near Eastleigh.

The organisers have come up with a number of offbeat but suitable locations for this year’s screenings.

The showing of The Evil Dead comes after the success of the screening of the Blair Witch Project in the same location at last year’s festival.

Organiser Christian Francis said: “I’m not saying too much...just that there will be lots of surprises in store.”

The festival from May 4-14 is being run by the School of Media and Film at the University of Winchester.

It features several cult, independent and classic films alongside new work by talented students and local young film makers.

Films include The Name of the Rose at Brethrens Hall, Hospital of St Cross, May 4; I Confess (May 5) and Le Confessional (May 6) both at Winchester Cathedral; The Evil Dead (May 13) at Spinney Hollow; Witness (May 8) at Yavington Barn in Avington and The Third Man (May 7) at Chesil Tunnel, part of the old Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway.

Live Soundtracking at The Railway Tavern will also provide new soundtracks to a variety of short films (May 14).

The festival is a non-profit event and funds raised from ticket sales will go to Winchester Churches Nightshelter.

Mr Francis, from the university’s Faculty of Arts, said: “Every penny of every £5 ticket sold will go directly to Winchester Churches Nightshelter. So you can experience a unique cinematic event while also raising funds for a very worthy cause.”