A horror film festival saw more than 2,000 scary movie fans descend on Romford.
The Romford Horror Festival, an annual event celebrating all things horror, welcomed 2,803 attendees this year.
The event took place from February 28 until March 3, with horror fanatics from around the country and beyond coming to the town for the festival.
The festival offered screenings of more than 80 hours of films across four days.
Adding to this was the 'convention' side of the festival, with 1,500 enthusiasts flocking to the stalls on Saturday, March 2 to see horror icons such as Cinzia Monreale from The Beyond, Ian McCulloch from Zombie Flesh Eaters and BBC’s Survivors, Hammer and Carry On star Pauline Peart, as well as Bond and Hammer actress Caroline Munro.
The town also cashed in on the occasion as eateries, pubs, coffee shops, and hotels were bustling with horror enthusiasts, most of whom stayed in Romford for the entire four days of the event.
Photographer Hannah Davis transformed the Choice store into a horror-themed studio, capturing scary portraits of both attendees and filmmakers.
For the adventurous, there was a 'horror roulette', where participants were surprised with screenings of un-curated short films.
Romford Horror Festival’s director Spencer Hawken said: "Since we began the Romford Film Festival in 2017, horror has been a key part so in 2021 it made perfect sense to create a horror festival, the results of which have grown exponentially each year leading to the mega event we had this year.
"It’s a joy for all our wonderful volunteers and myself and co-director Natalie Bays to have created something that has become so loved in such a short period of time."
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The team has already started planning for the 2025 edition, aiming to attract even more guests, vendors, and films.
For those who need their film fix sooner, the wider Romford Film Festival returns in two months' time, featuring a dedicated horror day and a selection of films from all genres screened over five days.
This includes the longest ever cut of Sergio Leone’s Once Upon A Time In America.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased on the Romford Film Festival website.
The festival runs from May 24 to May 28, with a dedicated horror day on May 25.
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