FrightFest Ad Controversey

• 8th Sep 2012

It’s been another year of controversey for FrightFest. This year inbetween the films screened, the festival organisers comissioned a slew of short playful adverts that reminded cinemagoers that it was in everyone’s best interest to turn their phones off. A sentiment the festival organisers have adamantly stressed over the years.

Filmwerk couln’t agree more with this sentiment after years of public, press and festival crowds forever toying with their phones during screenings. So it was refreshing to see some creative adverts made very much in the horror genre mould. Each “fictional” advert had someone disposing of an annoying audience member playing with their phone during a screening in a suitable gruesome maner. It went without saying that the actual FrightFest audience took each of these adverts in good humour and every time recieved a rousing cheer!(Well it is a horror film festival?).

But it seems that other areas of the press are not quite in on the joke, and are not quite getting the feel for the FrightFest crowd as seen here:

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/james-dempsey-37-seconds-of-gruesome-bad-taste-that-gave-even-hardcore-horror-fans-a-real-fright-3222971.html

Oh well! Not everyone can be as smart as those that actually run or attend the festival. Filmwerk wouldn’t hestitate to support the creative input in to the festival – especially when outside forces threaten the integrity and intelligence of both organisers, and more importantly the audience!