Hexham Heads (2024)
by Chloë Delanghe and Mattijs Driesen.
Plus a selection of short films curated by artist Jocelyn McGregor.
Hexham Heads:
This experimental horror film is based loosely on the enigmatic story of the Hexham Heads.
The pair of small stone heads, about 6 cm high, were found in 1971 in the Northumberland market town and became associated with alleged paranormal phenomena, and their exact origin is a point of controversy.
Plot:
Unearthed stone heads harbor an encoded force that manifests upon discovery, psychically tormenting those who find them in a haunting feedback loop.
We visit Rede Avenue – the original source of this supernatural energy – through the shivery stillness of Chloë Delanghe’s grainy photographs and an erratic composition performed by an ensemble of improvisers across Ireland and Belgium.
In Hexham Heads the joint mysteries of photosensitivity and the stone tape theory – which speculates on how minerals can record and replay the energy of hauntings – create a volatile chemical reaction. Delanghe and Driesen defy the impossibility of capturing ghosts in the lens by immersing us in a psychogeographical journey through infinite doors, windows and passages. - Ane Lopez (BFMAF programmer).
Music:
The music for the film was composed by Irish musician and composer Sam Comerford and played by Irish musicians Neil O Lochlainn, Ultan O Brien and Branwen Kavanagh.
Hexham Heads will be followed by a selection of short films curated by artist Jocelyn McGregor:
Spill
16mm, silent (12 mins), Graham Gussin,1999
Puppy the Goblin
digital video, sound (14 mins), David Steans, 2020
Red-blooded
digital video, (4 mins), Levi Felix Holton, 2022
Timings:
Sunday 23 March 2025.
2pm doors. 2:30pm films start.
Access information for the screening:
If you have any access requirements please email glenn@fonfestival.org
Advance visits to Piel View House:
If this is your first time to the venue and you are nervous about attending you can arrange to come and see the venue prior to the event to get used to it. If you would like to arrange a visit and meet some of our staff please contact: glenn@fonfestival.org.