Eight ghost stories, eight different decades — one hotel. The historic Great White Horse Hotel in Ipswich is the setting for a unique compendium of spooky tales, by turns comic and chilling, that unfold within the same labyrinthine location over a range of eras, from the days of Dickens to the swinging sixties and more. There’s never been a film quite like this — and now we’re giving you the chance to help make it happen.
East Anglian folklore is filled with tales of ghosts and strange events that have sparked the imaginations of writers, poets, musicians and filmmakers throughout history. The stories for this project are all from writers with a strong connection to our region, and we hope our film will become a permanent contribution to East Anglia’s cultural output and identity.
Here’s a little flavour of the eight stories that will play out in our Haunted Hotel:
THE CONTRAPTION: Set in the 1920s, a determined young woman arrives at the hotel with a scientific plan to prove that spectres are real.
GHOST OF A CHANCE: A put-upon 1960s hotel manageress struggles to train up a hapless new addition to her ghost entourage.
40 YEARS: Set in the romantic 1980s, an older gentleman returns to the hotel for an anniversary date with a supernatural twist.
ROOM 27: In the strait-laced 1950s, a young couple have laid plans for a secret tryst at the hotel – until ghostly forces intervene.
HOUSEKEEPING: A new chambermaid at the hotel in the 1990s is unnerved to discover that her employer’s rooms have a habit of rearranging themselves.
WATCHING: The young Charles Dickens struggles with his nerves while staying at the hotel in the 1830s and gets a fright from an unexpected visitor.
THE WRITER: A successful 1970s writer, struggling to get started on his new book, finds his stay at the hotel inspiring in a rather terrifying way.
DEVIL INSIDE: In the present day, a gang of ageing thieves hole up in the derelict hotel, unaware of the nightmarish ordeal in store for them.
On Sunday 2 April 2017 the project’s writers and directors gathered at the Great White Horse Hotel in Ipswich to meet each other and share their stories. The video below captures highlights from an excellent and productive get-together:
Who We Are
FILM Suffolk is a not-for-profit organisation that helps bring local filmmakers together with the common goal of making new connections, sharing ideas and promoting the region as a filmmaking destination. We have run dozens of networking events and provided workshops and classes for new local talent. We thrive on helping local people achieve their creative ambitions. This project is your chance to help support local filmmaking — just look at what we achieved with our last project, the romantic compendium With Love from Suffolk…
Your donation will contribute directly to the success of the film — we can’t do it without you. As a supporter of this project we will keep you up to date with our progress, you’ll be able to interact with the filmmakers and be part of the journey all the way through to the film’s cinema release. Come and join us!
What We Need & What You Get
Everyone on this project is working as a volunteer, including the producers. We’re doing it because we believe passionately in grassroots culture and the value of building creative communities — and because we love movies too!
The hotel location gives us a unique opportunity to make an amazing film on a micro-budget, and we’ve had amazing offers of support in terms of time, talent, skills and services. Check out the team page to see who’s already involved.
There are some costs we can’t avoid, and we’ve broken them down as follows:
We’re making this film because we are passionate about building the creative community within our region – and because we love movies, too!
Supporters of The Haunted Hotel will get the chance to watch it on the big screen at a special HALLOWEEN PREMIERE in the East of England. We are also offering walk-on parts, set visits and sponsorship deals alongside exclusive posters and DVDs before anyone can buy them.
If we exceed our target of £10000, we’ve got a number of specific stretch targets that we will roll out. But you can rest assured every penny we raise will end up on screen.
The Impact
We think East Anglia is under-appreciated and under-explored when it comes to film and TV production. As the UK media industry goes from strength to strength, we want to ensure that our region produces distinct films that showcase all the facets of our local offer, from locations and services to crew and skills.
FILM Suffolk has plenty of experience leading such ambitious projects involving multiple stories and many filmmakers. Last year we produced our romantic feature film With Love from Suffolk, which was shot over the summer with the help of over 200 local volunteers, in 38 different locations! In 2014 we produced 20 microshort films, working with 5 regional film companies, for Visit Suffolk’s award-winning website; over the winter and into Spring 2015, we produced 35 short films documenting the work of an EU investment project in southern England and northern France. Along the way we’ve made some amazing contacts within our region and we’re certain we can gather the talent to make The Haunted Hotel a success.
More than anything, we want to make a great film. One that will entertain local audiences as well as scare viewers across the UK and even further afield. We hope The Haunted Hotel will become a talking point within the UK industry and a beacon for the hard work and aspirations of those involved.
Other Ways You Can Help
We hope we’ve convinced you this is a project worth investing in financially. If you don’t feel able to make a donation but you’d still like to support us – make some noise!
We want you to be part of our regional filmmaking journey!