I have recently returned from the ‘Bram Stoker International Film Festival’ in Whitby. The festival, which is now in its sixth year, has quickly grown to be one of the biggest genre festivals in the UK. As Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ is set in Whitby, it is the perfect location for the festival, which focuses not only around horror films but arts, music, and literature too.
Despite going to a film festival, I didn’t actually manage to watch any films as there was so much to see and do in Whitby. The films included in the festival however were many different unique horror films from independent directors. The festival also held night time entertainment that consisted of Gothic bands, a vampire ball, a vampire dance theatre group, and a cabaret drag queen.
Read on to find out what I got up to in Whitby;
Day 1 – Thursday 22nd October
Thursday was travel day and as always, we Brits can never rely on public transport. A train that should have got me and my friend to Manchester with plenty of time to spare turned up around 30 minutes late and when we finally did jump on it, it stopped on the tracks for another 30 minutes because of “signal problems”. This meant we missed our connecting train to Middlesbrough, meaning we’d miss all our other trains so instead we had to take the scenic route and go to York – Darlington – Middlesbrough – Whitby and instead of having lots of time to change trains like we initially should have, we had five minutes in between changes and basically had to run for every train in a panic to catch it in time. It was a massive rush to get there but we did make it to Whitby eventually.
Our guesthouse that we stayed at, Bats & Broomsticks, is a Gothic themed hotel which fitted perfectly with our weekend; there was a coffin in the hallway, bats hanging from the bed, and skeletons in the dining room. The guesthouse had lots of little details added to it to give it a really alternative vibe.
We started our first night in Whitby by going to the VNV Nation gig, which was part of the Bram Stoker International Film Festival event. I had never heard of the bands playing and although I didn’t enjoy the support act, Method Cell, as much as I found them quite pretentious, I absolutely adored VNV Nation. The vibe to VNV Nation was amazing; everyone was dancing and cheering along to their rock/indie/dance sound and they managed to engage the audience and put on a fantastic show. We even managed to meet the singer of the band before the show and he was so lovely and actually took the time out his day to speak to us. It was a fantastic first evening to kick-start the festival.
Frontman of VNV Nation
Friday 23rd October – Day 2
After a big breakfast at our guesthouse, we decided to take a nice stroll along the pier and explore the town. Whitby is an absolutely beautiful, picturesque town and so there were lots of opportunities to snap some great shots, something which I love doing.
To begin our day we took a nice, peaceful stroll alongside the harbour before walking down to the pier. I love being by the sea and it was an absolutely stunning sight. After that, we met up with our friends who we met from the night before and visited the Dark Arts Exhibition that was being held at the Pavilion. The exhibition was a showcase of dark and eerie art that was really interesting to look at. There were opportunities to buy any art we were interested in and the artists’ were all on hand to explain their work to us.
Afterwards we went around Whitby and explored the town; Whitby is a truly unique place and is filled with lots of Gothic and alternative shops. Every street seemed to be filled with these rare shops, all which were brimming with beautiful and enchanting clothes. After a long look around the town, we climbed up the many stairs to reach the Abbey on the East Cliff. The walk up there was worth the view as you could overlook the whole of Whitby. The Abbey had a Gothic vibe and it is also the inspiration to Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’.
Whitby Abbey
After the climb back down from the Abbey, we treated ourselves to cake and coffee in a mouthwatering cafe before heading back to our guesthouse to get ready for the evening entertainment.
Once dressed and we’d had a bite to eat, we wandered off to the Pavilion where the bands, Arcade Winter, Salvation, and headline act, Fields of the Nephilim, were putting on a gig for the night. The band which stood out for me the most was Salvation – the music was different but it worked. They define themselves as alternative pop group who have a melody that is really easy to sing and dance along to, uplifting everyone’s spirits for the night. I didn’t however enjoy Fields of the Nephilim, to me they were too dark and grungy, and had no stage presence. They barely spoke and engaged with the audience throughout their set, but I suppose that may have been due to their image.
Salvation
Saturday 24th October – Day 3
We took a trip out of town and visited Robin Hood’s bay, a small yet beautiful town with a picturesque view with many small streets and alleyways to explore. We even managed to get on to the beach and stroll alongside the sea. It was a pretty peaceful day where we took in the fresh air and really admired our surroundings.
Robin’s Hood Bay
Afterwards, we went back to Whitby and visited the museum which is situated on a cliff on top of a beautiful park that overlooks Whitby. We visited the arts section where we saw lots of stunning enchanted pictures which really caught our eye.
In the evening, the ‘Bram Stoker Festival’ was holding probably the best night of the event, a vampire ball. We got to dress up as vampires and the venue was decorated with large Gothic tables all facing the stage. Everyone looked stunning, wearing huge vampire style costumes and splattered in blood. The ball was hosted by Joe Black, a cabaret, musical drag clown who created many laughs throughout the evening.
We manage to catch ‘Dawn of Oblivion’ halfway through their set as they delivered a goth/metal sound to the venue. Next up were ‘Zombina and the Skeletones’ but I found the singer very whiny, out of tune and she appeared to be drunk. They messed up a few songs and at the end of the set she refused to leave and ended up having to be dragged off the stage by the rest of her band. ‘Gothminister’ stole the show however as they brought a very energetic and Gothic atmosphere. They were the heaviest band playing throughout the weekend at the festival but for me they were also the best band playing too and really put on a show for the audience.
Gothminister
Vampires
Sunday 25th October – Day 4
This was by far the funniest day of our holiday as we took a boat ride to the sea in the late morning and our friends from the hotel also joined us and in true pirate fashion, started passing their rum round. We got some beautiful views of the Abbey from the sea and the waves were very peaceful and calming. It was such a lovely sail on the sea and really set us up for the day.
Afterwards, we went to the Dracula Experience which is a small walkthrough that tells the story of Dracula and its connotations to Whitby. At the end a man came running up to us in a mask to scare us however and I still can’t work out whether that was part of the story or someone decided to have a laugh and liven up the experience. It made me scream anyway.
The best part of our holiday however was our trip to ‘Victorian Image’, a unique photography store that allows you to get your pictures taken in Victorian style dresses and the image makes you look like you have been sucked back in time right to the Victorian era. The photographs don’t look like you’ve been playing dress up but instead as if you really are living in the Victorian era. The staff in the store really attended to our needs and pampered us. I found the whole experience hilarious and was laughing all the time but we someone managed to get a decent photo in the end to take home to remember our time in Whitby.
Victorian Image Photography
In the evening, the Bram Stoker Festival had the ‘Scorpius Dance Theatre’ group there putting on a show named ‘A Vampire Tale’. The dance was both sexy, dark, and in parts it was funny and told the story of the king and queen vampire pursuing an innocent human. We understood the story through their elegant and mysterious dancing, and there was a jolly vampire to narrate the story to us and bring humour to the show. The show put the audience in a trance and really captured our attention. It was a beautiful and engaging dance and I absolutely loved the choreograph.
Next up was Joe Black but this time he had a longer set time than the night before to put on a hilarious and gripping show. He sang well known classics such as Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance’ and Britney Spears ‘ Toxic’, putting his own twist on the songs and creating a whole new meaning to the lyrics. He was definitely my favourite act of the weekend and I would without a doubt go and watch him perform again.
Joe Black
Monday 26th October – Day 5
We’ve had such a good holiday and for me personally, it was my favourite one. We met so many new and friendly people, saw some awesome bands and acts, and explored Whitby from top to bottom but it was now time to come home. The train journey went to plan this time around and five hours later, we’d finally made it home.
Until next time, Whitby! You’ve been fabulous.
Paradise Spice 