"Ghostly figures of headless coachmen... a nun believed to have been bricked up within the walls... a screaming girl at the window of the blue room and dragging footsteps in empty rooms. The scene of the ghostly visitations is the Rectory at Borley, a few miles from Long Melford, Suffolk. It is a building erected on part of the site of a great monastery which, in the Middle ages, was the scene of a great tragedy..." The Daily Mirror, June 10th 1929.

 

My name is Ashley Thorpe and I am the writer / director of this project. My previous work includes 'Scayrecrow', 'The Screaming Skull' and 'The Hairy Hands'; three award winning animated shorts inspired by neglected aspects of British legend. Recently I also wrote 'The Demon Huntsman' and 'Dead Man's Shoes' for Glass Eye Pix Radio Drama series 'Tales From Beyond the Pale'.  I'm also a regular contributor to 'Fangoria' Magazine' - providing both articles (usually with a Brit-centric bent), reviews and the odd cover or two - Issues 305 (Amicus) and 307 (Alice Cooper).

'Borley Rectory' is to be an animated documentary about a very famous haunted house. It's a story I've been fascinated by since stumbling across it in the 'Usborne book of Ghosts' back when I was a young boy. The film is to be an exploration of the 'haunting's history' created in a similar 'collage / rotoscope' style as my previous animations. It will not only be an investigation of the facts but also a meditation on why this story - and hauntings in general - continue to fascinate.

 

"I've always been fascinated by ghost photography. Not purely because of the subject matter but because they are often very beautiful images. I want Borley Rectory to look like a moving piece of 'spirit photography..."

 

 

My team on this are the trusted team I've worked with on all the projects plus a few very special guests: Avant garde audio darling Doctor Mick Grierson (Goldsmiths) will be providing sound design whilst the score will be provided by legendary composer / Siouxsie & the Banshees founding member Steve Severin.

 

 

The voiceover has been performed by celebrated British actor Julian Sands (who has worked with such disparate talent as Ken Russell, David Cronenberg and David Fincher).

 

 

I am also VERY proud to say that BORLEY RECTORY will also be featuring the wonderful REECE SHEARSMITH (League of Gentlemen, Psychoville, Ghost Story and most recently A Field in England).

 

 

Carrion Film was created by a group of like-minded individuals  born out of a desire to see material that was not being produced by anyone anywhere else. Not because it was clever. Because it felt obvious. It was about telling stories (often neglected regional legends) that no-one else seemed to be telling.

The previous three were very well received (check out the awards and glowing press here) and being lovers of filmmaking we want to make another and naturally take it to the next level.

With your help this money will enable us to get started end of summer 2013 with the finished film being premiered the following year (our aim is for a cut to be complete in time for Frightfest Aug 2014). Who dares wins right?

10K? Why so much money?

Well, we want to make the best film we possibly can and media equipment and facilities aren't cheap but the money raised for Borley Rectory isn't just going to be spent on production alone, you'll help us create the entire 20 minute project: from the first day of shooting, through animation, sound design, voiceover, scoring, edit and final grade. The whole shebang. That's right - a 20 minute animation - filmed, animated, edited, mixed and scored by professionals for 10K. We think that's bloody good value and with our seasoned mix of creative and industry backgrounds we're damn confident that we can do it.

What's more, making a film is just the beginning of the journey. Your money will also help us ensure that an audience sees it, enabling us to get it into festivals and helping us attend and show our faces where and when it matters. We want 'Borley Rectory' to be the catalyst for not just the films thus far to  finally get the DVD / Blu-Ray release they've been waiting for but also to be the drive towards bigger and even more ambitious projects.

And if we exceed our target? Depending on how much we exceed our goal we'll either channel that money into cranking up Borley Rectory's production values or channel that money straight back into developing the next project. Perhaps even our first feature. We've got two scripts in the wings. But let's not get ahead of ourselves...

 

The Rewards

Ok...sounds great but what do WE get out of it I hear you ask...

Well, apart from our eternal gratitude we've cooked up a few very special treats. For starters to keep you entertained throughout our campaign we've made a few short films discussing the haunting and the topic of hauntings with featured guests such as Stephen Volk (pictured here), Fangoria Editor Chris Alexander and newly appointed 'Best New British Horror' Editor Johnny Mains.

A campaign wouldn't be complete without a few 'perks' and we've got some very special treats here for you. To the right you'll see our full list  so I won't bother listing them again here. I will however draw your attention to a few gems.

Firstly we have a wealth of signed items gratiously provided by our guest artists REECE SHEARSMITH, STEVEN SEVERIN and JULIAN SANDS. But by far my favourite and I believe a true standout is the extremely limited edition vinyl pressing of the original score by Steve Severin - numbered and signed by guests and myself and presented in a full colour 'retro-Amicus / Pan Horror' style sleeve. Pretty fantastic and a genuine collectors item.

And if you fancy yourself something of an executive producer, a major donation will not just earn you a signature from Julian Sands, the man himself will call and thank you personally...!!!