MetFilm Brighton course leader has film premiered at FrightFest
As Halloween approaches, a MetFilm School Brighton course leader, reveals why he loves horror films so much and how it shaped his work. Craig Ennis, who teaches BA Filmmaking, alongside director Chris Collier have recently made a film about the life and work of one of the most influential artists of the horror genre.
Captured Souls: In conversation with Graham Humphreys was premiered at FrightFest in London. It’s the second film Craig and Chris have had premiere at the internationally renowned event.
Graham’s work includes producing film posters for The Evil Dead and A Nightmare on Elm Street, and he designs posters for FrightFest every year.
Craig and Chris, who met at the festival in 2012 have made three documentary films together and are both big fans of Graham’s work.
“Graham is a legend in the world of film posters. He created the iconic artwork for my all-time favourite poster A Nightmare on Elm Street. Watching that film in secret at the age of 10, tucked away in a university library while my mum studied, was a formative experience. Graham’s striking imagery and iconography were what first pulled me towards horror, and they’ve stayed with me ever since.
“Graham has designed the posters for all our previous films and when we needed a new subject for the next project it seemed natural to ask Graham if we could make a film about him.”
Craig and Chris have worked at the festival for almost 10 years and met a lot of people through it.
“It’s run very differently to other festivals and has a fantastic sense of community. People tend to come for the whole weekend, watch every film and mingle with the filmmakers freely. It’s full of very passionate fans.”
Over the years Graham’s artwork has become inseparable from FrightFest and he’s beloved by the community.
“That makes this film feel like a homecoming: it’s premiering to an audience who already understand just how important his work is to the genre,” explained Craig.
“The people we spoke to for the film are a reflection of that respect, - Reece Shearsmith and Andy Nyman, in particular, speak with real passion and warmth about his talent.”
As well as FrightFest, Craig, who has taught filmmaking in the Brighton area for 20 years is part of the team that launched the Made in Sussex Film Festival in partnership with Depot Cinema in Lewes. A three-day celebration of local filmmaking talent.
“So much of what we learned through FrightFest was invaluable in making that first year a success. I can’t wait to see how we build on it in 2026.
“It was also massively gratifying to see the names of so many ex-students from various schools appear on the credits of the films. It was also incredible that we were able to partner with Clear Futures to offer a prize of £10,000 for future film development to the winner of the best director award.”