Film to be shot in Bournemouth this summer

A Bournemouth lecturer is finally bringing a horror story to life this summer, after more than 20 years in the making.

Richard Batt, founder and artistic director of Revive Theatre and a Performing Arts lecturer at Bournemouth and Poole College, will begin filming ‘Gran Dead’ in Bournemouth this July.

Part dark comedy, part psychological horror, ‘Gran Dead’ follows an elderly care-home resident whose experimental treatment appears to reverse dementia. At first it seems miraculous. It isn’t.

Batt said: “I wrote the original version of ‘Gran Dead’ nearly 20 years ago, but at the time I didn’t have the experience to make it the way it needed to be made. Since then, I’ve spent years directing theatre, making films, teaching, making mistakes and learning from them. Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t make it then because I wouldn’t have been able to do it justice.

“This feels like the right time. I finally feel I have the skills, the team and the experience to do the story justice and give it a genuine shot at becoming the feature film I’ve always wanted it to be.”

The production brings together experienced industry professionals and emerging local talent, creating opportunities for aspiring Dorset filmmakers and performers to work alongside people with decades of experience in film, theatre and television.

The cast includes Emma Blake, who played the title role in the BBC’s 1974 adaptation of ‘Heidi’, alongside David Burton, whose career has spanned stage and screen, including appearances in ‘Only Fools and Horses’ and ‘The Thursday Murder Club’.