VIDEO: Ghost Stories set to chill moviegoers amid 'exciting' times for Sheffield's film industry

These are 'exciting' times for Sheffield's film industry, as the latest in a trio of high-profile features shot or produced in the city hits the nation's screens.
Ghost Stories combines spine-tingling shocks with genuine belly laughs (photo: Warp Films)Ghost Stories combines spine-tingling shocks with genuine belly laughs (photo: Warp Films)
Ghost Stories combines spine-tingling shocks with genuine belly laughs (photo: Warp Films)

That's according to one of the key figures behind hotly-anticipated comedy-horror flick Ghost Stories, the biggest release to date from Sheffield-based Warp Films.

Robin Gutch produced the film with Claire Jones for Warp, where he is a senior executive producer.

Ghost Stories combines spine-tingling shocks with genuine belly laughs (photo: Warp Films)Ghost Stories combines spine-tingling shocks with genuine belly laughs (photo: Warp Films)
Ghost Stories combines spine-tingling shocks with genuine belly laughs (photo: Warp Films)
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The supernatural thriller was penned by The League of Gentlemen's Jeremy Dyson and Derren Brown-collaborator Andy Nyman, who adapted it with Warp for the big screen.

It is opening on 398 screens across the UK this weekend, making it comfortably the firm's biggest launch to date.

Martin Freeman in Ghost Stories (photo: Warp Films)Martin Freeman in Ghost Stories (photo: Warp Films)
Martin Freeman in Ghost Stories (photo: Warp Films)

Add to that the fact Jodie Whittaker was recently seen filming scenes for Doctor Who at Park Hill, and it's clear the city's film industry is in rude health.

"It certainly feels like an exciting time for the industry in Sheffield and Yorkshire as a whole," said Mr Gutch.

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"You have access to the amazing array of locations Yorkshire has to offer, and it's a straightforward two-hour train journey to King's Cross.

Ghost Stories combines spine-tingling shocks with genuine belly laughs (photo: Warp Films)Ghost Stories combines spine-tingling shocks with genuine belly laughs (photo: Warp Films)
Ghost Stories combines spine-tingling shocks with genuine belly laughs (photo: Warp Films)

"Screen Yorkshire has been a key partner for Warp almost from the beginning, and it's managed to make the county a very attractive place for film and TV makers."

Ghost Stories, whose cast includes Martin Freeman and Paul Whitehouse, tells the tale of psychology professor Phillip Goodman whose scepticism about the supernatural is shaken when he investigates a series of increasingly disturbing happenings.

It is a perfect fit for Warp, a company whose past productions include the horror films Dead Man's Shoes, Berberian Sound Studio and Kill List, and which is not afraid to mine the darkest of black comedy.

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"There's some very dark comedy running through those films but Ghost Stories is different in that it has some genuine laugh out loud moments as well as being really scary," said Mr Gutch.

Martin Freeman in Ghost Stories (photo: Warp Films)Martin Freeman in Ghost Stories (photo: Warp Films)
Martin Freeman in Ghost Stories (photo: Warp Films)

Dyson and Nyman were initially approached by Hollywood about adapting the play but Mr Gutch says they were determined to film in the UK and given Warp's track record felt confident their vision would not be 'watered down'.

The producer says the duo and Warp are both keen to collaborate again but there is no concrete project at this stage.

For now, the concern is what the play's many devoted fans will make of the movie, which he jokes 'leaves me with a certain amount of trepidation, much like we hope audiences will experience'.

* Ghost Stories is showing at cinemas in the UK from Friday, April 6