FAQ
How do I get more information about the next festival?
Sign up to our mailing list. The form is on the right. You’ll get occasional mailings about special genre events, and in the months running up to the festival you’ll get advance notice of Passes going on sale
When do Passes go on sale?
Passes usually go on sale about three months before the festival. An advance announcement will be sent to the mailing list.
What does a Pass get me?
Our all-inclusive Pass gives you access to all the events and screenings of the festival – there are no hidden extra costs.
What if I only want to come and see a few movies?
You can buy individual tickets directly from Filmhouse box office. These usually go on sale a couple of weeks before the festival. If that allocation sells out, more individual tickets will be on sale each day of the festival. This works because there are always no-shows, and we can put those tickets up for sale.
How do I buy a Pass?
You can come into Filmhouse on Lothian Road and buy a Pass from the box office any day after 12 noon. The box office is open until 9pm each night. You can also call Filmhouse box office any day from 12 noon and pay over the phone. Their phone number is 0131 228 2688. You will also be able to buy Passes online from the Filmhouse web site.
How do I get my Pass if I don’t buy it in person?
Filmhouse box office will keep your Pass until you arrive to collect it, which can be anytime up to and into the festival. They do this so we can ensure you are over 18. We don’t mind how far over. If you bought it online, it helps a lot to have printed off and brought with you the confirmation of booking. Otherwise, you will need to know the postcode it was booked with. If that fails, you will need to know your own name. If you buy your Pass over the phone, you can request the box office to send you a receipt as proof of payment. The box office will remain open until 11pm on the first night of the festival only. The first film will not start until after 11pm. If your Pass has not been collected by noon on the second day of the festival, it will be put up for re-sale. Please note that we do not issue refunds, although you are welcome to sell your Pass on to a friend if you are unable to attend.
The phones are always engaged when I call!
In the first few days our Passes are on sale, the lines will be very busy. Please do not email me in a panic! The best thing to do is be patient and keep trying. Also, once Passes are sold out we have a waiting list to assist with re-sales in the event of cancellations. It is unheard of for us not to be able to accommodate everyone who wants to attend.
What do I do once I’ve turned up and collected my Pass?
For each day of the festival we will have a dedicated desk in the foyer of Filmhouse open from 10.15am. All you need to do is present your Pass once at our desk every day and you’ll get tickets for that day’s events and movies. Our desk is open until 9pm each night.
How will I know what’s on?
Most of the programme will be announced to the mailing list and on the website once it is confirmed but it is the nature of the business that some titles and extra events are not confirmed until very close to festival time. If you are attending for the first time and are unsure about whether or not to make the trip when you don’t know the full programme, please ask us to send you testimonials from hundreds of very happy past festival-goers! Or feel free to check us out online.
If I can’t get a Pass in advance, is there any point in showing up?
Simple answer? Yes. There are always available seats, because even if a screening is a sell-out, my staff and I will give up our seats for you. Available tickets for individual shows will be on sale from the time the box office opens. Please come along! Until 9pm each night (11pm on the first night only) Filmhouse box office will be open and selling individual tickets for every show.
Where are you and where can I stay during the fest?
Filmhouse is at 88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh. We have some travel information and an annually-updated list of local accommodation – hotels, hostels and B&Bs – available on request and can provide further options if you don’t find anything in your price range. We are also happy to provide detailed information about travelling to and around Edinburgh. Please use the form on our Contact page and let us know exactly what you need. Also, when you arrive at the festival, we have a stock of local maps and lots of local information if you’re in Edinburgh for the first time or looking for bizarre and interesting things to do between movies.
What the hell happens at Dead by Dawn?
We usually kick off late on the Thursday evening with our Opening Movie. Films start shortly after noon on Friday and go on throughout the day until the wee hours of the morning. On Saturday, movies start again just after noon and go right through the day and evening, with the all-nighter kicking off at midnight and finishing at some ungodly hour on Sunday morning. Sunday movies usually start around 3pm and go on until the wee hours of Monday morning.
So is it just movie after movie after movie?
Not quite. We have several programming strands. The main features programme is comprised of the very best that independent cinema has to offer as well as the occasional preview and premiere. To complement the new movies, we have a classic features programme with some bits of horror cinema history on the big screen where they belong! We have three short film programmes – those accompanying the features programme, a section called What You Make It, which is for films though not traditionally horror, will still make you feel so wrong, but in a good way, obviously! And then there’s our Cutting Edge short film competition for debut and emerging film-makers. We award three prizes at the end of the festival which you will be able to vote for: The Audience Awards for Best Feature and Short, and also the winner of the Cutting Edge Short Film Competition.
How much beer am I gonna need to get through all this?
Lucky for all of us, Filmhouse bar has a 3am licence for each night of the festival. Also, their kitchen is open until 10pm every night, with last orders needing to be in by about 9.40pm
What is Spawn of Dawn?
Spawn of Dawn is a mini-fest for all the horror fans who don’t have the time, cash, desire or stamina to put themselves through four days of the main festival! It takes place in Cinema Two at Filmhouse, and runs from around midnight on the Saturday night – pretty much to coincide with the Dead by Dawn all-nighter in Cinema One. The Spawn of Dawn programme will screen 5 features and between 8 and 10 shorts selected from the main Dead by Dawn programme. Passes for Spawn of Dawn are sold in exactly the same way as those for Dead by Dawn but they are not interchangeable – you either attend one event or the other. All info about Spawn of Dawn will be sent to the mailing list. Please make sure you are sure which event your friends are going to before you buy a Pass!
What if I have more questions?
Ludicrously Important Conditions of Sale:
- If you do not collect your Pass by 12 noon on the Friday of the festival, it will be put back up for sale and you will not be entitled to a refund
- You cannot have anyone else collect your Pass on your behalf
- Filmhouse management and Dead by Dawn reserve the right to refuse admission
- You must be over 18 to attend this festival