About
Operation Bogeyman: The Folk Horror Landscapes of 1970s Northern Ireland
with Simon Aeppli (Talk 50mins + Q&A)
In this illustrated film lecture, filmmaker Simon Aeppli will share his recent PhD research on haunting and folk horror theories to excavate marginal and forgotten stories from our country's past, and how they continue to affect the present.
In 1973, the Mourne Observer ran a front-page story 'Black Magic Stories Are False Say Police' about allegations of black magic rites and witchcraft in the local area. Similar reports appeared in Simon's hometown, Carrickfergus, and his talk meanders through lanes, roads, and archives to reveal a place of strangeness and horror. His personal and historical narratives shed light on the ghosts of Northern Ireland's disputed past encountering ghost soldiers, fairy mounds and the legacy of psy-ops.
Simon Aeppli makes first-person documentary and essay films which have been screened on TV and at festivals and galleries here and abroad. He is a senior lecturer in Film Production at the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham.
