Abertoir
The International Horror Festival of Wales

Gavin Baddeley is an English writer specialising in the devilish and decadent, Gothic and macabre, with a special interest in the darker fringes of history. In addition to penning numerous books in these areas, he’s written for numerous, diverse periodicals and newspapers, ranging from The Observer and Knave, to Metal Hammer and Medieval History magazine. He has also made annually appearing at Abertoir part of his varied career, so let’s hope evil keeps giving him plenty more topics to share with us.

Nicko and Joe have been confusing, disturbing and delighting audiences with their unique brand of comedy since 2004. Their infectious enthusiasm on stage and twisted creativity in their writing has resulted in many comparisons being made to other artists. These range from the surreal group They Might be Giants to Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park.

We know Nicko and Joe most at Abertoir for their Bad Film Club, unashamedly providing live commentaries to some of the most awful pieces of cinematic sewage to ever be put to celluloid… and we love them for it.

Kristen McGorry is a scriptwriter who has somehow managed to turn her passion for playing games into a career. Now Lead Writer at Ubisoft Montreal on Project Hexe, Kristen has worked with some of the biggest games studios and written for some of the most recognisable franchises, including the recent Assassins Creed: Valhalla.

Jonathan Rigby is and actor and prolific author, and certainly a household name to fans of horror. His books include English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema (2000), American Gothic: Sixty Years of Horror Cinema (2007) and Euro Gothic Classics of Continental Horror Cinema (2016). He also wrote Christopher Lee’s official biography, and we’re honoured to welcome Jonathan to the festival to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Lee’s birth!

Frederico Serra is a Portuguese director and producer born in Lisbon in 1964. He studied Expression and Audiovisual Techniques at António Arroio Artistic School and attended workshops related to actor’s direction and directing in London. Serra has directed publicity spots and videoclips, shorts, television and features. His latest, Wolf Child, had its world premiere at Motel X in September 2022.