Behind the Couch

2011 Dir. George Clarke A maintenance man is called on to ensure an old derelict house – formerly a psychiatric hospital, no less - is securely boarded up after a reported break-in. On what is supposed to be his last day on the job, he experiences increasingly chilling occurrences. Initially believing that wayward youngsters are playing a prank on him, it soon becomes evident that something much more sinister is afoot… The Last Light is director George Clarke’s third film and follows on from his low/no-budget gore-fests Battle of the Bone , (flesh hungry zombies descend on Belfast during the tumultuous ‘marching season’) and The Knackery (violent reality TV satire featuring genetically modified zombies picking off the contestants of a popular TV game show). In terms of tone and style, it's very different and sees the indie filmmaker mature as a storyteller, and in terms of technical expertise. A much more atmospheric and creepy affair, his latest film is based on unsettli...

Northern Ireland based writer/director/producer George Clarke specialises in micro-budgeted, high-energy, special effects-driven, gore-fests that have trail-blazed through independent film festivals around the world. His debut film, the ground-breaking Battle of the Bone , follows a group of friends stuck between warring communities and a horde of marauding zombies on the streets of Belfast during the tumultuous ‘marching season.’ Bloody carnage ensures. His follow up, the hyper-violent reality TV satire The Knackery , skulked along a similarly gore-drenched trail and boasted genetically modified zombies picking off the contestants of a TV game show. The indie filmmaker is following up these frenetic and blackly comic cult films with a drastic change of pace that should result in an altogether more unsettling affair. His latest film, The Last Light , is based on harrowing true-life events from the history of the reputedly haunted Cairndhu House , County Antrim. If that wasn’t enough,...

The second Annual Yellow Fever Independent Film Festival kicked off last weekend at the Stormont Hotel in Belfast. Building on the format of last year’s successful event, this year saw an even bigger, better festival cramming a shed-load of film screenings and special events into just four days – that’s double the days last year’s festival ran for. As well as the impressive array of film screenings, there were also workshops, Q&A sessions with filmmakers, Cos-Play events, gaming facilities, special guests and a whole host of other exclusive treats. If there is one thing the team behind Yellow Fever lack; ambition, determination and motivation aren’t it. Festival organiser and founder of Yellow Fever Productions , George Clarke once again reiterated throughout the weekend why he set up the event - to support and promote local independent filmmakers and provide them with a platform to showcase their work and get some recognition; as well as giving those in attendance the opport...

Most people will have their own contingency plan in place in case our world should one day be plunged into post-apocalyptic, zombie-ridden chaos. But just how well stocked up are you? Would you know how to deal with the inevitability of destroying a loved-one who returns from the dead? And should you hold up in your local shopping mall or head to the nearest off-coast island resort? These are just some of the points you’ve no doubt considered. And you’re not alone. Last year the Edinburgh Festival Fringe , amongst others, played host to a series of ground-breaking seminars introduced by the leading expert in his field, and ‘zombology’ guru, Dr Dale Seslick. The seminars are your one stop shop to the world of zombie survival techniques. Aided by a dedicated team of specialists from the School of Survival, attendees will learn everything they need to know when coping with the undead as they rise from their graves and begin eating their way through the world’s population....

This is part II of an interview with George Clarke - director of Battle of the Bone and The Knackery . I caught up with George recently to chat about his independent film production company Yellow Fever, and the 2nd Yellow Fever Independent Film Festival - as well as his current project, old school slasher flick Splash Area . If you've just joined us, you can click here to read part one of the interview. If you've already read it, I shall take up no more of your time - read on for part II... Tell me about your own festival – Yellow Fever Independent Film Festival. How did you go about setting it up? Going back to the beginning when I started filming Battle Of The Bone , I had always wanted to help independent film makers from the word 'go'. One way of doing that was to hold a real indie film festival. At that time, I had never heard of any in Belfast, or NI, and wanted to be responsible for creating such an event. After our visit and win at the Freak Show Film F...

As the head of Yellow Fever Productions, a Northern Irish independent film production company, George Clarke has his work cut out for him. Currently in the midst of filming his latest project, a crazed Halloween Night-set slasher film about killer clowns and escaped lunatics, and having already thrown himself into preparations for the second Yellow Fever Independent Film Festival next August, I thought it was about time I caught up with Mr Clarke to have a chat about low budget filmmaking, genetically modified zombies, the film industry in Northern Ireland, the importance of self belief and, er, killer clowns! When and how did you go about setting up Yellow Fever Productions? I officially launched Yellow Fever Productions when I kicked off production on Battle of the Bone . I had always wanted to name my company Yellow Fever because of my love for Asian cinema. It has been the biggest inspiration to me in regards to film making so I wanted to pay some sort of homage to it with my ...

2009 Dir. George Clarke Six contestants. One million quid. And a shitload of zombies. A group of contestants prepare to fight to the death on extreme reality TV show The Knackery. With a reward of £1 million for the last player left standing, the stakes are high. They are raised even higher when a horde of flesh hungry, genetically modified zombies are unleashed to liven things up a bit… Building on the reputation they cultivated for themselves with Battle of the Bone , Yellow Fever Productions have returned to the stripped back, no frills and no holds barred approach to filmmaking that made their debut feature so appealing. Shot in five weeks on a budget of roughly £100, the first cut of The Knackery premiered at the Fellow Fever Independent Film Festival in Belfast last weekend. A ‘knacker’ is someone who slaughters worn-out livestock and sells their flesh, bones and hides. The Knackery is a gruesome reality TV show in which contestants must battle it out to the deat...

Yellow Fever Productions is an independent production company based in Belfast. In 2008 they produced the award winning Battle of the Bone – a zombie flick set in Belfast on the Twelfth of July and featuring two rival communities forced to put aside their differences and come together to vanquish a marauding horde of the living dead. Not content to produce award winning films, Yellow Fever have organised their own independent film festival right here in Belfast, which kicked off this weekend at the Stormont Hotel. Amongst the film screenings on offer, attendees have also been treated to exclusive workshops, Q&A sessions and a number of special guests. Festival organiser and founder of Yellow Fever Productions , George Clarke, set up the event as a means to support and promote local independent filmmakers and provide them with a platform to showcase their work; as well as giving those in attendance the opportunity to see what other independent filmmakers from around the world ...