BAD THINGS by Anthony Thornton-Hopwood
Morgan Motors Experience Centre
Halloween night Friday 31st October.
Multi-award-winning feature film Bad Things, written and directed by Midlands filmmaker Anthony Thornton-Hopwood, is heading to Malvern for a one-off Halloween screening at the Morgan Motors Experience Centre on Friday 31 October.
Thornton-Hopwood has joined forces with Versatile Arts, Faun, Mu Mu Audio, and local legend DJ Ed Steelfox, who will deliver a Halloween-themed set to keep the party spirit alive well into the night. Fancy dress is encouraged – whether you turn up as a zombie or any other creature of the dark – and there’s a prize for the best-dressed zombie. A fully stocked bar will also be available, ensuring a frightfully good time for all.
Described as a horror-comedy for a new generation, Bad Things follows a group of teenagers on a Duke of Edinburgh expedition who stumble into chaos when an AI nanotech virus becomes self-aware. The virus, designed as a “reset button” for humanity, kills anyone over twenty-one and transforms the young into biomechanical hunters programmed to eradicate adults.
The film has been hailed as “this generation’s answer to Shaun of the Dead” and stars Amey DeSouza, sister of The Pope’s Exorcist child actor Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, alongside Mila Lieu, best known for her roles in the BBC’s Dodger and Netflix’s Little Baby Bum. Worcestershire’s Megan Oxtoby, who appeared with Simon Pegg in Channel 4’s The Undeclared War, also features — and Pegg himself has sent his best wishes to the production.
Over 80 per cent of the cast and crew were first-time filmmakers aged 16–24, mentored by industry professionals on location across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The project received partial funding from the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund, aimed at providing paid work experience for Midlands youth.
Thornton-Hopwood, a Malvern resident, hopes Bad Things will spark further creative opportunities in the region:
“Technology has levelled the field. Filmmaking no longer belongs just to London or Manchester — it can thrive anywhere.”
Tickets (£12.50) are available via Versatile Arts. Bad Things is now streaming worldwide on Amazon Prime Video.