23/10/2026
Here it is! What an incredible project!
🎹🎷🎸
ONE FILM. THREE MUSICIANS. A NEW SCORE PERFORMED LIVE.
On Saturday 24 October, Häxan: The Esoteric Cut comes to Haddo House for a one-off Festival of Darkness experience.
At its heart is a new score, commissioned by Haddo Arts, composed by pianist Neil Birse and saxophonist Matthew Kilner, and performed live alongside the film by award-winning guitarist, composer and improviser Graeme Stephen.
And what a trio ...
🎹 Neil Birse is an Aberdeen-born, classically trained jazz pianist and Guildhall School of Music and Drama graduate whose musical influences span jazz, folk, classical and rock.
🎷 Matthew Kilner is an award-winning saxophonist who has performed at Ronnie Scott’s, PizzaExpress Live and Regensburg Jazz Festival. He won the Ogston Performance Prize in 2019 and reached the final of BBC Radio Scotland’s 2023 Young Jazz Musician of the Year competition.
🎸 Graeme Stephen is an award-winning composer, guitarist and improviser whose work spans jazz, contemporary classical music, folk and free improvisation, shaped by more than 30 years of collaboration and performance.
And then there's the film ...
Made in 1922 by Benjamin Christensen, Häxan is an extraordinary silent-era blend of documentary, essay film, horror and dramatised storytelling that journeys through historical beliefs and superstitions surrounding witchcraft. More than a century later, the BFI still describes it as formally daring and wildly inventive.
🎬 COME EARLY FOR THE STORY BEHIND THE FILM
At 6.45pm, film writer and historian Jez Conolly will introduce Häxan, exploring its production, Benjamin Christensen's career and the film's place in the golden age of silent cinema. Jez holds an MA in Film Studies and International Cinema and has written extensively on horror and folk horror.
⚠️ The pre-screening talk is limited to just 50 places, so book early.
📅 Saturday 24 October
🎤 6.45pm – Pre-screening talk with Jez Conolly
🎬 7.30pm – Häxan: The Esoteric Cut + LIVE SCORE
📍 Haddo House
🎟️ Tickets
Pre-screening talk and film £14.00 (Plus online booking fee of £0.98 per ticket)
Film only £12.00 (Plus online booking fee of £0.84 per ticket)
👉 BOOK NOW - https://neatshows.org.uk/witches/
More info 👇
What is Festival of Darkness really about?
📍 Haddo House, Tarves, Aberdeenshire | 24–25 October
🎬 Witches • Häxan: The Esoteric Cut • The Secret of Kells • She Will
📍 The Barn, Banchory, Aberdeenshire | 28 October
🎭 Wicked Quines
Book your tickets: www.neatshows.org.uk/witches
First and foremost, Festival of Darkness is about engaging and entertaining films and stories. Stories that intrigue us, move us, make us think, spark conversations and sometimes let us see familiar subjects in a completely different light.
This year’s theme is Witches, and the programme runs through a strong thread of women’s stories, experiences and voices, past and present. Through films including Witches, Häxan and She Will, we bring to light subjects that have sometimes been pushed into the shadows, from women’s health and mental health to ageing, prejudice, identity and the freedom to have your voice heard.
That celebration of women stretches across generations. Quicksilver (Citymoves Dance Agency's Performance Group) brings women over 50 together through dance and creativity, while Wicked Quines gives younger female performers and creatives opportunities to develop and share their talents.
But Festival of Darkness is also about great entertainment. The extraordinary 1922 silent film Häxan is given new life with a specially created score by accomplished local musicians Neil Birse and Matthew Kilner, performed live by Neil and Matthew alongside Graeme Stephen.
And where there is darkness, there is also light and hope. Families can discover the beautiful world of The Secret of Kells, then head outdoors for family fun on our Shadow Hunt Trail around Haddo's grounds.
Film, stories, music, creativity, conversation, discovery and fun.
Festival of Darkness explores what we sometimes leave in the shadows and finds new ways to bring them into the light.
Book your tickets: www.neatshows.org.uk/witches
