There is a long-standing tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas; the Victorians were particularly keen on sitting around the fire of an evening telling tales of spirits and things that go bump in the night.

I have always enjoyed a bit of a scare at Christmas time, and we usually have a few options on our televisions to choose from. This year I would like to tell you about a new spooky tale, filmed on our doorstep and featuring some local acting talent alongside a couple of more well-known faces.

Sleepyman is a short film that was written by David Quantick the award-winning screen and comedy writer. Having presented the idea to local film-maker John Panton of production house Meat Bingo, the two decided to bring the film to life with actors Mike Wozniak and Will Adamsdale taking the main roles. Covid did its best to intervene in the artistic process, but despite a couple of false starts, filming took place at the back end of last year in two locations in East Devon. Set in Victorian England, the tale is one of a supernatural nature; the main character is having eyesight problems, which may be causing him to go a little mad. As the story progresses it becomes clear quite how disturbed he is. The beautiful period building of the Royal Devon and Exeter Institute is the backdrop for the storytelling, interspersed with inventive use of the Norman Lockyer Observatory at Sidmouth for flashback scenes.

The most amazing this about this film was the collective of people who gave their time to bring it together; Meat Bingo are a no-budget production company fueled by optimism and endless enthusiasm for storytelling. You won’t catch Sleepyman in cinemas, but you can find it either on Vimeo or YouTube (search either Meat Bingo films or Sleepyman). But you’ll have to wait until Xmas eve because that’s when it will be released in all its spooky glory. I heartily recommend giving it a watch, but don’t blame me if you have nightmares.