A STOURBRIDGE horror fan plans to put on a second event following the resounding success of his first ever Black Country Horror Shorts Film Festival.

Wollaston based actor Alan Birch's Weeping Bank Productions staged the inaugural event at Stourbridge's Green Duck Brewery last Thursday (February 27) - which saw horror film fans from across Stourbridge and beyond turn out in droves to watch a series of creepy/horrifying original short films.

Around 100 shorts were submitted for the competition and they were then whittled down by judges including horror author Adam Neville, whose book The Ritual has been made in to a chart-topping Netfilx movie; Worcester based film-maker Hendrik Harms, who turned Stephen King's short story All That You Love Will be Taken Away in to an award-winning film; and journalist and founder of Birmingham Now TV, Steve Green, who has contributed articles to the horror fanzine The Dark Side.

Around 15 made the shortlist and were screened on the night which also included a showing of The Humdrum Express's zombie-filled music video E-Petition, directed by Nick J Townsend.

Organiser Alan Birch said the quality of filming, acting and original writing was "amazing" and entries had been submitted from as far afield as the USA, France and Iran and he added: "The response to the event had been really positive. People loved the venue and loved the variety of films."

Essex based Steve Dorrington and Tristan Syrett's darkly offbeat short Off Fleek - about the shocking transformation a teenaged cyber bullying victim goes through after she is body-shamed online - was voted overall winner of the festival.

While the runners up were: Still - a dark zombie comedy about a living statue entertainer caught up a zombie outbreak, by Bewdley based Carl Timms; Devil's Play - about a young woman who enters the dark web via her VR headset to escape her dysfunctional family, by Lloyd Eyer Morgan and Neil David from Manchester; and Santa Baby - a twisted tale about a psychopath dressed as Santa Claus, by Mike Coombes and Jonathan Zaurin, from Herefordshire.

Meanwhile - the audience favourite was Spiral, by James Price from Glasgow, about a socially deprived man with mental health issues who finds himself trapped in a terrifying time loop.

Alan added: "The filmmakers were all over the moon with the prizes which included trophies, cash and Batham’s Beer as well as a laurel to add to their films.

"I will be doing it again next year but the plan is to hold it a little later in the year, possibly around end of April."