Ulster-Scots is creeping into Halloween this year, as a new series of short horror films uses the hamely tongue to explore the spooky side of the province.

Filmed on location around Northern Ireland and debuting on BBC iPlayer tomorrow, the shorts comprise two series of four tales – one, ‘Haleve’, focuses on folkloric spectres and rituals finding victims among the unwise and unwary in the modern day; the other, ‘Bogle Cove’, comprises twisty narratives relocating traditional horror monsters such as ghosts and vampires to a sinister Ulster village.

Backed by the Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund, the fright-filled stories are part of moves to showcase the breadth of the language and open it up to modern, younger audiences.

And the fund doesn’t plan to stop here. They’re so pleased with what the shorts show can be done in a genre that doesn’t usually spring to mind with the hamely tongue, that they want it to be the beginning of something bigger – maybe even a feature film.

placeholder image — The title image of Ulster-Scots series of shorts horror films 'Haleve'. Photo: Beyond Visible Films/BBC

Speaking after a preview screening of the shorts, chair Frank Ferguson said the fund hit on horror as its fans appreciate films from all over the world, including those in languages other than English, and are interested in the weird and eerie side of traditional cultures.

“In many ways Ulster-Scots is the perfect vehicle for horror, especially around Halloween,” he told the News Letter. “Many of the traditions we associate with Halloween today derive from folk culture and practices from Ireland and Scotland; these are the inheritances that the ‘folk horror’ genre deals with.

“It’s also a language rooted in place, and that’s very good for expressing deep and profound emotions and trauma. It’s an excellent marriage.

“We’ve also got a brilliant group of writers working in Ulster-Scots, who are flexing their muscles more and more. These shorts really gave them something to get their teeth into.”

Two groups of Northern Irish film professionals were summoned to bring the scripts to life, their casts and crews advised on the language by poet and novelist Anne McMaster.

‘Haleve’ – the word being Ulster-Scots for Halloween – is handled by directors Dominic O’Neill and Will McConnell from Beyond Visible Films, whose 2024 movie ‘Haunted Ulster Live’ delved into the province’s past for the spine-chilling tale of a 1990s TV broadcast from a ghost-infested house gone wrong.

Having conjured stories ranging from a YouTuber exploring an eldritch island to a suburban new mother terrorised by guisers whose costumes hide something truly monstrous, Dominic said: “We had space for four totally different styles of horror film, which was perfect to work on.

“That’s the language, though; it’s very direct, it gets in and makes its point. In cinema, that’s exactly what you want.”

Helming ‘Bogle Cove’ was Dean Hagan from Northern Visions. With plenty of experience making factual Ulster-Scots programming, he jumped at the chance to direct fiction – especially since he could put a sting in the tale.

“Back in the day, I was watching things like ‘Tales Of The Unexpected’ along with the big horror movies like ‘A Nightmare On Elm Street’,” he told the News Letter. “The twists at the end, that’s what stayed with me and that’s what I wanted to bring.”