A horror film festival is coming to Harrogate this Halloween in a supposedly haunted Victorian ball room of the Crown Hotel.

Harrogate Horror Film Festival will return with coronavirus safety measures in place, including limited places for its film screenings and splitting into two rooms if there’s enough demand.

Organisers Dead Northern will kick off the week on October 26 with a pub quiz. There will be lots of pop up events around the town leading up to the weekend at the Crown Hotel.

Highlights of the festival include an exclusive screening of Host, a film made during lockdown, as well as a night of dinner and live entertainment at Cardamom Black.

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The organisers had planned to hold a daily ghost walk, but that is now up in the air following the government’s ban on gatherings of more than six.

People will be able to watch some of the shorter independent films for free during the week but there will be a charge for the more polished viewings.

Josh Lawson, one of the founders of Dead Northern, told the Stray Ferret that only the ghost walks will be affected by the new government restrictions:

“Dead Northern has been in talks with cinemas about the new rule of six. We think it is something we are exempt from. We can keep people in bubbles of six and apart from others.

“It will be less family friendly compared to last year. There will be films like Ghostbusters but we need to bring in a more adult audience because of coronavirus.”

Tickets will go on sale next week on the Dead Northern website from £5 for a screening and goes up to £100 for the full week. The full week ticket includes every event except the evening at Cardamom Black which will cost an additional £40.

A Boroughbridge hotel has said its summer trading “exceeded expectations” after lockdown.

The Crown Hotel reopened, alongside other hospitality businesses, on July 4. Since then the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme has boosted dining while overseas travel restrictions have led to more holiday-makers in the area.

Tracey Campbell, general manager at the hotel, said:

“We had a very good July and August and it has been picking up momentum since then.

“We normally take the overflow from bigger events and weddings but recently it’s been people coming for the weekend. This has made a big impact, it’s made up for the loss of event trade.

The summer exceeded our expectations because we didn’t have any idea how it would be. We can’t forecast for the next 6-12 months but if business remains the same I’ll be a happy manager.”

Boroughbridge businesses bounced back in late summer after months of lockdown created uncertainty.

Boroughbridge is a staycation hotspot featuring several caravan parks. It is also close to several tourist locations and popular with walkers.

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The tourist information centre is currently closed. Calls are being forwarded to Boroughbridge Town Council.

A council representative said:

“The money left in the honesty box in our car park has definitely increased. The amount is close to what we expect at this time of year. I think it has picked up but it’s difficult to judge. We’ve had more people ringing saying they want to come. It is staycations for most people – those unable to go abroad have come here.”

The Crown Hotel in Harrogate has had its operations taken over by a new management company.

RBH has added the historic building to its portfolio of 45 other hotels in the UK.

The Crown is one of the oldest hotels in Harrogate, dating back over 300 years. It has 114 bedrooms and seven conference rooms.

The hospitality sector was hit hard during lockdown, with hotels having to remain closed. But London-based RBH is optimistic booking levels will resume now that lockdown restrictions have eased.

Andrew Robb, RBH’s chief business development officer, said it was “an exciting new chapter for this unique venue”, which is owned by Singapore-based developer the Fragrance Group.

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Mr Robb added:

“Our ethos is very much based on developing and nurturing our people, and this will be extended to The Crown as we look to maximise the potential of the team and in turn offer an outstanding experience to guests.

The covid pandemic has resulted in an exceptionally challenging time for the hospitality sector, however RBH has emerged from lockdown in a strong position and we are eager to help guide The Crown through this period and on to continued success.”

Boroughbridge was busy this afternoon as the hospitality sector reopened its doors, many of those returning to the town’s pubs and hotels felt safer in the town due to its small size.

Customers enjoyed the sun this afternoon, with pubs seeing groups of people sat outside to have a meal or a drink. All complying with the safety measures, many of the customers were able to regain a little normality as pubs and hotels reopened their doors.

Hospitality workers in the town watched as their new safety measures were complied with by customers. Several customers at the Grantham Arms commented on how safe they felt within the small town compared to how they would feel if they visited a busier area in the district.

Kirsty Lodge told The Stray Ferret:

“I think if you were inside somewhere with a lot of strangers it would be a bit uncomfortable. We know the place so it feels easier there’s lot of things in place but it doesn’t stop you enjoying a drink. I think because its one of those places where you know everyone it’s great.

Sam Stoddart agreed:

“I feel more than safe here. I can think of places I’ve worked before where I know social distancing would be different, but here its good. I’m happy to be back and feel very safe here.”

June Glasper owns a static caravan in the town and was eager to return today, she said:

“I’m feeling apprehensive, we have a static caravan site and that reopened today too. I don’t know if I’d have gone into a pub at home in Sunderland but here I feel safe. Being in a little place like this it makes me feel comfortable.”

The Crown Hotel also reopened today with staff and guests happy to be back.

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Tourism is also a big contributor to the town, Tracey Campbell is the duty manager for The Crown Hotel. She was happy with the numbers of people booking rooms eager to return to the town:

“I was nervous and excited I just wanted to reopen The Crown’s doors again to re-establish its place in the community. We’ve put all the measures in but we just want to get the balance right between welcoming the guest and being a little bit clinical, which we don’t want. The guests are more than happy to be back too so it’s just absolutely fantastic.”

Simon Wade owner of Grantham Arms said:

“I was relieved to be opening today because we’ve all been working hard to get it ready. I think it could be a bit confusing for our regular customers because it has changed with the one way system but everyone is complying. It’s going to take a couple of weeks for people to see the reactions to us all reopening, but it shouldn’t take too long for then to find the confidence to return.”