Trailer released for midge horror movie ahead of filming

A teaser trailer has been released for a Scottish horror comedy film about mutant killer midges.

Fort William-based author and screenwriter Barry Hutchison posted his idea for the movie on social media last summer as a joke.

The response to the post has led to Midgies going into a pre-production phase with cast and locations being considered ahead of a plan to film next year.

Glasgow-based film-maker Alessio Avezzano shot the short teaser this summer, with some of the filming done in Balloch Country Park, West Dunbartonshire.

Avezzano said: "Every day we scouted locations it was overcast - perfect midge environment.

"And then on the day of production it was the nicest day you had ever seen and every person from Glasgow came to have a good time in the park.

"We adapted by moving the production further into the trees."

The teaser features two walkers coming across a frightened scientist, and a laboratory under attack from an unseen menace.

Scottish companies including Motif Studios, which worked on visual effects for a Mad Max film, and digital entertainment firm Blazing Griffin were involved in making the three minute-long short film.

Hutchison, who writes crime novels under the name JD Kirk, also worked on two other film projects this year.

He was an executive producer and co-writer on a sci-fi horror called DRAGN, which is being made by an Irish production company and filmed in Serbia in September.

Hutchison is also a co-producer on Sky Cinema film Grow, which stars Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz actor Nick Frost and is due for release next year.

He said the new teaser would form part of a package of materials which will be pitched at film production companies and potential funders.

"We were hoping to be a little further on," said Hutchison.

"Writer and actor strikes in the US ground film production globally to a halt in many ways. As a result of that we lost our US producer."

Hutchison said the focus was now on making the film as much of a Scottish production as possible.

Exterior locations are to likely to include places in the Scottish Highlands.

Hutchison added: "We are looking to shoot next year in the summer, although we will be plagued by actual midges which could be problematic."

Avezzano said: "It's a horror comedy that is very much a celebration of Scotland as well."

Real-life biting midges are well-known to residents and visitors of Scotland, particularly in the Highlands.

The tiny flies are often encountered on mild, damp summer evenings, and are the scourge of campers and hillwalkers.

Female midges gather in swarms of millions as they seek out a blood meal to feed their eggs, leaving many of their human "victims" with red, itchy sores.

Scotland is also home to an estimated 10,000 species of non-biting midges.