I'D THOUGHT I was going to be scared silly, but as it was the audience laughed during much of The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog .

The 1927 silent thriller that was a major stepping stone to fame and fortune for Alfred Hitchcock was of its day, of course, and on Friday night it was the cultural appreciation of times past that came to the fore.

Just one of the many offerings during the week-long Wide Skies Film Festival, London Fog was accompanied by Brazilian concert pianist Tony Berchmans thanks to a Crowdfunding drive that many a Tynedale resident was happy to contribute to - he'd proved a hit during last year's festival when he tickled the ivories in tandem with a showing of another 1920s creepy, Nosferatu .

And no wonder. His sleek performance on Friday melded seamlessly with London Fog to the point you stopped being aware of the separate entities of what was a truly atmospheric evening in Hexham Abbey.

Yes, the hammy acting and script were funny. As 'The Avenger' murdered his seventh blonde girl, each on a Tuesday evening, fear gripped London. The sub-titled words of one witness read: 'Tall, he was, and his face all wrapped up!'

Next scene: the arrival of the new lodger at a family home equipped with a blonde-haired daughter. He is tall and has a scarf wrapped round his lower face.

As romance develops between the lodger and daughter, mother is pictured determinedly black-leading the stove, while father's pipe droops at a worrying angle. The next words on the screen: 'God forgive me! I let her go out with the lodger ... and it's Tuesday night'.

But in the Abbey, as the last rays of sun shining through the stained glass of the Tyrrell windows mingled with the soaring notes of the grand piano, it was nothing short of pure magic.

Berchmans said afterwards: "I improvise, so each time I play along to one of these classics it's a different experience for me as a musician.

"As the story is going on, I have to give characters some sense of emotion and feeling - it's a wonderful experience and humbling."

Organised by Hexham's Forum Cinema in conjunction with Queen's Hall Arts and Hexham Book Festival, the Wide Skies Film Festival boasts a programme of films mainly nominated by local community groups and designed to explore topical issues.

Hence, the Northumberland Domestic Abuse Service chose The Secret Life of Bees, Hexham Town Twinning Association chose A Coffee in Berlin and Hexham & District Photographic Society picked Finding Vivian Maier.

In what was one of the highlights of the weekend, the Hexham Book Festival team also hosted a visit by the Booker Prize winning author of the Regeneration trilogy, Pat Barker.