By Jon Donnis
FrightFest is back and bigger than ever. From 21 to 25 August, the UK’s premier horror and fantasy film festival returns to the ODEON Luxe Leicester Square, spilling over into two screens at the ODEON Luxe West End. With sixty-nine features from fourteen countries across four continents, this year’s event promises a wild, bloody ride through the strange and spectacular.
The festival kicks off with the UK premiere of The Home, a chilling thriller from The Purge creator James DeMonaco. Comedian Pete Davidson stars as Max, a rebellious young man sentenced to community service in a quiet retirement home that quickly proves to be anything but. FrightFest closes with Influencers, the follow-up to Shudder’s social-media shocker. Directed by Kurtis David Harder, it’s a twisted, unsettling take on digital fame and the dangers that lurk behind the perfect filter.
FrightFest regulars return in force. Erik Bloomquist unveils his latest cult nightmare Self-Help, while Simon Rumley brings Crushed, his most emotionally raw work to date. The Adams family are back with Mother of Flies, a spiritual follow-up to Hellbender. Joe Begos returns with Jimmy and Stiggs, a gore-soaked joyride packed with added footage from Eli Roth. Neil Marshall also reappears, hosting a special 4K restoration screening of his 2005 classic The Descent, with cast members in attendance.
Main screen highlights include the long-awaited reboot of The Toxic Avenger, the UK premiere of A Serbian Documentary, and genre-benders like The Rows, Bone Lake and What She Doesn’t Know, co-written by the daughter of horror legend William Castle. Also screening are British entries like Odyssey and Cognitive, and inventive indies such as Flush, Marshmallow, Night of Violence and Redux Redux, a reality-hopping horror from the McManus Brothers.
The Discovery Screen slate is as unpredictable and bold as ever. The 'First Blood' strand features world premieres from up-and-coming UK talent, including He Kills At Night, Healing Andy and The Haunting at Jack the Ripper’s House. US entries bring everything from killer clowns in Super Happy Fun Clown to rural terror in The Confession, while Canadian and Australasian films deliver werewolves, body horror, and a uniquely twisted musical journey.
Notable entries include Bambi: The Reckoning, a gory reinterpretation of the classic tale, and Blockhead, the debut narrative feature from Matt Harlock. The documentary section is packed too, with deep dives into genre icons like Graham Humphreys and Andy Milligan, and Sane Inside Insanity, a detailed look at the enduring cult of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
International animation also makes a strong showing with the UK premiere of Latvian film Dog of God, which explores historic werewolf trials with fever-dream energy, and Gill from South Korea, continuing the powerful visual storytelling of director Jae-huun Ahn.
As co-director Alan Jones puts it, “FrightFest in its 26th year remains the UK’s Number One destination for genre fans.” With a huge range of world premieres, cult favourites, experimental visions and nostalgic callbacks, this year’s festival celebrates the strange, the stylish and the genuinely scary.
Full short film line-ups and guest appearances are still to come. But one thing is already clear. If you love horror in all its forms, there’s nowhere else to be this August.
