Monday, 10 August 2026
COMPETITION: Win Dead Man’s Shoes on Blu-ray
Thursday, 6 August 2026
Trieste Science+Fiction Festival Unveils Striking Poster for 26th Edition Unveils Striking Poster for 26th Edition
By Jon Donnis
The Trieste Science+Fiction Festival has unveiled the official poster for its 26th edition, taking place in Trieste (North-East Italy) from 3 to 8 November.
Created by acclaimed Italian comic book artist and illustrator Spugna, the artwork depicts a huge, deformed post-human creature carefully repairing a small robot it once played with as a child. Despite its grotesque, decayed appearance, the creature retains a fragment of its humanity through this simple act.
“Within this simple yet deeply moving gesture, the poster captures the very essence of the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival,” - explains Francesco Cappellotto, Festival creative director - “It is a place where fantastic cinema becomes an opportunity to rediscover that capacity for wonder which adulthood so often threatens to suppress, reminding us how important it is to preserve within ourselves the curiosity, imagination and sense of wonder of our youth.”
Spugna, known for graphic novels including The Rust Kingdom, Fingerless and Rusted Tales, said the poster was inspired by his preference for the biological side of science fiction.
“I have always been fascinated by the ‘biological’ side of science fiction more than its purely mechanical aspect” - said comic book artist Spugna - “So for the poster I immediately gravitated towards the idea of a huge fleshy, muscular post-human creature, somewhat like Tetsuo at the end of Akira, which, despite its grotesque appearance, lovingly busies itself repairing a little robot.”
Festival Artistic Director Alan Jones highlighted the growing mainstream success of science fiction and fantasy, while emphasising the festival's long-standing support for new talent, original content and experimental formats.
The festival will feature international premieres, special guests, talks and events spanning cinema, literature, comics and video games, alongside science communication and technological innovation.
The Politeama Rossetti and Teatro Miela will host the main film programme, while Piazza della Borsa will once again house the Sci-Fi Dome for the third consecutive year. Its programme includes Mondofuturo, IVIPRO DAYS and the Fantastic Film Forum.
The Mondofuturo Literary Award will also return, celebrating the best original science fiction book published in Italy in 2025.
Thursday, 30 July 2026
TUBI FRIGHTFEST UNVEILS MONSTROUS 2026 LINE-UP
Abner Pastoll’s NERVOUS and Marion Le Corroller’s SPECIES to open and close 27th edition
Be prepared for a terrifying, record-breaking selection of World, International, and UK premieres as Tubi FrightFest 2026, the UK’s No.1 horror & fantasy film festival, returns to the Odeon LUXE Leicester Square and the ODEON Luxe West End for its annual five-day celebration of nerve-jangling eeriness, hair-raising shock, and epic scares. This year’s line-up highlights the genre’s transforming landscape and reflects the amazing span of progressive global genre filmmaking.
Running from Thursday August 27 – Monday 31 August, Tubi FrightFest will showcase a record-breaking eighty-two features across five screens, including the popular ‘First Blood’, Documentary, and Retrospective strands. This year there are twenty-four world premieres, with sixteen countries represented, spanning four continents.
The opening night of the festival has a distinctive Asian flavour with the World premiere of NERVOUS, Abner Pastoll’s subversive, cross-cultural tale of psychological alienation and dangerous obsession. Shot entirely in South Korea, the film’s narrative is specifically rooted in the disorientating cultural and physical terrain of the Korean countryside and reunites Pastoll with his A Good Woman Is Hard To Find star Sarah Bolger, who plays a woman losing her ability to hear men’s voices. As her grip on reality starts to fracture, paranoia, hallucinations, and dangerous desires spiral out of control. The director and cast will be attending.
This is followed by Cannes sensation COLONY, the highly anticipated zombie shocker sensation from Yeon Sang-ho, director of SEOUL STATION and TRAIN TO BUSAN - both of which will also be screened – the latter to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the zombie shocker that became an instant cult classic.
The Asian line-up also includes 2026 Berlin Film Festival favourite GHOSTS IN THE CELL, where Indonesian genre wizard Joko Anwar crafts a gleefully grotesque horror-comedy, SALMOKJI: WHISPERING WATER, which has just become the highest-grossing Korean horror film of all time, and cult Japanese masterpieces CRAZY LIPS and GORE FROM OUTER SPACE, now remastered from original negatives.
The closing night film is the UK premiere of SPECIES, an exhilarating Gen Z shocker. French writer-director Marion Le Corroller’s debut feature is a darkly comic sci-fi body-horror with a deeper allegorical message about workplace burn-out. Its unique body-mutation sequences are created by special make-up effects designer Pierre-Olivier Persin, who won an Oscar for The Substance.
The twenty-five tales of terror, trauma and torment in the main screen sees the return of a lot of familiar talent, including The Adams family, with their deeply affecting apocalyptic fable THE GLORIOUS DEAD, Spider One with subversive dark comedy BIG BABY, produced by Cher, Holy Shit! director Lukas Rinker with his seat-edged survival thriller FROSTBITE, Cheat directors Kevin Ignatius and Nick Psinakis with their stylish crime thriller VALLEY VIEW MOTEL, Italian horror maestro Federico Zampaglione, with supernatural chiller THE NAMELESS BALLAD, and Ryuhei Kitamura (The Midnight Meat Train) with LABYRINTH, a game-changing shocker in the Saw tradition.
Tubi FrightFest also welcome back Christopher Smith, with the World premiere of his eight-legged satirical horror, SPIDER ISLAND, Padraig Reynolds with his teeth-snapping homage to 1970s creature feature exploitation, GATOR FACE, and James Nunn with survival thriller HUNGRY, where Louisiana bayou tourists are stalked by a ravenous, territorial hippopotamus.
Hammer also returns with ITHAQUA, a gripping period survival horror, directed by Casey Walker, who becomes the first director to have two films screening at the same festival, the other being HOME BODIES, a Christmas movie unlike any you’ve seen before.
Plus, there is the unique anthology THE PITCHFORK RETREAT, from the producers of the Terrifier franchise, which features the last appearance of Candyman star Tony Todd, twisted horror comedy DRAG, co-produced by Danny DeVito and starring his daughter Lucy DeVito. Brea Grant, Chelsea Stardust and Ed Dougherty bring us GRIND, a horror satire anthology about the modern gig economy, and actress Lulu Wilson is back as our favourite lethal anti-hero in Jenn Wexler’s THE LAST TEMPTATION OF BECKY, the biggest, bloodiest and most unhinged instalment yet.
Other Main Screen titles include ODDITIES, a twisty dark tale of antiques and aliens, starring genre royalty Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog, Escape From New York), YOU ARE THE FILM, an interactive, fourth-wall-breaking experimental feature, HYENA, a brutal, fast-paced serial killer thriller, Stewart Sparke’s DEAD RESET, a video game inspired twist on the time travel genre, tense paranoia thriller IMPOSTERS, and fresh from its sensational Tribeca Festival launch comes PONDEROSA, a hilarious, creepy and surreal Bunuelian nightmare.
This year’s four Discovery strands continue to demonstrate Tubi FrightFest’s established ethos for promoting new talent, original content and experimental formats, and this is no more evident than in the ‘First Blood’ strand.
The five World premieres this year are: Annabella Rich’s THE DEATH OF US, where grief and supernatural forces collide to devastating effect, Paul Stainthorpe’s THE BROOK, in which a search for historical answers spirals into a serial-killer mystery, William Brooke’s THE ALICE PARADOX, which offers a thought-provoking new perspective on the time-travel genre, as does Conscian Morgan’s BINDING EVA, where a man on the run is trapped in a terrifying time loop. Finally, there is Ashley Nashville‘s HERALDRY PARANORMAL, a boisterous unique take on the classic paranormal investigation horror which also stands as a vivid representation for queer voices, featuring many characters from LGTBQ+ backgrounds.
Besides the ‘First Blood’ entries, the UK is represented by many talents, both established and new, and include the World premieres of Lawrence Fowler’s demonic board game horror GRIN, Dan Schaffer’s erotically-charged ELECTRIC MEAT, which co-stars Emily Booth and Sylvia Soska, Justin Hardy’s WRATH OF THE GODS, the definitive conclusion to the "Wicker Man trilogy", and you’ll need to hang on tight for Howard Ford’s latest nerve-jangler ZIP WIRE, starring MyAnna Buring. Other UK titles include eerie B-movie homage THE PERIL AT PINCER POINT, WELCOME TO G-TOWN, a Glaswegian splatter-comedy from upstart twins Nathan and Ben McQuaid, and Chris Green’s music and murder mix SYNTHESIZED.
Other Discovery Screen One highlights include FACES OF DEATH, the meta slasher retooling of the cult 1978 mondo classic, starring Charli XCX, the heart-felt gross-out shocker BOWELS OF HELL, unusual thriller TERRESTRIAL from Hot Tub Time Machine director Steve Pink, razor sharp, gory satire STARSUCKERS, Larry Fessenden’s graveyard monster mash TRAUMA OR, MONSTERS ALL, intense, psychological found-footage horror INFIRMARY, DRACULA: THE NIGHT AROUND US, a tale of flesh, fangs, forgiveness and funerals, dark web crime thriller COMPLIANCE, and SNAPSHOT, the first found-footage film which uses a unique pinhole camera aesthetic.
Discovery screens 2, 3 & 4 play host to a global menu of genre delights. From North America comes Kyra Elise Gardner’s horror dramedy SLAY, Cameron Francis’ psychological horror thriller BLOOD SECRET, Andy Chen’s much-anticipated ANOTHER, starring Heather Langenkamp and Doug Jones, Justin M. Seaman’s blood-spattered end to his creature feature trilogy THE BARN PART III, Henry Chaisson’s ghostly RECLUSE, starring Toby Poser, Codey S. Wilson’s brutal home invasion nightmare LESIONS, Casper Kelly’s trippy BUDDY, Nick Lyon’s demonic DO YOU WANT TO PLAY?, Robert J. Steinmiller and Chris Lightbody’s cursed BAD KARAOKE, Stefan Colson’s possessed BLOOM, Carson McKinnon’s emotionally-driven shocker MOTHER AND ME and from Josh Lobo, the rising star director of I Trapped The Devil, comes J-Horror inspired sci-fi shocker NIGHT AFTER NIGHT. Finally, Frogman is back as director Anthony Cousins returns to Loveland with his even wackier cryptid sequel FROGMAN RETURNS. Fans will also be able to catch a retrospective screening of FROGMAN, with Cousins in attendance.
South America is represented by director Patricio Valladares’ Chilean sequel to Invoking Yell, INVOKING SCREAM, from Brazil we have Ian SBF’s sinister psychological thriller THE FLESH ITSELF, plus REMANENCE, Kapel Furman’s high voltage cosmic drama and from Uruguay comes SWEET VIOLENCE, the feature debut of Jeremias Segovia, one of the most exciting talents in South America.
Audiences can also sample devilish delights from down-under including OUR EFFED UP WORLD, the latest mindbender from transgender director Alice Maio Mackay, first-person found-footage horror DEAD EYES, haunting chiller THE LATCHER, and BUNNY RABBIT, the apocalyptic genre breakout of the year.
From Canada, Sam Scott brings the axe-shredding punk-rock tribute TURN IT UP!, while Daniel Turres delivers the wild, blood-soaked survival horror FRESH MEAT. Rounding out the line-up is the even meatier MEAT KILLS, from Dutch director Martijn Smits.
Tubi FrightFest has always explored industry movers and shapers in its documentary strand and this year is no exception with the world premiere of Sarah Appleton’s FULL MOON RISING: THE CHARLES BAND STORY, a new feature documentary about the truly incredible life and career of Charles Band, prolific producer/director of such genre classics as Re-Animator, From Beyond, Trancers, and Castle Freak. Charles will be attending the festival.
There is also the European premiere of RUBBERHEAD: THE LIFE & TIMES OF STEVE JOHNSON, a humorous and heartfelt portrait of one of Hollywood’s most prolific special effects makeup artists. Plus, there is the UK premiere of THE FRIGHT STUFF, Mike Meyer’s all-access documentary that takes the viewer behind the scenes of the haunted house industry in America.
This year, Tubi FrightFest presents 4K restorations of both GHOSTKEEPER, Jim Makichuk’s Canuxploitation supernatural slasher classic, and Val Guest’s timeless THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN. This is a World premiere presentation from Hammer Films and is a restored version of the original UK cut complete with original title sequence.
Co-director Alan Jones comments: “Tubi FrightFest knows what creates resonance with its audience: that there has to be space for depth of exciting storytelling and that what is important in the ultimate scheme of festival priorities is to interact, scream, laugh and debate in a safe space, with a like-minded community”.
Full Festival Passes on sale from Sat 18 July, noon
Day Passes and Single tickets on sale from Sat 25 July, noon
https://www.frightfest.co.uk
The festival guest line-up, the Short Film Showcases and other events will be revealed soon.
Monday, 20 July 2026
THE NAMELESS BALLAD to Receive World Premiere at Tubi FrightFest 2026
By Jon Donnis
Federico Zampaglione returns to the world of horror with THE NAMELESS BALLAD, a new supernatural genre feature that will make its world premiere at Tubi FrightFest 2026 in London.
The film will screen on Saturday 29 August on the festival's main screen, introducing audiences to Zampaglione's latest dark tale following his previous genre films Shadow and The Well.
THE NAMELESS BALLAD follows Sam Gallo, a 27 year old British musician played by Jamie Ward (His Dark Materials, Juliet & Romeo), whose life has changed dramatically following the runaway success of his debut album. Struggling with a severe creative block and an increasing addiction to prescription drugs, Sam faces growing pressure from his management to deliver another hit.
Seeking to reconnect with something he has lost, Sam returns to the Italian countryside where he spent his childhood summers. However, the secluded house where he chooses to isolate himself soon becomes the setting for a far more disturbing experience, as mysterious presences begin to emerge around him.
Appearing to feed on Sam's fears, anguish and desperate need to create, these dark forces pull him into an increasingly unsettling nightmare where the boundaries between reality and the supernatural begin to disappear.
Also caught up in the terrifying events is Tania, Sam's partner, played by Alana Boden (Mr. Selfridge, I Am Elizabeth Smart). Together, the pair find themselves drawn into a story that explores the fragile line between imagination and nightmare.
Written by Federico Zampaglione and Barbara Baraldi (Dylan Dog), THE NAMELESS BALLAD brings together psychological horror and supernatural elements, while also drawing from Zampaglione's own experiences as a musician and singer. The director has described the film as his most personal project to date.
The cast also includes Giglia Marra (Morrison), Fabrizio Ferracane (Black Souls), Seumas Sargent (The Signal), Reed Stokes (The Tour Guide), Mia Desando, Vincenzo De Michele and Sergio Ceglie. A special additional cast member is set to be revealed soon.
THE NAMELESS BALLAD is a SOMIC FILM production, directed by Federico Zampaglione and written by Zampaglione and Barbara Baraldi. Yuri Santurri serves as director of photography, with worldwide distribution handled by Italian production and distribution company Minerva Pictures.
Speaking about the upcoming premiere, Zampaglione said: "I'm very happy for my latest film to have its World premiere at FrightFest, a festival I love, and I will be there, with the cast and crew, to meet the fans. Although this film is deeply rooted in the supernatural, this is probably my most personal film to date, because it is inspired by my work as a musician and singer."
Tubi FrightFest 2026 takes place from Thursday 27 August to Monday 31 August at the Odeon LUXE Leicester Square and ODEON Luxe West End in London. The five day celebration of horror and fantasy cinema will once again bring genre fans together, with THE NAMELESS BALLAD set to be one of the festival's notable premieres.
Saturday, 18 July 2026
REVIEW: Disclosure Day (2026 Film) - Starring Emily Blunt
Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day arrives with a premise that should be irresistible to science fiction fans. At its core is a question that has fascinated people for generations. What happens when humanity finally learns, beyond all doubt, that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe? It is a concept packed with possibilities, yet despite its scale, star power and sizeable budget, the film never fully capitalises on its potential.
The story centres on cybersecurity expert Daniel Kellner, played by Josh O'Connor, who steals classified documents and alien technology from Wardex, a covert branch of the US government. The files reveal decades of extraterrestrial contact and alleged cover-ups dating back to Roswell. Pursued by Wardex director Noah Scanlon, portrayed by Colin Firth, Daniel goes on the run alongside his girlfriend Jane Blankenship. Elsewhere, Kansas City meteorologist Margaret Fairchild, played by Emily Blunt, begins experiencing unusual psychic abilities after an encounter with a mysterious bird. As her powers intensify, she becomes drawn into the wider conspiracy and eventually crosses paths with Daniel as both seek to reveal the truth to the world.
Emily Blunt delivers the film’s strongest performance by some distance. Even when the screenplay struggles, she remains engaging and believable. Margaret is by far the most interesting character in the story, and Blunt brings enough emotional depth to the role to maintain interest during the film’s weaker stretches. Without her performance, the film would be considerably harder to sit through.
For the most part, the visual effects are impressive. The alien technology, psychic elements and larger science fiction sequences are realised with confidence, and there are moments when Disclosure Day genuinely looks spectacular. Spielberg and his team still know how to create cinematic scale, and the production values are exactly what audiences would expect from a major studio release.
That said, there are a handful of visual effects shots that are surprisingly poor. The computer-generated animals are particularly bad, standing out for all the wrong reasons. In a film released in 2026, some of these moments are difficult to excuse. Rather than enhancing the experience, they occasionally become unintentionally distracting and even laughable.
Unfortunately, strong visuals can only carry a film so far.
Despite revolving around alien contact, secret programmes and world-changing revelations, Disclosure Day often feels strangely dated. Instead of feeling like a bold modern thriller, it frequently resembles a poorly written later-season episode of The X-Files. The story constantly introduces new twists and revelations, but very few land with the impact they should.
The biggest failure is the handling of the central premise itself. A film built around proving the existence of extraterrestrial life should be gripping, provocative and thought-provoking. It should leave audiences debating its ideas long after leaving the cinema. Instead, Disclosure Day repeatedly hints at something extraordinary without ever delivering a truly satisfying payoff.
The timing of the film’s release does it few favours. Public discussion surrounding UFOs and unexplained aerial phenomena has become increasingly mainstream in recent years, particularly following the release of additional UFO-related files during the Trump administration. As a result, material that may once have felt shocking or groundbreaking now feels oddly familiar. Much of the film comes across as though it belongs to an earlier era, with the entire project feeling more suited to the early 2000s than 2026.
The film’s depiction of public reaction is also difficult to accept. When the truth is finally revealed, much of the population appears glued to their phones, calmly absorbing the information. In reality, such a moment would likely provoke a far wider range of responses. Some people would dismiss it outright, others would claim it was artificial intelligence generated content, while many would simply refuse to believe it. With trust in institutions and traditional media at extremely low levels, the film’s portrayal of universal acceptance feels unrealistic and unconvincing.
The lengthy running time only compounds the problem. At well over two hours and twenty minutes, Disclosure Day often feels bloated. Several sequences drag unnecessarily, particularly during the middle section, where the pacing slows to a crawl. There are numerous moments where the audience is left waiting for the story to regain momentum.
The supporting cast does what it can. Colin Firth brings authority to Noah Scanlon, Colman Domingo adds some weight as whistleblower Hugo Wakefield, and Eve Hewson delivers a solid performance as Jane Blankenship. The problem is not the actors. It is the screenplay. Despite the generous running time, many characters remain surprisingly underdeveloped.
The ending is another major disappointment. After spending so long building towards a grand conclusion, the film ultimately arrives at a finale that feels underwhelming. Rather than delivering a memorable payoff, it leaves a lingering sense of anticlimax. When the credits rolled, my immediate reaction was simply, "Was that it?"
Perhaps the most surprising thing about Disclosure Day is how little excitement it generates. Spielberg built his career on creating wonder, excitement and a sense of possibility. Here, that spark is largely missing. The film takes itself incredibly seriously, yet never earns the significance it constantly tries to project.
Spielberg also seems increasingly disconnected from younger audiences. Disclosure Day will likely appeal most to older viewers, and Spielberg’s name alone will undoubtedly attract plenty of cinema-goers. Whether those viewers leave feeling satisfied is another question entirely.
Disclosure Day may find commercial success thanks to its director, cast and subject matter, but judged purely on its own merits, it falls well short of expectations. Emily Blunt is excellent and much of the visual work is impressive, yet neither can compensate for a story that feels outdated, overlong and frequently dull.
I expected far more.
Score: 5 out of 10
Out in cinemas now.






















