Arrow Video FrightFest

To say that this year has been strange would be a strange understatement. Almost everything we know has been affected in one way or another. Mostly bad and desperately tragic. Looking for positive crumbs it has forced new and diverse thinking; innovations in IT and communications that could have taken years have developed in months.

Everyone has had to adapt. Film festivals are no exception. By and large festival directors have come up with innovative ideas to keep things going and present new and challenging films, as challenging as the times we are in.
FrightFest’s traditional August bank holiday was completely digital and a success. It clearly couldn’t replicate any of the physical family atmosphere but there was still a great sense of community.

That family vibe is hopefully going to be back as the 21st FrightFest between 22 and 25 October returns to the Cineworld Leicester Square. There will be no screenings at the Prince Charles Cinema and a number of other things will be quite different and attendees are strongly advised to read the advice.

Anyone wondering about FrightFest Halloween, that will be digital and details will follow later.

On to the films and as widely welcomed the opening film will ‘Train to Busan: Peninsula’ not a sequel to the original but a follow up. Closing the festival will be the world premiere of ‘Held’ about a couple with their marriage in the doldrums taking a luxury break to a ‘smart’ house that has echoes of one HAL 9000.

They are two of thirty-four films from ten countries over three screens. Included in that are seven world, two international/European and twenty-four UK premieres. There isn’t a short programme but Italian director Federico Zampaglione’s ‘Bianca: Phases 1 and 2’ stories shot under lockdown are well worth looking out for.

Canada continues to a be an endless source of genre with six films. As a former music journalist, I’m led towards ‘Spare Parts’ about a punk band that’s customised for the arena just not the ones they aspire to. Also ‘Broil’ which is described as a fairy-tale set in a large family estate, with a family member finding out what it is to be, a member of the family.

From down under there are two offerings. Typically it’s a comedy from New Zealand, ‘Dead’ and they rarely let us down, while from Australia there’s the housebound psychological horror ‘Relic’. Holland has been coming into its own recently and the Duelesque road-rage Tailgate looks a good entry.

From the UK there’s Sci-Fi cyborg and AI thriller, ‘Archive’. The always interesting First Blood strand showcasing UK talent has the curious ‘Alien On Stage’ which is self-descriptive – sort of. Murderous toys with Benny Loves You, a gruesome unsolved murder rampage urban-legend with ‘Redwood Massacre: Annihilation’, and ‘Last Rite’ a film derived from a real-life, paranormal experience.

Sauntering through the listings there’s ‘Dune Drifter’ to see what Marc Price can do with more than £50. Also ghost story/black magic mash-up, ‘The Banishing’. Then there’s social-media slasher Initiation draws from 90’s horror tropes. On more primal level there’s ‘Butchers’; a lost in the forest foursome who find themselves unprepared for dinner. There’s ‘Slaxx’ about possessed jeans that reads as ludicrous as the spelling. And finally, there’s the traditional Christmas offering ‘Hosts’ which promises a festive take on possession and world domination.

Tickets will be on sale from Monday 21 September.
For detailed information on the line-up, ticketing details & event guidelines go to frightfest.co.uk/tickets