FRIGHTFEST UK Trailers, Announcements, And More!
Film festivals used to be stuffy places where arthouse films would flourish amongst a sea of critics, academics, and studio heads. Up until the 90s and 00s, film festivals were elite places that only the creme de la creme would be afforded entry to, but in 2024, film festivals are fare more open and diverse than they’ve ever been! Now, genres like horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and off-beat cult films have not just one, but many different festivals to participate in ranging from the niche to the massive. One of the more prominent genre festivals in the UK is FrightFest and we are already getting wind of a lot of news about what films will premier and what UK fans can expect. Here are some of the films we are hearing about so far:
Saint Clare - Premiering 25 August
From the Press Release:
Witness the rise of Saint Clare, a haunting, blood-soaked thriller that’s set for its UK premiere in August at London’s FrightFest. Bella Thorne (Blended, Midnight Sun, Scream: The TV Series) delivers an outstanding performance as the eponymous lead in a spiritually charged smalltown tale in which American Psycho meets Joan of Arc.
Based on a novel by Don Roff, the film is expertly helmed by award-winning Italian director Mitzi Peirone (Braid) who co-wrote the screenplay with Guinevere Turner (American Psycho).
The stellar cast includes Ryan Philippe (Crash, Cruel Intentions), Rebecca DeMornay (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Risky Business), Frank Whaley (Broken Arrow, Pulp Fiction) and Bart Johnson (High School Musical). The film features an original soundtrack by Zola Jesus.
In a small town, a solitary young woman is haunted by voices that lead her to assassinate people with bad intentions who think they can get away with it. But her last kill changes everything and sucks her headlong down a rabbit hole riddled with corruption, trafficking and twisted visions from the beyond.
Can Saint Clare save herself from unimaginable terror as her pursuit for retribution takes a dangerous turn, carrying her deep into an unknown hell?
Video Vision - Premiering 24 August
From the Press Release:
Less Tech More Life is delighted to share the first teaser and poster for VIDEO VISION, a queer romance set in a RetroTech body horror. Officially Selected for this years Pigeon Shrine FrightFest, the film will celebrate its UK Premiere on 24th August at the iconic horror festival.
Directed by Michael Turney, the film stars Andrea Figliomeni and Chrystal Peterson.
When an old VCR mysteriously shows up at digitizing facility Video Vision, it starts affecting employee Kibby (Andrea Figliomeni) in strange ways. Meanwhile an unlikely romance with a trans man (Chrystal Peterson) has Kibby’s head in the clouds until she’s brought to her knees by the supernatural force that’s slowly taking control of her body and mind. When Kibby and Gator investigate the VCR’s origins they discover she has unwittingly unlocked the dark dimension of Dr. Analog.
"Whether it's media formats, gender or the passage of time, Video Vision is a story of transition. The setting is New York City which has often changed but never escapes its history. As the VHS villian Dr. Analog says, "All of time is touching and I feel you". If we don't hold the hand of the past it will leave us behind in the present. I'm so thrilled to be a part of FrightFest and screen this love story turned techno-nightmare to an audience that appreciates nuanced horror." said Michael Turney, Writer, Director & Producer.
7 Keys - Premiering 24 August
Jeva Films and 4 8 Fourteen Films are thrilled to share the first teaser and poster for the upcoming thriller, 7 Keys. Officially Selected for this year’s Pigeon Shrine FrightFest and screening through their 'First Blood' strand, the film will celebrate its UK Premiere on 24th August at the iconic horror festival.
Written and directed by Joy Wilkinson, the film stars Emma McDonald (Moonhaven & The Serpent Queen) and Billy Postlethwaite (SILO & The Winter King). This is not the first time the couple have shared lead roles, having both starred in Paul Hart's adaptation of Macbeth in 2019 as well as the short horror film, The Everlasting Club, also directed by Wilkinson. This is Wilkinson's feature debut, which had its World Premiere at SXSW in March and builds on her successful writing career for stage and screen, including Doctor Who, Lockwood & Co, and the upcoming Channel 4 thriller Suspect.
When her date lets her down, single mother Lena meets lost soul Daniel and there’s an instant connection, especially when she learns that he’s kept the keys to all the places he’s ever lived. Lena doesn’t want to go home. She wants to run away from the troubles of her real life and recapture all the fun she’s missed out on, using Daniel’s keys to go on the ultimate tour of London, a wild weekend getting to know each other intimately in other people’s homes. In each home, they peel back another layer of each other’s identities and this thrilling game gets deeper. It seems like they’re soulmates, made to save each other, until reality kicks in and dark secrets are unlocked. Will either of them survive the weekend and own the seventh key?
From tiny apartments to riverside penthouses, 7 KEYS is a toxic romance condensed into one weekend. A twisted love story that explores the unseen London, the thrilling allure and the dark underbelly of life in a modern city where young people struggle to find their place – and sometimes struggle to survive.
"I'm thrilled that 7 KEYS will have its UK Premiere at Frightfest. I'm a huge fan of the festival and found a lot of inspiration there, so to have my feature debut in its First Blood strand is beyond my wildest dreams - and my dreams can get pretty wild, as the film proves! I can't wait to watch it with the Frightfest crowd, especially in this extra special 25th anniversary year." said Joy Wilkinson, Director and Writer.
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