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Festival coverage

Abertoir

14 November – 19 November 2017

The Bloodstained Shadow
The Bloodstained Shadow

There's a giallo-heavy line-up at this year's Abertoir, along with some of the biggest horror titles on the festival circuit this year. Alongside the feature titles is a strong short film programme, and attendees can look forward to meeting some very special guests, including giallo legends Lamberto Bava and Sergio Martino. Ceredigion Museum will provide an unusual venue for retrospective screenings of Dario Argento's Opera and Lamberto Bava's Demons, and there will be a tribute to Peter Lorre and a celebration of the work of Edgar Allan Poe.

Wheelchair access is available throughout and assistance dogs are welcome.

The festival runs from 14 to 19 November.

View complete schedule

Other years (12)

Box office and information

Latest reviews

  • The Endless
    Review preview for The Endless

    The proportion of films opening with HP Lovecraft quotes that manage to live up to the visionary writer's work verges on the infinitesimal, but The Endless is one of the special ones.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Years after escaping a cult as teenagers, brothers Aaron and Justin return to their former home after receiving a mysterious message. While Aaron is quickly drawn back into the fold, Justin remains uneasy.
  • Vampire Clay
    Review preview for Vampire Clay

    This is an enjoyable creature-feature, a special-effects showcase on a small budget.

    Andrew Robertson · 3 out of 5
    A group of art students seem to fall under the influence of demonic clay.
  • The Lodgers
    Review preview for The Lodgers

    Richard Kendrick's cinematography is gorgeous and O'Malley is unafraid to let his camera linger, drawing out the atmosphere in scenes lesser directors might have rushed.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Twins in a crumbling family home live according to rules set by a mysterious supernatural entity, but when one of them falls in love, the stage is set for conflict.
  • The Housemaid
    Review preview for The Housemaid

    It's astoundingly beautiful, with the costumes, set decoration and cinematography all sumptuous.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A peasant girl who embarks on a romance with the landowner she serves begins to suspect that the spirit of his dead wife resents her.
  • Tokyo Ghoul
    Review preview for Tokyo Ghoul

    With its combination of rather sweet teenage angst and extremely gory action scenes, the film serves its natural audience well but is unlikely to reach far beyond that.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    Following an organ transplant, a shy young man becomes a half-ghoul and beins to crave human flesh.
  • Better Watch Out
    Review preview for Better Watch Out

    Miller is outstanding.

    Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
    As a 12-year-old prepares to confess his romantic feelings for his babysitter one Christmas Eve, something starts trying to break into the house.
  • Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key
    Review preview for Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key

    Undulating bodies and splattering blood stand in for more explicit imagery and give the impression of spectacular excess.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    The mistress of a burnt-out novelist is brutally murdered - and she's only the first.
  • A Blade In The Dark
    Review preview for A Blade In The Dark

    As so often in giallo, the gore is where the director's style really comes into its own.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    As a composer works on the score for a new horror film, a series of brutal murders occurs.
  • Five Dolls For An August Moon
    Review preview for Five Dolls For An August Moon

    Bava's trademark brilliant framing and his playful relationship with modernism maximise the visual appeal of every scene.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    A wealthy industrialist gathers his friends on a remote island for a party, but they soon realise that there's a killer on the lose.
  • Demons
    Review preview for Demons

    Importantly, the director approaches the fantastic elements of the story with complete conviction throughout, making it easier for the viewer to accept them and focus on the action.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    A group of people are trapped in a large West Berlin movie theater infected by ravenous demons whom proceed to kill and posses the humans one-by-one thereby multiplying their numbers.

A–Z of Abertoir 2017 reviews