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Festival coverage

FrightFest

29 October – 30 October 2021

Bloodthirsty
Bloodthirsty

Arrow Video Frightfest returned to its home at the Cineworld Leicester Square this year with a line-up of films which delivered thrills and chills from all around the world. This was followed in September by an online event, letting fans enjoy the thrills of the festival even if their areas were under lockdown.

The Halloween edition of the festival runs on 29 and 30 October.

Other years (19)

Box office and information

Latest reviews

  • Offseason
    Review preview for Offseason

    Keating is a master of building up atmosphere and is much more interested in that than in conventional plot mechanics.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    After receiving a mysterious letter, a woman travels to a desolate island town and soon becomes trapped in a nightmare.
  • The Innocents
    Review preview for The Innocents

    The subtlety Vogt employs as a director pays off in spades as he gets as much creepy mileage from the disturbance of soil and water as any amount of CGI could muster.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    During the bright Nordic summer, a group of children reveal their dark and mysterious powers when the adults aren't looking.
  • Barbarians
    Review preview for Barbarians

    Although the story is essentially quite simple, it’s beautifully framed, both narratively and visually.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A dinner party in a country house sees four friends come together for a birthday celebration, but as the night progresses secrets emerge and unsettling events begin to unfold around them.
  • The Seed
    Review preview for The Seed

    It’s always nice to see alien encounters explored in a way which genuinely feels alien, breaking with narrative convention.

    Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
    What starts out as girls weekend away in the Mojave desert becomes a tale of horror, death and alien invasion.
  • The Advent Calendar
    Review preview for The Advent Calendar

    There’s a sense of dread here rarely found in modern horror.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    An ex-dancer who now needs a wheelchair is given an old wooden antique advent calendar before Christmas. She realises each window contains a surprise that triggers repercussions in real life: some of them good, but most of them bad - so she will have to choose between getting rid of the calendar or walking again - even if it causes death around her
  • The Last Rite
    Review preview for The Last Rite

    The psychological dimension adds depth to the story.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    A medical student suffering from sleep paralysis finds herself plagued by a demonic entity, after moving in with her boyfriend.
  • Coming Home In The Dark
    Review preview for Coming Home In The Dark

    Coming Home In The Dark takes us to familiar places and renders them strange.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A family’s outing descends into terror when teacher Alan Hoaganraad, his wife Jill and stepsons Maika and Jordon explore an isolated coastline. An unexpected meeting with a pair of drifters, the enigmatic psychopath Mandrake and his accomplice Tubs, thrusts the family into a nightmare when they find themselves captured.
  • Shadow Of The Cat
    Review preview for Shadow Of The Cat

    It’s all very handsomely shot, with a feisty soundtrack and ebullient sense of humour, but too often it feels as if it’s just being quirky for the sake of it.

    Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
    Gato's safe, isolated world is throw into chaos when his teenage daughter gets a mobile phone and makes herself visible to the world.
  • Night Drive
    Review preview for Night Drive

    At a breezy 80ish minutes it manages an ending that asks questions of us without indulging too much in the temptation to dig up answers.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    A ride share driver's life is turned upside down after an unexpected series of misfortunes.
  • The Maid
    Review preview for The Maid

    It feels less like a horror film than like a telenovela.

    Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
    A teenager, who is working as a domestic maid and being haunted by the previous maid's spirit, strives to discover the secret behind her death.

A–Z of FrightFest 2021 reviews

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