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FrightFest · 2026

FrightFest 2026

Halloween Frightfest

Programme

9 films · 5 reviews

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American Dollhouse

A woman inherits her childhood home, seeking solace from a chaotic city life marked by addiction and debt. Unbeknownst to her, a psychotic neighbour becomes disturbingly obsessed with her due to a haunting resemblance to the neighbour’s deceased mother.

(Country: US; Year: 2025; Director: John Valley; Writer: John Valley; Stars: Hailley Lauren, Kelsey Pribilski, Tinus Seaux, Danielle Evon Ploeger, Richard C Jones)

Brute 1986

Leather Kobra, a glam metal band, film a music video in an abandoned Western town. Unfortunately the ultra violent Birdy family lives nearby and their paths cross in an onslaught of brutal bloodshed.

(Country: US; Year: 2026; Director: Marcel Walz; Writer: Joe Knetter; Stars: Lew Temple, Sarah French, Gigi Gustin, Ramiro Leal, Mark Justice, Pancho Moler)

Crawlers

Review preview for Crawlers

It’s a monster movie by the numbers and yet its creators have a good understanding of how to give viewers what they really don’t want.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
Tenants at Paradiso Palms apartments fight a deadly spider invasion.

(Country: US; Year: 2026; Director: Ángel Gómez Hernández; Writer: Jayson Rothwell; Stars: Matilda Lutz, Gregg Sulkin, Melina Matthews)

Full review

The Cull

Review preview for The Cull

The Cull is well suited to an experienced horror audience ready to engage with [its] ambiguities.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A remorseful ex-con tries to make a fresh start in an woodland cabin, but his past isn't finished with him.

(Country: Ireland; Year: 2026; Director: JP Davidson; Writer: JP Davidson; Stars: Rory Wilton, Craig Russell, Richard Hainsworth, Tim Cartwright, Kate Edney, Ollie Mcfarlane, Sally Geake)

Full review See: Interview with JP Davidson and Craig Russell about The Cull

The Dark Gets In

Review preview for The Dark Gets In

There is plenty of mystery for those who enjoy such things, and it’s well put together, but it’s only one aspect of a film which is really interested in what people choose not to consider and in how people allow themselves to be misdirected.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
When a documentary team set out to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a young girl, events soon take an unexpected turn, leading the filmmakers down an increasingly dark and horrifying path.

(Country: UK; Year: 2026; Director: Sean Hogan; Writer: Sean Hogan; Stars: Charlotte Pyke, Cameron Lewis, Kezia Cotterrell, Scott Burchell)

Full review See: Interview with Sean Hogan about The Dark Gets In

Dead Howling

Review preview for Dead Howling

If this film has one thing to distinguish it, it’s its werewolf concept.

Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
A werewolf hunts zombies after losing his family. He meets two humans seeking sanctuary and joins their quest, protecting them with his powers. Their journey grows perilous as zombies start evolving.

(Country: Australia; Year: 2026; Director: John V Soto; Writer: James Pickering, John V Soto; Stars: Ryan Kwanten, Temuera Morrison, Tom Burlinson, Joel Jackson, Riley Stiles, Dan Paris, Amelia Kelly)

Full review

Freaks Part II

Two 'freaks', a mother and a daughter, live on the road, hunted by the Abnormal Defense Force, paramilitary police who specialise in ruthlessly exterminating their kind.

(Country: US; Year: 2026; Director: Zach Lipovsky, Adam B Stein; Writer: Zach Lipovsky, Adam B Stein; Stars: Lorelei Olivia Mote, Amanda Crew)

Talking To A Stranger (Hablando Con Extraños)

A mentally troubled woman faces a sinister entity that takes the form of her deceased son.

(Country: Mexico; Year: 2026; Director: Adrian Garcia Bogliano; Writer: Adrian Garcia Bogliano; Stars: Gigi Saul Guerrero, Eugenio RubioYago, Andreu Sandoval, Tatiana del Real, Vania Garcia)

Unholy Night

Review preview for Unholy Night

For a zombie film, it is remarkably sanguine.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
A family's Christmas Eve dinner becomes a nightmare as Gino must protect his loved ones from his reanimated grandmother who crashes the celebration with murderous intent.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2026; Director: Michael Gabriele; Writer: Michael Gabriele; Stars: Marc Bendavid, Shailene Garnett, Morgan Saunders, Ellen David, Toni Ellwand, John Ghiz, Ron Lea)

Full review