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Festival coverage

Grimmfest

7 October – 17 October 2021

The Sadness
The Sadness

Back in the cinema this year, Manchester's première horror film festival has a fantastic line-up with films from all around the world, including some which have already been making a splash on the festival circuit. ET - The Extra Terrestrial star and all round genre legend Dee Wallace is the guest of honour, and there will br a series of special events and parties. After the in-person event, there will be a virtual event for those who couldn't make it, with virtual events adding to the fun.

Some films are yet to be announced, so please bear with us as we add details here.

The live festival runs from 7 to 10 October and the virtual version runs from 14 to 17 October.

Other years (12)

Box office and information

Latest reviews

  • Shot In The Dark
    Review preview for Shot In The Dark

    Stunningly shot, with what is probably the most striking cinematography of the year.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Two years ago, William Langston made a mistake that would affect the course of his life. Now, with a killer loose in his home town and his circle of friends falling away one at a time, William faces his greatest fears as well as his own mortality.
  • Two Witches
    Review preview for Two Witches

    The first half is familiar in its outlines, following an established pattern which, in its own way, reassures. The second is anarchic, meandering, suggesting the expression of a very different set of instincts.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A matriarchal witch passes on her sinister inheritance to her grand-daughter, triggering horrific curses.
  • On The 3rd Day
    Review preview for On The 3rd Day

    Weirdly, this spectacular mess of a film delivers, for those patient enough to get to them, a few moments of brilliance.

    Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
    After a car crash which damages her memory, a woman desperate to find her son goes looking for answers.
  • We're All Going to The World's Fair
    Review preview for We're All Going to The World's Fair

    This film is long overdue.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    A teenage girl becomes immersed in an online role-playing game.
  • Father Of Flies
    Review preview for Father Of Flies

    The confusion of incident and memory add to the sense of creepiness and disorientation which Tetlow’s performance and the heightened visual style create.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A vulnerable young boy finds his mother pushed out of the family home by a strange new woman, and he must confront the terrifying supernatural forces that seem to move in with her.
  • Night At The Eagle Inn
    Review preview for Night At The Eagle Inn

    The central story here isn’t new but this is one of the better cinematic takes on it.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    Fraternal twins spend a hellish night at the remote inn their father disappeared from the night they were born.
  • 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.
  • Slapface
    Review preview for Slapface

    Both Maturo and Manning are superb in this film, and it’s the chemistry between them that really makes it.

    Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
    A boy deals with the loss of his mother by creating a dangerous relationship with a monster rumoured to live in the woods.
  • Motherly
    Review preview for Motherly

    We spend a good deal of time getting to know them before the action starts, and these are the strongest scenes of the film.

    Jennie Kermode · 2.5 out of 5
    Kate and her daughter Beth live alone in an isolated farmhouse in the woods, but when Kate slowly begins to suspect that something sinister is happening, her motherly instincts are put to the test.
  • The Beta Test
    Review preview for The Beta Test

    Cummings and McCabe want to have it all - and go a fairly long way towards getting it.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A man's life starts to fracture after he receives an unusual invitation.

A–Z of Grimmfest 2021 reviews

Features