This year, I am remotely covering FrightFest, the UK’s largest genre festival, for the first time - and I could not be more excited. This year's event in London runs from 21st to 25th August, and promises to deliver another memorable event.

 

So, what does “the dark heart of cinema” have in store for its 2025 edition? A lot. 

 

Ahead of the event, I have picked a selection of films that I am most excited for ahead of the fun beginning. Now, these could all end up being incredible, they could end up being the opposite or something in between - but that’s the beauty of film festivals. It’s the chase, the excitement of potentially finding a gem before the rest of the world gets a chance.

 

Anyway, without any further ado, here are the selections I have chosen as standouts:

 

Jimmy and Stiggs (D: Joe Begos)

There will be blood, lots of it! Eli Roth launches his media company ‘The Horror Section’ with a wild and wonderful ride in the EVIL DEAD and BAD TASTE tradition. A landslide of bad news sends out-of-work filmmaker Jimmy Lang (director Joe Begos) spiralling into an out-of-control bender, during which he claims to have been abducted by aliens. Fearing they might come back, he contacts his old friend Stiggs to help him prepare for war. When the sun sets, the duo are thrown into a hallucinatory explosion of extraterrestrials, drugs, booze, and all-out carnage.

 

A Serbian Documentary (D: Stephen Biro)

A SERBIAN DOCUMENTARY offers an unfiltered look at one of cinema's most controversial films, "A SERBIAN FILM". Hilarious, sexy, but intense, this documentary provides a unique angle on a film that has sparked debates and outrage globally. Culled from over 162 hours of exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, and featuring all-new interviews by cast and crew, this documentary pulls back the curtain on the extreme experiences, creative visions, censorship and artistic passion put forth. Be forewarned: it’s not just an informative look, but also an outrageous blend of ferocity and humour that promises to challenge your expectations. If you thought you knew the story behind "A SERBIAN FILM", think again!

 

The Rows (D: Seth Daly)

Seven-year-old Lucy wakes up in the middle of a mysterious cornfield. She has a bloody wound on her head and no memory of how she got there. Discovering a dead body and an abandoned gun in a nearby clearing, she is immediately confronted by three masked killers searching for her. Deadly games of cat-and-mouse ensue as Lucy tries to evade the gang while hunting for an exit from the seemingly endless corn. With night falling and the bad guys closing in, Lucy fights to stay alive… aided by her family dog and the uncanny golden creature who lives in the rows.

 

Marshmallow (D: Daniel DelPurgatorio)

Shy 12-year-old Morgan is sent to the secluded summer Camp Almar. On the first night, he and his new friends are told a horrifying campfire tale about The Doctor experimenting on children, turning them into deformed monsters. Before long, the fear fable becomes real as a mysterious silver-masked figure appears, and Morgan’s gang must embark on a treacherous journey to uncover a sinister reality buried beneath the surface. Little do they know the truth harbours a secret to test their resilience, unravel the very fabric of their existence and uncover a profound and fundamental secret.

 

Appofeniacs (D: Chris Marrs Piliero)

An ensemble tale with intersecting storylines that escalate into chaos as each portrays how easily deepfake technology can be weaponised to exploit society. When presented with video proof of something that aligns with our confirmation bias, how many of us will put forth the effort to make sure it is real? When Duke goes on a frenzy of reckless deepfake creations, his callous disregard of consequences shows how, with a few clicks of an app on a mobile phone, anyone can create a deceiving video of an unsuspecting victim and ruin their life... or end it. 

 

Super Happy Fun Clown (D: Patrick Rea)

Jennifer Sullivan works a menial, low-paying job. Her mother and slovenly husband emotionally abuse her, rubbing her nose in her perceived failures. Her only comfort in her miserable life is her side gig entertaining people at a local park as ‘Jenn-O the Clown’. As her dreams of happiness slowly fade away, Jennifer decides to embrace the mantra that infamy equals immortality. So she combines her love of clowning, serial killers and classic movie monsters into a night of bloody horror the world will never forget. That is, unless Detectives Marshall and Barnes can put a stop to her rampage.

 

The Haunting at Jack the Ripper’s House (D: Natasha Tosini and Stephen Staley)

A group of renowned YouTubers, famous for their paranormal ‘ghost hunting’ vlogs, embarks on their most ambitious investigation yet, determined to silence sceptics who accuse them of faking their encounters. When relentless comments urge them to explore Jack the Ripper’s home, the lure of fame and fortune leaves them with little choice. But as they step into the notorious dwelling, they quickly realise they’ve ventured too far. What begins as a quest for viral content turns into a harrowing fight for survival, as a sinister presence makes it clear escape won’t come without consequences, as they confront their deepest fears.

 

The Mannequin (D: John Berardo)

Liana Rojas, a creatively starved stylist assistant, discovers that the historical downtown Los Angeles factory building where her fashion designer sister mysteriously died is haunted by a serial killer posing as a headshot photographer for film studios who brutally murdered and dismembered his victims half a century earlier. This knowledge forces Liana and her friends to find a way to free themselves from the curse and escape the sinister ghost before they lose their own body parts. From the glorious black-and-white prologue to the grisly exorcism finale, director John Berardo’s chiller is dressed to kill.

213 Bones (D: Jeffrey Primm)

A group of anthropology students discover that studying the past can be deadly in a slick, smart whodunnit horror. When they begin finding human bones and personal property scattered around their campus, it becomes clear that a gruesomely masked maniac is brutally targeting them, and late-night study sessions turn into a frantic race to solve the attacker’s identity before they all end up as a textbook homicide case. It’s left to Sheriff Bracco, Laurie, the County Coroner and their teacher, Kelly, to help find out who the real bone-crunching assassin is before another innocent becomes the next victim.