This year, Pigeon Shrine FrightFest celebrates its 25th anniversary. The four uncles of horror have now been tormenting festival goers for a quarter of a century. To coincide with the anniversary, FrightFest is moving from its former home at Cineworld Leicester Square to both Odeon Leicester Square and Odeon West End. Across the weekend, passholders will have the opportunity to watch up to twenty-five of the best and brightest genre films on the circuit. However, with a pool of seventy titles, it can be difficult to work out exactly what to watch. Fear not, for THN have been hard at work scouring the line-up and have picked a smattering of terrifying tales that should be on everybody’s watchlists.
Broken Bird
The 25th anniversary of FrightFest will begin with the world premiere of Joanne Mitchell’s directorial debut, Broken Bird. Mitchell has had a longstanding history with FrightFest, the team having supported her short films, writing endeavours, and work as producer for a number of years. It makes sense then that the culmination of that relationship be at the 25th edition of the festival. Those expecting a similar fun fest to last year’s opener, Suitable Flesh, should temper their expectations as Broken Bird is a much quieter affair. The story follows an isolated mortician, Sybil (Rebecca Calder), as she falls in love with one of her subjects. Riffing on both May and Saint Maud, Broken Bird is a dark exploration of a broken mind. This is a film that will get the FrightFest family talking; do not miss your opportunity to get involved in the conversation.
Scarlet Blue
Whilst most of the FrightFest selections can be squished into a particular genre ‘box’, Aurélia Mengin’s Scarlet Blue is unquantifiable. Told with a loose narrative format, Scarlet Blue is an experimental work of visual art that follows one woman’s journey with depression and schizophrenia as she seeks to address secrets from her past. What makes Scarlet Blue unmissable is that it is easily one of the most beautiful films screening at this year’s FrightFest. Given that Mengin’s late father was an artist, and that she grew up within a museum, her talent for creating beautiful images should not come as a surprise. What does however, is just how stunningly realised Scarlet Blue is with every frame worthy of being transplanted onto a gallery wall. So if you want some beauty to punctuate the brutality of the rest of the films at the festival, be sure to add Scarlet Blue to your viewing schedule.
Shelby Oaks
Shelby Oaks received its world premiere at Fantasia to rapturous applause. Directed by Chris Stuckmann, who is better known to the masses as a YouTube film critic, Shelby Oaks has recently been acquired by Neon, the distributor currently experiencing success with Longlegs. The exciting acquisition speaks to the quality of Shelby Oaks, and early footage points to film that is sure to get under the skin of even the most hardened FrightFest attendee. The plot further alludes to Shelby Oaks being pure nightmare fuel as it follows a woman’s desperate mission to find her long-lost sister. As her hunt continues, she begins to realise that the imaginary demon from their childhood may actually have been real.
The Last Podcast
Dean Alioto has been working within horror since his 1989 debut, The McPherson Tape. This year he brings his latest genre offering, The Last Podcast, to FrightFest. Despite being one of the originators of the found-footage movement, The Last Podcast has a more traditional formation. Starring Eric Tabach, The Last Podcast follows one determined podcaster’s journey to the top. The host of ‘Paranormalcy’, a supernatural debunking show, Charlie Bailey is struggling to stand out amidst millions of competitors. Then he finds a new hook and co-host that changes everything. A wonderful balance of comedy and darkness, The Last Podcast is one of the best films of this year’s Discovery Screen programme.
7 Keys
For the last few years, one screen on the Saturday has been dedicated to the First Blood strand. The titles within this programme champion some of the freshest homegrown talent. Previous films that have played within the line-up include Graham Hughes Death of a Vlogger and Chris Cronin’s The Moor, and this year features another strong line-up of titles. A day spent purely watching the First Blood strand would be a fun day traversing various subgenres, but if we have to pick one to champion we would suggest 7 Keys, though both Protein and Touchdown are both close seconds. Directed by Joy Wilkinson, 7 Keys is a sexy psychological thriller that finds a newly formed couple, Lena (Emma McDoanld) and Daniel (Billy Postlethwaite), attempt to ‘christen’ their way through all of Daniel’s former homes.
Traumatika
Fans of Pierre Tsigaridis’ Two Witches will not want to miss his most recent directorial offering, Traunatika. The film opens up a solid double-bill on the Main Screen Saturday evening and features what is potentially the most terrifying sequence across the entirety of this year’s FrightFest. Told across a number of years, Traumatika analyses the potency of childhood trauma and how it can shape and distort our adult years. In order to fully convey the range of details that it wants, Traumatika takes the viewer on a rollercoaster ride of some of the best subgenres of horror. Expect monsters, haunted houses, slasher elements, and even a sprinkling of true crime documentary in this non-stop scarefest that will have FrightFest patrons receding into their recliners.
Strange Darling
We first caught Strange Darling at 2023’s Fantastic Fest and fell instantly head over heels for JT Mollners inventive cat and mouse thriller. A film best ventured into cold, what we can promise is an absorbing ever-changing story that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Starring Willa Fitzgerald as ‘the lady’, and Kyle Gallner as ‘the demon’, Strange Darling presents an ingenious take on the serial killer story. Strange Darling holds the accolade of snagging one of the coveted prime time Saturday night slots and the cinematography from Director of Photography Giovanni Ribisi (yes that one) is going to look breathtaking on the big screen. Coupled with a kick-ass soundtrack from Z-Berg and two compelling central performances, Strange Darling is set to take the roof off of Odeon’s Leicester Square site.
The A-Frame
The A-Frame was one of our favourite watches from TriBeCa earlier this year and so THN were thrilled when Calvin Lee Reeder’s film was announced for FrightFest. Borrowing elements from The Fly and Re-Animator, The A-Frame houses plenty of goopy gore within its science fiction trappings. The plot sees a young cancer patient become drawn into the experiments of a physicist who may have discovered a cure for the disease whilst researching a subatomic universe. Playing first thing on Sunday morning, Reeder’s film will certainly wake up FrightFest attendees with an oozy bang.
The Dead Thing
Modern dating can be Hell, and never has this been more true than in Elric Kane’s The Dead Thing. Alex (Blu Hunt) is a young woman content with meaningless hook-ups, that is until her head is turned by the rather handsome Kyle (Ben Smith-Petersen). After spending an electric time together, Alex is horrified to realise that she has been ghosted. As she tries to track Kyle down, she finds herself in an increasingly volatile situation. Dark romance stories always perform well at FrightFest and we are certain that The Dead Thing will be no exception.
Charlotte
Each year at FrightFest there is a film or two that takes us by complete surprise. This year that title goes to Georgia Conlan’s Charlotte. Conlan directs, stars in, and co-wrote the script for Charlotte, a dangerous tale of a predatory relationship. Charlotte moves in unexpected ways and is perhaps the most shocking film on the line-up. The plot follows a young runaway who seeks sanctuary with a lonely man. As their relationship develops, the viewer is left with an uncertain feeling about both characters, but is their dynamic as straightforward as it seems? A film best experienced with as little reading as possible, Charlotte is sure to be the talk of the festival come the closing night party.
The Substance
If you enjoyed Carolie Fargeat’s previous film, Revenge, then The Substance is likely already on your watch list. The good news is, it’s a worthy follow-up to its predecessor. Starring Demi Moore, The Substance tells of an ageing actress who undergoes a special procedure to make her more youthful again. Leaning heavily into body horror, The Substance is set to end this year’s Pigeon Shrine FrightFest on a ooey-gooey note. During THN’s Cannes coverage, we awarded The Substance the full five stars, branding it as ‘sickening’ and ‘unique.’ Featuring a career best performance from Demi Moore, make sure that you don’t duck out of FrightFest early lest you miss one of the best films of the year.
During Pigeon Shrine FrightFest we will be bringing you all the latest film reviews, follow our in-depth coverage here. For more information about Pigeon Shrine FrightFest itself, including how to get tickets, head to the FrightFest website.
