Grimmfest 2025 Announces Full Line-Up, World Premieres, and Star Guests in Manchester
Grimmfest, the North of England’s leading genre film festival, returns to Manchester this autumn with what organisers are calling their most ambitious edition to date. Running 9–12 October at the Odeon Great Northern, the four-day celebration of horror and cult cinema will feature 22 new features, an unprecedented number of World and International Premieres, and appearances from a host of international stars.
This year’s festival opens with the World Premiere of Past Life, a psychological thriller filmed in Manchester by Grimmfest co-founders Simeon Halligan and Rachel Richardson-Jones. The film stars Jeremy Piven, Aneurin Barnard, Tim McInnerny, and Pixie Lott, and explores themes of regression therapy, repressed memories, and unsolved crimes. The opening night also includes the International Premiere of Weekend at the End of the World, an absurdist horror comedy from Gille Klabin (The Wave), with cast and crew in attendance.
Across the weekend, the programme spans a wide range of genre cinema. Friday’s highlights include the politically charged vampire reimagining Landlord, the psychedelic psychological thriller I See the Demon, and Pierre Tsigaridis’ Frankie Maniac Woman, a story of female rage and empowerment. Saturday brings Kenichi Ugana’s Incomplete Chairs to the UK for the first time, alongside the World Premiere of Tim Connery’s Midwestern folklore anthology The Driftless. Sunday closes the festival with Manu Herrera’s occult homage Lily’s Ritual, Jake Myers’ workplace satire Kombucha, and Sergio Pinheiro’s surreal Wormtown.
Additional premieres include Rabbit Trap, starring Dev Patel and Rosy McEwen, Forgive Us All with Lily Sullivan and Richard Roxburgh, and the pre-release screening of Good Boy, a supernatural thriller told from a dog’s perspective.
Beyond screenings and Q&As, Grimmfest will also feature a marketplace hosted by Stockport Alternative Market, offering genre-inspired art, memorabilia, and collectables. Organisers emphasise that the festival prides itself on accessibility and community, with fans and filmmakers sharing the same space in an informal, welcoming atmosphere.
With appearances from actors including Dev Patel, Jon Heder, Shawnee Smith, and Pixie Lott, Grimmfest 2025 reinforces its status as one of the UK’s foremost showcases for genre cinema.
Festival passes, day passes, and individual screening tickets are on sale now. Full programme and schedule available at: www.grimmfest.com
