Nerdly » FrightFest is back to take over Halloween in London

04th Oct2025

FrightFest is back to take over Halloween in London

by Phil Wheat

Get ready, horror hounds – FrightFest is back to take over Halloween in London! After blowing the roof off with its epic 26th year in August, the UK’s biggest genre film festival is returning to the ODEON Luxe West End in Leicester Square for a two-day fright-fest of carnage and chaos. Running Friday, October 31st and Saturday, November 1st, the festival will unleash nine premieres from around the world, each screened twice – meaning double the terror if you dare.

This year’s line-up is a globe-spanning buffet of nightmare fuel: deranged animals, J-horror chills, heavy metal bloodbaths, Turkish terror, ancient Filipino legends, doll-obsessed maniacs, paranoia-laced nightmares, and psychedelic serial killers. Basically, if it creeps, claws, or crushes, it’s on the big screen.

Things kick off with a bang – or more accurately, a bloodcurdling screech – with the UK premiere of Primate, Johannes Roberts’ killer chimp horror for Paramount. Starring Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander, and Oscar-winner Troy Kotsur, the film promises vacation-gone-wrong madness on a primal level. Fans can also look forward to an exclusive post-screening interview with Roberts.

From there, it’s a non-stop ride: the long-awaited Deathgasm II: Goremageddon brings back the most metal franchise in horror, Mickey Reece drops a trippy thrill-ride with Every Heavy Thing, and Saturday swings straight into chaos with Rod Blackhurst’s twisted fairy-tale nightmare Dolly, featuring wrestling powerhouse Max the Impaler.

The weekend also delivers fresh nightmares like Jessica Rothe in Affection, the world premiere of Posthouse from Nikolas Red, Can Evrenol’s shocking Turkish remake The Turkish Coffee Table, Colin Minihan’s eco-horror Coyotes starring Justin Long and Kate Bosworth, and the UK debut of Mag Mag, a bold J-horror reinvention from comedian-turned-director Yuriyan Retriever, backed by none other than Takashi Miike and Hirokazu Koreeda.

As co-director Alan Jones puts it, FrightFest is proudly leading the charge for genre cinema – and this Halloween’s line-up proves it. Expect carnage, chaos, and cinematic nightmares that will stick with you long after the credits roll.

Halloween weekend in Leicester Square just got a whole lot bloodier! Passes and tickets go on sale at noon on Saturday, 4th October. Prices: