Film News (UK): Pigeon Shrine FrightFest announces 2024 Short Film Showcase
FrightFest has presented the best in global genre short film since 2004, and this year’s selection is as bold, diverse and exceptional as ever. From established filmmakers such as Brea Grant, Adam Mason, Zach Parker, Colin Minihan and Jackson Stewart to aspiring debutants, this year’s selection, screened at the ODEON Luxe West End, unleashes the latest genre gems from across the world, and includes fourteen World Premieres.
This year there are six pre-feature shorts in the Main and Discovery Screens, including the UK Premiere of Bella Thorne’s directorial debut UNSETTLED, based on a true queer revenge saga. Other pre-feature shorts in the Discovery screens are the UK Premiere of Brea Grant’s murderous millennial drama MLM, with Barbara Crampton, the World Premiere of Thom Newell’s vampiristic FULL MOON GLORY HOLE, the UK Premiere of Zach Parker’s coffee and carnage filled BARISTA, the World Premiere of Adam Mason’s HOTLINE, a chilling homage to the classic 70’s horror When A Stranger Calls and the UK Premiere of Jackson Stewart’s STEREO-VISION, produced by Tyler MacIntyre.
This year’s Showcase line-up features a range of International Premieres, including the World Premiere of OPEN YOUR EYES, directed by Samantha Scaffidi, who portrays Victoria Heyes’ in the Terrifier films. Other US highlights are Colin Minihan’s surreal VFX-inspired TRIP, animation horror VHX, eye-popping horror rom-com HIDE YOUR CRAZY, the twisted, Giallo-inspired BATH BOMB, the atmospheric SHADOW, from Lebanese American filmmaker Kamell Allaway and SKETCH, a creepy, Babadookian romp.
From Germany comes manipulative love story FOREVER YOURS, from France we have the immersive, visually stunning THE COST OF FLESH and GAME OVER, where words can definitely kill. Finally, from Denmark is FOMO/ARMAGEDDON, where family illness and neglect lead to a moving, apocalyptic conclusion.
The UK is represented with twenty-two entries, including the World Premiere of THE AWAKENING, starring Line of Duty actor Daniel Mays, There are three returning directors this year: David Yorke, with the World Premiere of SAFE, Tony Hipwell, with the World Premiere of BODY WORN VIDEO and John Ferrer, with two entries this year – THE MILK SITUATION and 1 STAR REVIEW.
Other highlights are BREAKFAST, the scariest meal of the day, DELIVERANCE, where fast food can be your salvation, OFF CUTS, where fear will eat you, and loneliness kills in DEAD OF NIGHT. Then there’s the horror of DIY dentistry in THE VAMPIRE THEORY, folk horror mockumentary, END OF DAYS, stalker chiller YELLOWMEADS, the sexually charged SKEWERED, and the wrong late-night spirits are served in NYCTOPHOBIA.
Other terror tales include CAKES! where one slice is never enough, the malevolent UNRAVELLING, the delirious, dialogue-free CLUBHAMMER, the poetically subversive THE WEDDING VEIL OF THE PROUD PRINCESS, surreal fantasy PUNCH, demonic love-story IT’S REALLY YOU, the unnerving ROAD AHEAD CLOSED. And, finally, be careful what you fish for in WHAT A CATCH.
Here’s the full line-up details:
Pre-feature shorts:
SUNDAY 25 AUG: MAIN SCREEN – UNSETTLED (UK Premiere)
Playing before SAINT CLARE, 6.15pm
Director: Bella Thorne, Cast: Chris Zylka, Chris Santos, Bella Thorne. USA. 2024. 15min.
A young man is drugged and abducted from a gay club, escapes and seeks to bring his tormentors to justice in a deeply conservative Bible Belt Oklahoma
MONDAY 26 AUG: DISCOVERY SCREEN 1 – MLM (UK Premiere)
Playing before AGATHA, 4.00pm
Director: Brea Grant. Cast: Jessika Van, Courtney Pauroso, Barbara Crampton. USA 2024. 18 mins.
When Sarah joins a multi-level marketing company called La La Leggings, she isn’t ready for the horrific consequences of not selling.
FRIDAY 23 AUG: DISCOVERY SCREEN 2 – FULL MOON GLORY HOLE (World Premiere) Playing before DRIVE BACK, 1.10pm
Director: Thom Newel. Cast: Courtney Bandeko, Sam Huntington. USA 2024. 5 mins.
When Francis is beckoned to a glory hole in a dank gas station bathroom, he gets more than he bargained for. Perhaps he should have realized it was a Full Moon!
SUNDAY 25 AUG: DISCOVERY SCREEN 2 – HOTLINE (World Premiere)
Playing before RAZOR BLADE SMILE, 9.15pm
Director: Adam Mason. Cast: Paris Berelc, Bourke Floyd. US 2024. 8 mins.
A young woman (Paris Berelc) is manning the night shift at a mental health crisis call centre when she starts to get harassed in increasingly terrifying ways by one of her callers. ‘HOTLINE’ is a chilling homage to the classic 70’s horror ‘WHEN A STRANGER CALLS’ by FrightFest alumni Adam Mason and Simon Boyes.
MONDAY 26 AUG: DISCOVERY SCREEN 2 SHORT: BARISTA (World Premiere)
Playing before GENERATION TERROR, 3.15pm
Director: Zach Parker. Cast: Lizzy Walther, Katelyn Goodpaster. USA. 2024 5 mins.
Photographed on glorious 16mm film, BARISTA is a love letter to 70’s Exploitation, Giallo Elegance, Revenge, Torture, Gore…& Coffee.
DISCOVERY SCREEN 3 SHORT: STEREO-VISION (World premiere)
Playing before FROM DARKNESS (Saturday,12.55pm & Sunday, 6.40pm)
Director: Jackson Stewart. Cast: Jocelin Donahue, Jill Schoelen, Matt Betinelli-Olpin, Chad Villella. USA 2024. 12mins.
After her abusive Mom suffers a debilitating stroke, Alexis Barrows finds a mysterious childhood toy that offers a euphoric escape with a hefty price. From Beyond The Gates writer/director Jackson Stewart and produced by Tyler MacIntyre.
FRIDAY 23 AUGUST – SHORT FILM SHOWCASE 1
ODEON LUXE WEST END SCREEN 2 from 15:45
Forever Yours (UK Premiere)
Director: Elliott Louis McKee. Cast: Andrea Ariel, James Tuft, Simone Bucio. GERMANY 2024. 15 min.
Following a devastating accident that leaves the love of her life, Sebastian, paralysed, Valeria becomes his dedicated caretaker, triggering a disturbing obsession.
VHX (World Premiere)
Directors: Alisa Stern, Scott Ampleford. Cast: Erin Natal, Scott Ampleford, Henry Thompson. US 2024. 5 min.
A collection of home movies languish on a shelf, longing to be watched again. Little do they know, there’s a fate far worse than being forgotten.
The Cost of Flesh (UK Premiere)
Director: Tomas Palombi. Cast: Nayla Berrada, Camille Monchy, Baptiste Philippe. FRANCE 2023. 10 min.
Alice is a totally paralysed teenager who can only communicate through the movements of her eyes. Her brother and sister try an obscure method to free her from the evil that hinders her…
Game Over (UK Premiere)
Director: Adrian Cacciola. Cast: Jean-Yves Lissonet, Lynne Verall, Adrian Rawlins (voice). FRANCE 2023. 9 min.
Sunday afternoon is Scrabble Day for an elderly couple. The sunny scene opens with the old man’s hateful inner monologue as he is forced to take part for the umpteenth time. But the game suddenly intensifies when the old man realises that the words being played are becoming reality.
Hide Your Crazy (London Premiere)
Director: Austin Kase. Cast: Amy-Helene Carlson, Will Toussaint. US 2023. 14 min.
A young man’s surprise birthday dinner for his girlfriend is not met with the response he was expecting, leading to the most frightful night of their lives.
Bath Bomb (UK Premiere)
Director: Colin G Cooper. Cast: Anders Yates, Daniel Henkel. US 2023. 10 min.
A possessive doctor prepares a romantic bath for his narcissistic boyfriend, but after an accusation of infidelity, things take a deeply disturbing turn.
Shadow (UK Premiere)
Director: Kamell Allaway. Cast: Katy Wright-Mead, Valentina Gordon, Christy St. John. US 2023. 12 min.
A young mother’s shadow takes on a life of its own, terrorizing her and her daughter over the course of one night.
Sketch (European Premiere)
Director: Joshua David Matthews. Cast: Erin Ownbey, Brett Brooks. US 2024. 5 mins.
A young woman discovers the creature she just sketched is in the bedroom with her.
FOMO/Armageddon (World Premiere)
Director: Michael Niels Køppen Kunov. Cast: Justin Geertsen, Stine Schrøder Jensen, Sandra Halle, Isabella Møller Hansen (voice). DENMARK 2023. 12 mins.
The world is coming to an end and teenager William is convinced that it is his fault.
Trip (World Premiere)
Director: Colin Minihan. Cast: Amanda Grace Benitez, Levi Meaden, Timothy Kennedy. US 2023. 14 min.
Three friends take a designer drug that lifts an astral veil and introduces them to a mysterious figure named Tom. Whatever you do… don’t look him in the eye.
TOTAL RUN TIME: 105 mins
SUNDAY 25 AUGUST – SHORT FILM SHOWCASE 2
ODEON LUXE WEST END SCREEN 1 from 13:15
Safe (World Premiere)
Director: David Yorke. Cast: Sharon Sibyl Gatt, Joshua Whincup. UK 2023. 2 mins.
All is not as it seems when a young woman battles for her life against a relentless masked killer.
Breakfast (London Premiere)
Director: Shaun Munro. Cast: Shaun Munro. UK 2024. 12 mins.
A day that begins like any other soon enough descends into chaos for one man as a supernatural force terrorises him while he tries to eat his damn breakfast.
Deliverance (World Premiere)
Director: Kaljeven Singh Lally. Cast: Tajinder Singh, Lauren Grace, George Drennan.
UK 2024. 10 mins.
A Sikh delivery driver is asked for help by a customer, a Priest.
Off Cuts (World Premiere)
Director: Ben Steiner. Cast: Simon Meacock, Alex Reid, Tim Wilderspin. UK 2024. 4 mins.
It wants your bits.
The Vampire Theory (UK Premiere)
Director: Dominic Grose. Cast: Corinne Strickett, Tom Harden. UK 2023. 12 mins.
Oscar’s teeth have withered. After reading an old medical journal on the slow effects of vampirism, his reclusive mother fears that her sons only salvation is to evolve into something inhuman.
End Of Days (London Premiere)
Director: Mimi Templar Gay. Cast: Larry Dean, Michael Crump, Lou Conran. UK 2024. 12 mins.
A folk horror mockumentary following a struggling Pagan cult as they attempt to bring about the end times.
The Milk Situation (European Premiere)
Director: John Ferrer. Cast: Felix Garcia Guyer, James Bradwell, Annabel Brook. UK 2024. 5 mins.
In a world overrun with monsters, Pip and Po’s clean up service is the only thing that stands between good and evil.
Nyctophobia (World Premiere)
Director: Blake Jett. Cast: Abbie May Wilson. UK 2024. 8 mins.
Whilst working the closing shift, a bar tender unintentionally frees a malevolent spirit from its previous containment.
Dead Of Night (World Premiere)
Directors: Mikel Iriarte, Jack Downs. Cast: Eryn Tett. UK 2024. 2 mins.
A young woman moves into a new house and is awoken to something going bump in the night.
Open Your Eyes (World Premiere)
Director: Samantha Scaffidi. Cast: Ella Loudon, Daisy Bevan, Ava Loudon – Lee. US 2024. 14 mins.
Haunted by recurring dreams of a sinister hallway and a young girl, Lily does everything she can to stay awake, But the harder she tries the more her paranoia increases.
Yellowmeads (UK Premiere)
Director: Christian Burnett. Cast: Caroline Nield, Adie Mueller, Tina Nya, Darren Stoneham. UK 2024. 9 mins.
On the London council estate of Yellowmeads, Vicky is stalked by an unsettling stranger.
Skewered (London Premiere)
Director: Nick Ray Rutter. Cast: Hanako Footman, Graham Dickson. UK 2023. 17 mins.
Opposing sexual appetites and dietary ethics bring a stagnant relationship to a theatrical and surprising crescendo as a heartfelt revelation confronts the elephant in the room.
Total Run Time 106 mins.
MONDAY 26 AUGUST – SHORT FILM SHOWCASE 3
ODEON LUXE WEST END SCREEN 1 from 10:50
Road Ahead Closed (World Premiere)
Director: Lily Paris. Cast: Ciaran Lonsdale, Caitlyn Woodward, Lily Paris. UK 2024. 8 mins.
Meeting a closed road on his route home, a young man takes a risky turn, only to become hopelessly lost on a maze of backroads, where something sinister lies in wait.
1 Star Review (World Premiere)
Director: John Ferrer. Cast: Charlie Clee, Sarah J Parker, Amelie Leroy. UK 2024. 9 mins.
Chef Michael has a murderous obsession with changing negative reviews to save his restaurant, but a date with his latest critic Elysia makes him question his motives.
Cakes! (London Premiere)
Director: Johnny Herbin. Cast: Rebecca Ritchie-Smith. UK 2024. 2 mins.
A grieving woman follows a singing cake into a magical world within her oven.
Unravelling (London Premiere)
Director: Aimie Willemse. Cast: Shona McHugh, Sheila Grier. UK 2024. 8 mins.
Fion tries to care for her chronically ill grandmother, but as her invisible illness begins to physically manifest into a malignant entity, Fiona is forced to confront her worse fears.
What A Catch (UK Premiere)
Director: Thomas Pickering. Cast: Nathan Geering. UK 2024. 5 mins.
On a late-night trip to the lake, a Victorian fisherman’s evening takes a sinister turn.
Clubhammer (World Premiere)
Director: Oscar Simmons. Cast: Robert Rhodes, Elliot Eason. UK 2024. 14 mins.
How much brutality can the bound Muse endure before reaching a breaking point?
The Wedding Veil of the Proud Princess (London Premiere)
Director: Anna-Ester Volozh. Cast: Pik-Sen Lim (Voice). UK 2024. 7 mins.
The most beautiful princess in the world demands the impossible: to marry a king who conquers all kings.
Body Worn Video (World Premiere)
Director: Tony Hipwell. Cast: Chanelle Alle, Oliver Devoti. UK 2024. 11 mins.
A child abuse call isn’t the best way to end a day, but for officers Cane and Adel, it’s not just their shift that’s about to end …
Punch (World Premiere)
Director: Ross Scott. Cast: Ben Allen, Ryan Marinello, Emily Morus-Jones. UK 2024. 4 mins.
A mountain biker discovers an ancient puppet theatre deep within the forest, and he’s just in time for the show.
It’s Really You (European Premiere)
Director: Rich Rose. Cast: Richard Huw, Aminita Francis, Joseph Adelakun. UK 2024. 15 mins.
A priest arrives at a house to perform an exorcism, unaware that he’s about to be reunited with an old flame…
The Awakening (World Premiere)
Director: Al Campbell. Cast: Daniel Mays. UK 2023. 15 mins.
Mike lives alone in a quiet village. He wakes one morning with muddy feet. Intrigued to know what he’s getting up to in the middle of the night, he sets his phone to record the room next time he goes to bed…
Total Run Time 98 mins
Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024 runs from 22 – 26 August at ODEON Luxe Leicester Sq & ODEON Luxe West End.
For full programme details & tickets: frightfest.co.uk
Selection of Short Film Stills
Please note that the event is called Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024
Press enquires:
Greg Day | Clout Communications | cloutpr@gmail.com | @cloutcomcouk