Pigeon Shrine FrightFest announces line-up for Halloween 2024
Daisy Ridley, Jane Horrocks & Brian Blessed amongst attending guests
Following the success of its spectacular 25th Anniversary August five-day event, the UK’s most popular genre film festival returns to the Odeon Luxe West End in Leicester Square. Taking over both screens on Friday 1st November and Saturday 2nd November, the Halloween special will feature nine premiere titles from six countries, spanning Europe, North America, South America and Asia, making it a truly spine-chilling display of global talent. Each film will be screened twice.
Daisy Ridley in MAGPIE
Opening the event is the UK premiere of Sam Yates’s MAGPIE, a darkly intense psychological thriller which thrives in its classic neo-noir atmosphere, eliciting tension that is seconds away from permanently snapping. Daisy Ridley delivers a tour de force performance as a neglected wife on the edge, and will be in attending the screening alongside her husband, actor Tom Bateman, writer/producer of Magpie.
The second film on the Friday is the UK premiere of PARVULOS, a thought-provoking, zombie ‘Lord of the Flies’, helmed by Mexican director Isaac Ezban, whose fantastic eye for gothic tableaux makes for a powerful and shocking treat.
Parvulos
The first day closes with the World premiere of Airell Hayes’ ADVENT, which chartsone woman’s countdown decent into Xmas supernatural hell. Inspired by the terrifying true story of the blue whale game, this is a new kind of Christmas ghost story. Airell will be joined by the film’s stars including Nicholas Vince.
Advent
Saturday kicks off with the World premiere of THE BITTER TASTE, Guido Tölke’s outlandish tale of the undead. Watch out for full-bore gore, chainsaws, eye-grazing stunts and one of the best OTT scores by Clemens Damerau.
The Bitter Taste
Then we have the UK premiere of ALIEN COUNTRY, a balls-to-the-wall, extraterrestrial invasion comedy, directed by popular Youtubers Boston McConnaughey, Renny Grames, who are planning to attend.
Alien Country
Up next is the UK premiere of THE DRAFT! a fist-pumping Indonesian body count terror which delights in honouring horror cliches while subverting them totally into a gruesome gore-fest.
The Draft!
This is followed by the UK premiere of TIME TRAVEL IS DANGEROUS, the Meta-universe comedy fantasy of the year from acclaimed writer-producer duo, the Shakespeare Sisters and co-written and directed by Chris Reading. The film stars British comedy royalty in Johnny Vegas, Sophie Thompson, Jane Horrocks, Mark Heap, and is narrated by Stephen Fry. Many of the cast will be attending including Jane Horrocks, Brian Blessed, Laura Aikman, Guy Henry, Brian Bovell, Ruth Syratt, Tom Lenk and Simon Killick, alongside director Chris Reading and producers Hillary and Anna-Elizabeth Shakespeare.
Time Travel Is Dangerous
Also attending is Teddy Grennan, the director of CATCH A KILLER, which will receive its International premiere. Grennan has fashioned one of the most exciting neo-noir serial killer thrillers of the year, featuring breakout performances from Sam Brooks and Tu Morrow.
Catch A Killer
Completing the line-up is the UK premiere of Emma Benestan’s Cannes Critics’ Week closer, ANIMALE, a shape-shifting horror drama that takes toxic masculinity by the horns.
Animale
Paul McEvoy, FrightFest co-director, said today: “What a perfect Halloween Treat we have lined-up for everyone this year. A wonderful movie mix-tape of nine exciting, exceptional, new and varied genre titles. There is something for every film fan along with an incredible list of guest attendees. This will be a sensational end to our 25th Anniversary banner year and we hope you all enjoy.”
Passes and tickets go on sale at noon on Saturday 5th October.
Prices: Two-day pass – £79 | Friday 1st day pass – £33 | Saturday 28th Day pass – £59
Single tickets – £14.99
All tickets are subject to ticket costs.
LINE UP:
FRIDAY 1 NOVEMBER
OPENING FILM: MAGPIE (UK Premiere)
(Times: Screen 1: 6.00pm, Screen 2: 6.30pm)
Director: Sam Yates. With: Daisy Ridley, Shazad Latif, Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Alistair Petrie, Hiba Ahmed. UK 2023. 90 mins.,
Synopsis: When Ben and Anette’s daughter is cast in a film alongside glamorous movie star, Alicia, Ben is quickly drawn into Alicia’s world. As he becomes more intoxicated with Alicia and their affair intensifies, Anette is left at home with the baby, pushed to her emotional limits and on the brink of psychosis.
PARVULOS (UK Premiere)
(Times: Screen 1: 8.25pm, Screen 2: 8.50pm)
Director Isaac Ezban. With: Farid Escalante Correa, Leonardo Cervantes, Mateo Ortega Casillas, Carla Adell. Mexico 2024. 118 mins.
Synopsis: A thought-provoking, slick and visually striking story about the lives of three young brothers tackling life in a post-apocalyptic, infected world, shot largely in monochrome tones, with flashes of color for special moments. Living in a cabin in the middle of the woods the trio hide a dark, disturbing secret in their basement.
ADVENT (World Premiere)
(Times: Screen 1: 10.55pm, Screen 2: 11.30pm)
Director: Airell Anthony Hayles. With: Nicholas Vince, Mark Arnold, Rasina Pavlova, Cian Lorcan. UK 2024. 77 mins
Synopsis: When a young girl into urban legends unearths a supposed cursed advent calendar, she seeks to find out if the dark stories behind it are true as she opens a door each day in the build up to Christmas. Behind every door is a challenge that grows more disturbing as she starts to lose sight of who she is. As realities collapse, it seems she may have also brought her mother back from the dead.
SATURDAY 2 NOVEMBER
THE BITTER TASTE (World Premiere)
(Times: Screen 1: 11.10am, Screen 2: 11.35am)
Director: Guido Tölke. With: Julia Dordel, Nicolo Pasetti, Anne Alexander Sieder, Christiane Ostermayer. Germany 2024. 125 mins.
Synopsis: Five ways to die – one way to survive. After being captured by an undead countess and her cursed followers, Marcia, a retired pentathlete, must rely on her outdated and rusty athletic abilities to endure a terrifying hunt for human prey. Reluctantly she teams up with a mysterious, yet charming fisherman and an irritable cop in a suspicious alliance to increase her chances of survival against all the odds.
ALIEN COUNTRY (UK Premiere)
(Times: Screen 1: 1.45pm, Screen 2: 2.10pm)
Directors: Boston McConnaughey, Renny Grames. With: K.C. Clyde, Renny Grames, Charan Prabhakar, Rachele Brooke Smith. USA 2024. 96 mins.
Synopsis: Reeling from the news of an unexpected pregnancy, Jimmy, a wild and reckless demolition derby mechanic, and Everly unknowingly release an alien invasion in their small town. Now they must learn to work together in order to save each other, their town and evidently, the entire galaxy.
THE DRAFT! (UK Premiere)
(Times: Screen 1: 4.10pm, Screen 2: 4.35pm)
Director: Yusron Fuadi. With: Adhin Abdul Hakim, Winner Wijaya, Ibrahim Alhami, Putri Anggie. Indonesia 2023. 84 mins.
Synopsis: Fight for your fate! Five college students embark on a weekend trip to an isolated cabin. Upon their arrival, a mysterious older man gives them a cryptic warning about staying there, and later, strange and weird events begin happening around them. Soon they learn they must survive a dizzying battle of wits against an all-powerful dark force that is seemingly undefeated.
TIME TRAVEL IS DANGEROUS (UK Premiere)
(Times: Screen 1: 6.20pm, Screen 2: 6.45pm)
Director: Chris Reading. With: Johnny Vegas, Sophie Thompson, Jane Horrocks, Mark Heap, and narrated by Stephen Fry. 2024 UK. 99 mins.
Synopsis: Real-life best friends Ruth Syratt and Megan Stevenson run a vintage bric-a-brac shop in Muswell Hill, London. Stumbling across a time machine, they embark on trips to the past to stock their emporium with quirky artefacts with no idea of the irreparable damage they’re causing to the fabric of the universe. After one excursion too many, an interdimensional fissure appears and Ruth must free Megan from The Unreason, a monstrous netherworld where convoluted gaming is played for all eternity.
CATCH A KILLER (UK Premiere)
(Times: Screen 1: 8.45pm, Screen 2: 9.10pm)
Director: Teddy Grennan. With: Sam Brooks, Tu Morrow. USA 2024. 74 mins.
Synopsis: Otto and Lex are a pair of star-crossed lovers, who do the right thing but make the wrong decision and it costs them everything. When Otto is derailed on his way to becoming the city’s youngest detective, he stays in the police business as a bioremediation specialist cleaning up after a serial killer. With an uncanny knowledge of horror films and his natural born instincts, Otto and Lex crack the code to where the killer is going to strike next…now they have just got to catch him.
ANIMALE (UK Premiere)
(Times: Screen 1: 10.40pm, Screen 2: 11.05pm)
Director: Emma Benestan. With: Oulaya Amamra, Claude Chaballier, Elies-Morgan Admi-Bensellam, Vivien Rodriguez. France 2024. 95 mins.
Synopsis: Nejma works at a farm where bulls are raised for sport. Against her mother’s wishes, Nejma wants to become the first female bull-runner, a dangerous ambition as many end up wounded or permanently disabled. After one bullfighting dare, she wakes up with a weird, enhanced ability to know what the bulls feel. Shortly afterwards a mysterious rogue bull appears at night to stalk and kill. To save the tourist season and dispel any rumours, all farms unite for a bull-hunt. But as her powers of perception grow, Nejma fears there may be a more supernatural angle to what’s been happening…