Now in its eleventh year, Grimmfest has quickly cemented its place on the UK horror film festival map. This year’s festival takes place at Odeon Manchester Great Northern between 3rd and 6th October. There’s an impressive combination of features and shorts on show with 2019’s line-up being unquestionably the strongest yet. We’ve scrutinised the digital brochure to hand-pick some recommendations for you.
Satanic Panic
Sam’s first day as a pizza delivery driver is not going according to plan. At the end of a long day and not enough tips, her last delivery turns out to be for a group of Satanists looking for someone to sacrifice. Now in a fight for her life, Sam must fend off witches, evil spells and demonic creatures, all while trying to keep her body – and soul – intact
Darlin’
Found at a Catholic hospital filthy and ferocious, feral teenager Darlin’ is whisked off to a care home run by The Bishop and his obedient nuns where she is to be tamed into a “good girl.” However, Darlin’ holds a dark secret and she is not travelling alone. The Woman, equally fierce and feral, who raised her, is ever present and is determined to come for her no matter who tries to step in her way.
A Serial Killer’s Guide to Life
30-something, self-help addict, Lou Farnt (Katie Brayben) wants nothing more than to escape her overly controlling mother and the dead-end seaside town where she grew up. When strange and strikingly confident new life coach Val (Poppy Roe) invites Lou on a road trip of alternative therapies, Lou finds the perfect opportunity to leave, and the perfect person to become. Unfortunately for Lou, Val’s a serial killer.
Why Don’t You Just Die!
At the request of his girlfriend, a young man turns up at the doorstep of her father one night. The girl asks him to kill her father, but her motives remain unclear.
ARTIK
A comic book obsessed serial killer teaches his son how to get away with a series of brutal murders until the boy befriends a mysterious man, Holton, who threatens to expose their horrifying family secret. As Holton gets closer to the truth, he must not only fight for the young boy’s life, but for his own.
Extra Ordinary
Rose, a sweet and lonely small-town driving instructor who must use her supernatural ‘talent’ to save the daughter of a local man from a washed-up rock-star looking to use her in a satanic pact that will reignite his fame.
Harpoon
When Richard’s girlfriend, Sasha, and best friend, Jonah, give him a spear gun for his birthday, he wants to try it out straight away. The three of them set out for a day trip on a boat, but suspicion and jealousy soon start to get the upper hand. And when the boat’s engine fails with no supplies on board, a nerve-wracking struggle for survival ensues that spares no one’s secrets – or blood.
Rabid
An aspiring fashion designer undergoes a radical and untested stem-cell treatment after being disfigured in an accident. Although the procedure transforms her into a ravishing beauty, the lasting side-effects leave her with an uncontrollable taste for blood, infecting her victims and causing a rampage through the city in a violent and gruesome killing spree.
Dead Dicks
panicked messages from her older brother Richie, she rushes over to check on him. Following a seemingly successful suicide attempt, Richie, who suffers from mental illness, has discovered what appears to be his own dead body. When Becca gets to his apartment, they find several more dead versions of Richie and together, try to figure out how and why he keeps being reborn each time he takes his own life.
To book festival and day passes or individual tickets visit the Grimmfest website.
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