FrightFest returns to the renowned Glasgow Film Festival for its 21st year, running from Thurs 5 March to Sat 7 March 2026.
It’s full scream ahead as FrightFest, the UK’s No.1 horror & fantasy film event, presents three days of trauma, terror and tantalising thrills. Once again housed at the iconic Glasgow Film Theatre, the nation’s “Woodstock of gore” embraces the latest genre discoveries from around the world, including five world premieres, with eight new feature films, plus a short film showcase which highlights filmmakers exclusively from the UK and Ireland
FrightFest co-director Alan Jones said: “For twenty-one years, FrightFest has joyfully programmed for collective gasps, laughs, screams and applause from our ever-supportive audiences within the Glasgow Film Festival. This year’s prime selection of unusual films will innovate, challenge, thrill and amaze as we platform both features and shorts from the most creative talents working in the genre”.
FrightFest kicks off with a special World premiere screening of Vasily Chuprina’s relentless, high stakes action thriller JAILBROKEN, which is set entirely within a single prison cell. The film is driven by a Scottish production company at its core and a key Scottish cast, headed up by David Hayman, Bryan Larkin, Shauna MacDonald and Armin Karima. Vasily, Brian and many more of the cast and crew will be attending the screening.
FrightFest’s two-day pass event kicks off on Friday 6 March with the UK premiere of BURY THE DEVIL. Putting the viewer in the terrifying action from the start, the unravelling mystery makes for a fun, twisty roller-coaster ride that puts a new spin on the exorcism genre.
Next up is the World Premiere of Howard J. Ford’s creature feature BONE KEEPER, a monstrous tale of discovery and survival, deep within a remote cave system. Glasgow welcomes back the prolific UK director, who will introduce the film alongside some of the cast.
This is followed by the UK premiere of BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL, directed by David Kittredge. The documentary explores director John Boorman’s infamous sequel, Exorcist II: The Heretic, examining its disastrous production, critical failure, and its lasting impact, featuring interviews with Boorman, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher, and many others.
The main evening presentation is the UK premiere of Glenn McQuaid’s uniquely camp sci-fi horror comedy, THE RESTORATION AT GRAYSON MANOR, where The Beast with Five Fingers meets the Universal Monsterverse. McQuaid, known for I Sell The Dead and Tales From Beyond The Pale, will be attending alongside stars Alice Krige and Chris Colfer.
Welcome to The Ring updated for the TikTok age, as Friday evening climaxes with the UK premiere of THE CURSE, Kenichi Ugana’s shocking satire on the terrors hiding in addictive internet algorithms.
Saturday’s lethal line-up starts with the international premiere of Connor Marsden’s visceral shocker, VIOLENCE, a shattering fast and furious love story wrapped in the raw energy of punk and action-horror. It will hit the audience like a sledgehammer to the chest!
Following its debut success at last year’s event, FrightFest presents another SHORT FILM SHOWCASE strand, which continues to shine the spotlight on home-grown talent, unleashing the creative imaginations of eight up-and-coming directors from the UK and Ireland. All the directors and various cast will be attending, making this a truly joyous celebration of the next generation of filmmakers.
Then we have the UK premiere of THE CONVENIENCE STORE, a major Japanese horror movie adaptation of the popular Chilla’s Art game, directed by Jiro Nagae. Rising star Kotona Minami plays the lead role, a worker who has to grapple with terrifying events in a midnight convenience store.
The evening programme kicks off with the World premiere of RED RIDING, Craig Conway’s directorial debut, a horror-thriller that reimagines the classic Little Red Riding Hood fairytale through a gritty contemporary lens. Conway, Neil Marshall (who Executive produced), and some of the cast, will be joining us to introduce the film.
Next is the UK premiere of KARMADONNA, which follows a pregnant woman given a brutal ultimatum by a divine voice to eliminate corrupt figures or lose her unborn baby. Blending intense violence with social critique on religion, greed, and modern malaise, this dark, dystopian fable is directed by Aleksander Radivojević, co-writer of A Serbian Film.
The event climaxes with Australian fantasy horror DEATHKEEPER, directed by Tristan Barr and adapted from the Novella series The Deathkeeper by Vasilios Bouzas. A creepy, unsettling and highly mysterious atmosphere all add to a compulsive, haunting experience.
Ticket information:
FrightFest Passes are £88 and available from 10am on Friday 16 January 2026. Passes will be exchanged for admission wristbands, prior to the first screening on March 6, which must be worn at all times to access all FrightFest films on Friday 6 March and Saturday 7 March ONLY.
Tickets for JAILBREAK, plus individual tickets for the Friday and Saturday films are on sale to CineCard / CineCard+ members from Friday 23 January from 10am. General sale starts on Monday 26 January 2026 at 10am.
Prices: £12.00 / £9.60 (concessions).
Please be aware that the FrightFest Thursday night film is not part of the Friday and Saturday pass. This film requires attendees to purchase a separate single ticket.
How to get Tickets:
Online: Passes – https://www.glasgowfilm.org/movie/gff26-frightfest-weekend-pass
Individual Films – https://www.glasgowfilm.org and search by title or date.
Note: Passes go live at 10am on Friday 16 January. Individual film tickets will be available from Friday 23 January at 10am for Cinecard / Cinecard+ members, and from Monday 26 January at 10am for all customers.
By Phone: (0141) 332 6535, extension 2 (please leave a voicemail if we are unable to answer your call)
In Person: Glasgow Film Theatre Box Office, 12 Rose Street, Glasgow G3 6RB.
Please note that all films contain graphic scenes of strong violence and sustained threat.
Programme details
THURSDAY 5 MARCH – GFT Screen 1
8.45pm JAILBROKEN (World Premiere)
Director: Vasily Chuprina. Cast: Bryan Larkin, Armin Karima, David Hayman, Shauna MacDonald. UK 2025 1hr 27m.
On the eve of his release, violent criminal Joe receives a call that shatters his world: his ex-wife and son have been kidnapped and unless he follows the caller’s demands they will die. Armed only with a mobile phone, Joe must race against time to save his family and himself. Ruthless prison officers only add to Joe’s woes in a razor-sharp, gripping descent into suspenseful chaos with intense emotional stakes where every second counts and freedom come at a deadly price.
FRIDAY 6 MARCH – GFT Screen 1
1.30pm BURY THE DEVIL (UK Premiere)
Director: Adam O’Brien. Cast: Jason Cavalier, Dawn Ford, Emmanuelle Lussier Martinez, Mark Anthony Krupa. Canada 2025 1hr 26m.
When a hospice nurse finds herself trapped with a dementia patient, she suspects something else is wrong with the woman, that she is harbouring dark secrets, something otherworldly, and must fight to survive the night. Opting for an ambitious single-take approach to the supernatural-tinged home invasion tale, director Adam O’Brien ratchets up the tension to depict the most harrowing 86 minutes of the nurse’s life.
3.50pm BONE KEEPER (World Premiere)
Director: Howard J. Ford. Cast: Sarah Alexandra Marks, Louis James, Tiffany Hannam-Daniels, John Rhys-Davies. UK 2026 1hr 30m.
A cosmic fireball crashes into remote woodland, awakening a terrifying creature hidden in the depths. 1976: James Wheeler enters a cave determined to uncover the truth – and is never seen again. Now Wheeler’s granddaughter, along with five explorers, set out to investigate the legend of the ‘Bone Keeper’. But deep in the caves they realise they are being hunted and the line between hunter and prey blurs. Will they uncover the truth and escape the creature – or become the next missing souls?
6.10pm BOORMAN & THE DEVIL (UK Premiere)
Director: David Kittredge. Cast: John Boorman, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher, Mike Flanagan USA 2025 1hr 52m.
After the success of Point Blank and Deliverance, Warner Brothers offered John Boorman the chance to direct a sequel to their 1973 blockbuster hit, The Exorcist. The result was one of the biggest disasters in movie history, that nearly ended Boorman’s career. But to be an artist is to be a risk-taker. In super-fan David Kittredge’s eye-opening documentary, Boorman, stars Linda Blair and Louise Fletcher and many more reflect back on the ambition of Exorcist II: The Heretic, the artistry and craft, and the value of big creative swings.
8.50pm THE RESTORATION OF GRAYSON MANOR (UK Premiere)
Director Glenn McQuaid Cast Chris Colfer, Alice Krige, Daniel Adegboyega, Declan Reynolds. Ireland/Austria 2025. 1hr34m.
Irish playboy Boyd Grayson delights in bringing men home to his sprawling family estate for sex, just to spite his legacy-obsessed mother, reminding her she’ll never get the grandchildren she craves. When an accident leaves him incapacitated, Boyd finds himself handless, helpless, and at the mercy of her care. Luckily family wealth means he will be the first person in history to pilot an experimental technology: nano-tech mechanical hands controlled entirely by his subconscious. Soon, however, the hands begin to move on their own.
11.05pm THE CURSE (UK Premiere)
Director: Kenichi Ugana. Cast: Yokino Kaizu, Yu, Shiho, Mimi Shao. Japan 2025 1hr 34m
After seeing her friend’s disturbing social media posts, beauty salon receptionist Riko intervenes but fails to prevent her from dying a mysterious, violent death. Convinced there is more to the story than a suicide, Riko dives into a world of memes, influencers, and posting for attention. As the pile of bodies grows, and Riko faces her own possible curse, she and her friends travel to Taiwan to find the community horror source of this demonic social media killer.
SATURDAY 8 MARCH – GFT Screen 1
10.35am VIOLENCE (International Premiere)
Director: Connor Marsden. Cast: Rohan Campbell, Maddie Hasson, Sarah Grey, Greg Bryk. Canada 2025 1hr 24m.
Living in an alternate 1980s filled with graffiti-covered squalor and danger around every corner, antihero Henry Violence comes to the rescue of his ex-lover as she sinks deeper into their treacherous world of drugs and crime. Unfortunately, Henry gets entangled in a brutal gang war as rival cartels battle for supremacy and must double-cross a powerful drug lord setting in motion turbo-charged, blood-drenched carnage.
12:50 SHORT FILM SHOWCASE (Running order)
NAZAR (World Premiere)
Director: Kaljeven Singh Lally. Cast: Tajinder Singh, Michael MacLeod. UK 2025. 17 min.
Harbir channels his envy of Ben by calling out his beliefs in Punjabi superstition and black magic at his cousin’s birthday lunch, but he quickly finds there’s more to this tale than he bargained for.
FOREIGN BODIES (Scottish Premiere)
Director: Lysander Wong. United Kingdom 2025. 4 min.
A simple itch descends into an outbreak with many legs. Certain things will always find their way to the surface.
A HAND TO HOLD (European Premiere)
Director: Philip Clyde-Smith. Cast: Murray McArthur, Shane Casey, Frances Barber, Frank Bourke, Lisa O’Connor, Katherine Moran, Jimmy Tarbuck, Brian Byrne. UK 2025. 15 min.
Moira, an elderly Irish woman, finds herself literally attached to her deceased husband Patrick. When his hand refuses to let go after death, it leads to increasingly grotesque events. Everyone in the couple’s orbit, from their daughter to the local doctor, a farmer, a priest, and a Satanist, all try to intervene with horrific consequences.
MUFF (Scottish Premiere)
Director: Elliot Ancona. Cast: Ronni Ancona, Bradley John, Jason York. UK 2025. 6 min.
Commitment-phobic Noah is spellbound to fight a duel for the hand of a spectral lady whose bewitching Muff is an accessory…to die for.
WHAT GOES ROUND (Or Things That Go Bump In The Night) (World Premiere)
Director: Edie Deffebach. Cast: Stella Talpo, Alexander Arnold. United Kingdom 2025. 15 min.
A woman wakes up on a London night bus and is provoked by a series of passengers, setting her on a bloody journey of self-discovery.
THE TRICK (World Premiere)
Directors: Matt Fitch, Chris Baker. Cast: Rowan Polonski, Jennie Eggleton. UK 2025. 5 min.
A mysterious stranger. A deck of cards. And a trick that’s far more sinister than anyone could imagine. THE TRICK is a dark, suspenseful short that will leave you questioning what’s real… and what’s magic.
PLASTIC SURGERY (Scottish Premiere)
Director: Guy Trevellyan. Cast: Anna Popplewell, Daniel Ings. UK 2025. 12 min.
A doctor on her last day before maternity leave is thrown into chaos when a hidden threat emerges.
BEHIND (UK Premiere)
Director: Alessio Avezzano. Cast: Jade McDonald, Kyle Wallace, Tanyaradzwa Gimani, Graham Pritz-Bennett, Olivia Jane Topalian, Saaniya Abbas, Suani Rincon. UK 2025. 17 min.
A global butt-dial outbreak sweeps the planet, but the real nightmare is only just beginning.
3.10pm THE CONVENIENCE STORE (International Premiere)
Director: Jiro Nagae. Cast: Kotona Minami. Japan 2026 1hr23m.
Based on the acclaimed video game, a college girl works the night shift at a local convenience store. She must handle multiple customers and perform menial tasks, but as the nights go by, she discovers strange things starting to happen around the store. Then a delivery man gives her a package and her whole life changes because what’s inside forces her to make the darkest of decisions. Is it all in her imagination? Or is the store truly haunted? Or has she awakened something far worse?
5.30pm RED RIDING (World Premiere)
Director: Craig Conway. Cast Victoria Tait, Ian Whyte, Robert Cavanagh, Bill Fellows. UK 2026 1hr 35m.
After her mother’s overdose, troubled teen Redele Riding is sent from her London council estate to live with her estranged aristocratic grandmother in the Scottish Highlands. At first, Red is captivated by the grand estate but beneath the elegance, she uncovers disturbing secrets: vanished children, whispers of a monstrous wolf stalking the woods, and a sinister control exerted by her grandmother and the menacing gamekeeper. As folklore and reality blur, Red struggles to make sense of cryptic warnings left by her mother and a dark family legacy.
8.00pm KAMADONNA (UK Premiere)
Director: Aleksander Radivojević. Cast Jelena Đokić, Sergej Trifunović, Miomir Mima Karadžić, Milica Stefanovic. Serbia 2025 1hr 59m.
Yelena’s third pregnancy trimester is complicated by an enigmatic phone call from a voice claiming to be a God. After a sinister demonstration of the self-proclaimed deity’s powers, she’s offered an ultimatum: murder a select list of individuals or lose her unborn child. So Yelena descends into the hellish Serbian criminal underworld to cross names off a divine hit list, from corrupt cops to toxic social-media influencers.
10.45pm DEATHKEEPER (World Premiere)
Director: Tristan Barr. Cast: Charles Cottier, Shuang Hu, Peter Thurnwald, Rebecca Barr. Australia 2025 1hr 35m.
Reclusive Luke is a near-immortal angel and stands on the side of good. He is an eternally cursed young man who only ages when he saves lives. However, as he ages, he can only become young once again by taking another life. Drawn to a possessed woman seeking refuge, a series of murders ensues whilst the evil Malagor pursues Luke and amasses an army of the dead. Only Luke can defeat him in a battle of Good vs Evil. But Luke must protect the innocent aided by his lover, a troubled cop, a local priest and a mysterious wanderer.
For full programme details: http://www.frightfest.co.uk/
Website | Facebook | ‘X’ | Instagram | TikTok | Bluesky | Threads
#FRIGHTFEST #GFF26
