Grimmfest 2024 – Preview

Grimmfest is always one of the highlights of the film festival calendar. This year, it takes place from 3 to 6 October at the Odeon Great Northern in Manchester, UK. As well as the usual superbly curated line-up of contemporary genre cinema, there are three new mini-strands to indulge in: FEAR ON FOUR WHEELS, TERROR IN THE TREES and IN CAMERA.

Many filmmakers and stars will be on hand to answer questions and bask in the relaxed festival vibes. Nick Frost will be there for his new film Back Cab, and Justin Hardy (son of Robin Hardy) will be there to discuss the documentary Children of the Wicker Man. Also in attendance will be Fredrico Zampaglione to present his Italian sensation The Well and director Pierre Tsigaridis and producer Maxime Rancon to soak up the reaction to their triggering tourdeforce Traumatika. 

Below, I have selected five fabulous must-see movies from the fantastic program, each with three-word descriptions from the filmmakers. Genre fans who can’t make the festival should put these on their watch lists for future viewing. The initial film synopses come courtesy of Grimmfest.

                                                         SAYARA

    When her sister is murdered by a group of politically connected rich kids, Sayara, a quiet gym cleaner from Turkmenistan, begins to follow in her father’s footsteps, seeking a path of revenge.

This astonishingly savage revenge flick sees a distinct change of direction from the uncompromising Can Evrenol (Baskin). It is so astronomically violent that you will find yourself wishing the practical effects work was not so impressive. The bleakest, most nihilistic shitstorm you could imagine, with frequent blasts of bloody carnage that makes The Night Comes for Us look like Kung Fu Panda.

Three words to sum up the film from director Can Evrenol:

                                                         Brutality. Romance. JiuJitsu.

 BLEEDING

In a world where vampire blood is harvested as a drug, two desperate teenagers on the run from a vicious dealer break into an empty house and find a sleeping girl locked inside. 

This deconstructed Bloodsucker movie doubles as a grim analysis of substance dependency and its devastating blast radius. Sweating with the desperation of addiction and featuring a morally heinous villain for the ages, you won’t have seen a vampire film like it.

Bleeding producer Nicholas Santos thinks Grimmfest has described it perfectly:

                                                        Raw. Authentic. Horrifying.

 HERESY (WITTE WIEVEN)

In a medieval Dutch village, a young woman is caught between her faith, fanatic townsfolk and the dark forces lurking in the woods.

Despite its short run time, this gorgeously shot period piece packs more haunting imagery and startling set pieces than features twice its length. Make sure you catch this majestic hate letter to the role theistic fearmongering has played in the minimisation of women throughout the ages.

Director Didier Konings describes Heresy (Witte Wieven) in 3 words (and a sneaky emoji):

                                                        Feminist. Folkhorror. Revenge.

SUCCUBUS

A new father with a failing marriage joins a dating app and matches with a beautiful but mysterious woman, whose strange allure and manipulative powers of seduction entangle him in a mystery more horrifying than he could have ever imagined.

Daniel Hanna’s irrepressible body horror of sorts is full of more outrageous fun than anyone could want. Layer after layer of WTF is peeled back until resistance to incredulity becomes futile. Bad news for In A Violent Nature that thought it was nailed on for gnarly kill of the year because this completely bonkers potboiler trumps it. 

Three words to sum up the film from director Daniel Hanna:

                                                         Seductive. Twisted. Dangerous!

TRAUMATIKA

Why is little Mikey terrified of his mother? Maybe it’s because of the evil inside her? Mikey’s night terrors become reality when his mother begins showing signs of demonic possession. What he’s about to experience will haunt him for the rest of his life and claim countless lives across generations.

This brutal movie divided critics and audiences at its Frightfest screening. Now, Grimmfest crowds get to see what all the fuss is about. Don’t miss this full-throttle scare machine pulsing with emotional and physical abuse. You may hate it, you may love it. Either way, it’s a horror film that’s impossible to ignore.

Three words to sum up the film from producer Maxime Rancon:

                                                         INTENSE TRIGGER WARNING

Heartfelt thanks to all the filmmakers and agents who helped with this preview. 

GrimmFest 2024 will take place between 3rd and 6th October, book your tickets here.