Special guests at this year’s FrightFest film festival include directors Harry Camel, Parish Malfitano, transgender filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay, Tim Cruz, and actor Anthony Del Negro. Documentaries celebrate the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Queer pioneer Andy Milligan.
Get ready for the bizarre, the extraordinary, and the thrilling as FrightFest 2025, the UK’s premier horror and fantasy film festival, returns to The Odeon LUXE Leicester Square for its annual five-day celebration. This event will take over seven screens, including two at the ODEON Luxe West End. Among the impressive lineup are several films that will appeal to LGBTQ+ fans of horror and fantasy.
Running from Thursday, August 21, to Monday, August 25, FrightFest will showcase sixty-nine feature films from around the globe. The event will include twenty-five main screen premieres and forty-four titles in the Discovery Screen category. Highlights will feature the popular ‘First Blood’ strand, the latest genre documentaries, and a 4K restoration retrospective of one of the most groundbreaking British horror films ever made.
Two world premieres are set to take place: the claw-chiller Don’t Let the Cat Out, directed by Tim Cruz and starring Anthony Del Negro, who previously worked together on the gay stalker thriller Ladybug—an audience favourite at FrightFest in 2024. The second premiere is The Red Mask, a twisted love letter to the stalk-and-slash genre, directed by Ritesh Gupta.
Don’t Let The Cat Out
FrightFest welcomes back Australian transgender filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay with her film, The Serpent’s Skin. This work is a haunting yet heartfelt exploration of love, gender identity, and personal growth. Also from Australia is Parish Malfitano’s Salt Along the Tongue, which offers a uniquely different take on horror by blending elements of witchcraft, spirit possession, and exorcism with striking cinematic poetry. Additionally, the festival will honour veteran Belgian filmmaker Harry Kümel with a 4K restoration of two of his 1971 films: the erotic vampire tale Daughters of Darkness and Malpertuis, a surreal gothic narrative that intertwines themes of warlocks and imprisoned Olympian gods.
Salt Along The Tongue
Are you ready to venture into the ‘time warp’? What is the secret behind the success of The Rocky Horror Picture Show? In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Andreas Zerr’s Sane Inside Insanity: The Rocky Horror Phenomenon explores the entire journey—from a humble two-page script written in crayon to an Off-West End smash hit, a film adaptation that initially flopped, and its eventual rise as a global cult classic in the Midnight Movie scene. Featuring fantastic archival footage, interviews with key cast members, and a wealth of trivia, this is the definitive chronicle of the ultimate B-movie musical.
This year’s documentaries focus on iconic personalities. One notable film is Captured Souls: In Conversation with Graham Humphreys, directed by Chris Collier. The documentary delves into the life and legacy of the UK’s most renowned horror illustrator, who is best known for his original film poster designs for The Evil Dead and A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Andy Milligan was a controversial figure known for his contributions to avant-garde theatre and early queer cinema. He is recognised as one of the most polarising talents in the history of exploitation and horror films. In The Degenerate: The Life & Films of Andy Milligan, the true story of this influential figure—often referred to as the ‘Fassbinder of 42nd Street’—is revealed.
Many guests are attending from various films, including:
– Tim Cruz, director of Don’t Let the Cat Out
– Actors Anthony Del Negro and Jordan James Smith from Don’t Let the Cat Out
– Harry Kümel, director of Daughters of Darkness and Malpertuis
– Alice Maio Mackay, director of The Serpent’s Skin
– Parish Malfitano, director of Salt Along the Tongue
– Ritesh Gupta, director of Red Mask
– Andreas Zerr, director of Sane Inside Insanity: The Phenomenon of Rocky Horror
– Graham Humphreys, the subject of Captured Souls: In Conversation With Graham Humphreys
– Josh Johnson and Grayson Tyler Johnson, co-directors of The Degenerate: The Life & Films of Andy Milligan
Daughters of Darkness
FrightFest will feature its regular short film strand, now expanded to four showcases, which will be announced later. This year, there are nineteen world premieres showcasing films from fourteen countries across four continents. It’s a true celebration of diversity and inclusivity in a friendly and safe environment.
Co-director Alan Jones told QX, “In its 26th year, FrightFest continues to be the UK’s premier destination for genre fans. The 2025 event promises to be epic in every sense, celebrating creativity, transgression, and diversity. We invite you to join us for an event that has consistently ranked among the Top Ten of The World’s Best Fantasy Festivals.”
Additionally, Alan Jones is the author of the recently published book Discomania, which provides an autobiographical journey through his life and explores the world’s best disco movies.
The Serpent’s Skin
The festival kicks off, thanks to Signature Entertainment, with the UK premiere of James DeMonaco’s film, The Home. This thrilling movie, featuring Saturday Night Live actor and comedian Pete Davidson, promises a suspense-filled experience full of terror.
The closing night film will also be a UK premiere: Kurtis David Harder’s Influencers, which is the highly anticipated second instalment of Shudder’s wildly successful original series. Harder’s elevated vision is both elegant and unsettling, with a deliciously twisted narrative that is sure to make it one of the most discussed genre films of the year.
For more details on the Queer FrightFest programme see the complete programme details and tickets: https://www.frightfest.co.uk
All images supplied.
