From Video Massacres to Behemoths Midsummer Scream Roars Back

Essex’s genre community will descend on Firstsite, Colchester, for the return of the Black Sunday Film Festival’s summer mini-festival, Midsummer Scream, on Saturday 5 July 2025. Following a sold-out spring event, organisers have unveiled a full day of premieres, cult revivals and shorts that promise to showcase fresh voices and rare treasures in horror and fantasy cinema. Tickets are available now at blacksundayff.com.

The day opens with the UK premiere of Video Dreams: A VHS Massacre Story, a documentary odyssey from Tom Seymour, whose previous work explored the underground home-video boom. Featuring candid interviews with genre legends such as Lloyd Kaufman, Debbie Rochon and Joe Bob Briggs, the film offers a deep dive into the era when late-night horror tapes ruled VHS racks and neighbourhood video stores.

From the flicker of old tapes the festival moves to the mists of Nordic folklore with the debut of Vincent: A Story of Supernatural Friendship. Directed by David Noel Bourke, this fantasy drama stars Mikkel Vadsholt and Herman Knop as two souls bound across realms, exploring themes of loss and loyalty in a forest haunted by ancient powers. Early whispers suggest that Bourke’s film blends poetic imagery with moments of genuine unease.

As evening falls, Midsummer Scream presents The Behemoth, Kai E. Bogatzki’s modern cult thriller that has already won over festival audiences abroad. Starring Sarah Dawes, Ryan Wichert and Beatrice Fletcher alongside veteran genre favourite Johnny Vivash, the film follows a small-town investigator as she chases a shapeshifting terror through abandoned warehouses and midnight streets.

The day concludes in mystery with Arrow Video’s secret cult screening. Restored in stunning 4K, an iconic Italian horror classic will shock and delight on the big screen. The title remains under wraps until showtime but organisers stress that fans will not want to miss this rare opportunity to see a revival of one of Italy’s most influential genre films.

In between feature presentations, a curated selection of short films will play, including the claustrophobic terror of The Tunnel from Brendon Cleaves and Cera Rose Pickering, the surreal folk horror of James Fletcher and Alycia Potter’s Dolos, and the darkly whimsical confection-themed Fudge Sundae by Georgia Redman. Each short promises to deliver a unique taste of the cutting edge in genre storytelling.

Midsummer Scream also invites all attending guests and filmmakers to an afterparty at a local venue, where midnight screenings give way to mingling with the creatives who’ve brought these films to life. For one night in Colchester, horror and fantasy fans will find plenty to scream about.

For more information and tickets, visit: blacksundayff.com.