‘Bone Keeper’ Stalks FrightFest Glasgow

A fireball tears across the sky and crashes into remote English woodland. Nearly fifty years later, the fallout resurfaces in Bone Keeper, a creature feature set to receive its world premiere at FrightFest Glasgow on Friday 6 March at 3.50pm.

Written and directed by Howard J. Ford, the 90-minute horror harks back to the era of practical monsters and subterranean dread. Starring Sarah Alexandra Marks, Louis James, Tiffany Hannam-Daniels, Sophia Eleni, Danny Rahim and John Rhys-Davies, the film blends cosmic mystery with claustrophobic survival horror.

The story opens in 1976, when James Wheeler ventures into a cave system determined to uncover the truth behind a strange phenomenon linked to a fiery object that plunged into the forest. He is never seen again. The only trace is a single frame of Super 8 footage capturing the silhouette of something inhuman lurking in the darkness.

In the present day, Wheeler’s granddaughter Olivia, played by Marks, joins five young explorers intent on solving the decades-old disappearance. Among them is Ethan, portrayed by Louis James, whose humour masks mounting tension as the group delves deeper into the cavern network. Their expedition leads them to Professor Harrison, played by Rhys-Davies, a survivor connected to the original 1970s team. He warns them not to proceed. They ignore him.

What follows leans heavily into creature-feature tradition. Ford withholds a full view of the entity until late in the film, offering fleeting glimpses and unsettling hints before unveiling the monster in its entirety during the final act. The design combines practical effects with digital enhancements, resulting in a towering, bone-like presence that feels both retro and contemporary.

Marks and James, who frequently collaborate on screen, anchor the emotional core of the film. Rhys-Davies lends gravitas to the opening movement, grounding the supernatural premise in a sense of historical weight. The supporting cast rounds out the expedition, each character gradually confronting the consequences of venturing somewhere they were clearly warned against.

Produced in the UK and backed by Reinvent Sales Agents, Bone Keeper embraces the classic formula of young investigators stumbling into ancient horror, yet frames it within a cosmic origin story that stretches beyond local folklore. Director Ford and members of the cast will attend the Glasgow screening for an introduction and post-film Q&A, placing the premiere as ‘one to watch’ on the festival calendar.

Bone Keeper trailer