FrightFest Glasgow 2024

Pigeon Shrine FrightFest, is a celebrated film festival occurring annually in London and Glasgow. This event orchestrates three significant gatherings yearly: a five-day festival spanning the UK’s late August Bank Holiday weekend, a terrifying Halloween affair in London during late October, and a February/March festival in Glasgow, aligning with the Glasgow Film Festival.

The festival’s inaugural event took place in London in the year 2000, with Glasgow welcoming its first festival in 2006. True to its name, FrightFest predominantly showcases horror films but also extends its repertoire to include documentaries, science fiction, and thrillers, offering a broad spectrum of dark and thrilling cinematic experiences.

Below, our writer Hayley writes about her experience earlier this month at the Prigeon Shrine FrightFest Glasgow.

FrightFest Glasgow 2024

Walking up to FrightFest Glasgow at the Glasgow Film Theatre, you can feel the excitement and the buzz. Horror fans have all gathered to see what’s new in the horror world. This year marks FrightFests’ 19th year in Glasgow, and what a year it has been.

Fans were treated to all different genres including monster movies, psychological, suspenseful and good old fashioned gore. What’s great about FrightFest is there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Glasgow Film Theatre was host to some incredible films over the 3 days, starting with the UK premier of You’ll Never Find Me, an Australian suspenseful horror. Two strangers are isolated in a caravan park, their lives intertwined with unforeseen terror whilst a storm rages on outside.

Day 2 marked the official start of FrightFest and opened with the UK Premier of the French psychological film The Soul Eater. When violent and gruesome deaths start plaguing a small mountain village, an old legend about a malevolent creature resurfaces.
The 2nd feature for the day was the UK Premier of The Deep Dark. Another French flick but this time in the more monster realm. Miners are forced to take a Professor down into the depths of the mines to look for something. What that is they’re not told about of course. After being trapped due to a landslide something ancient is unleashed upon them. The Deep Dark has been described as an ode to H.G Wells.

FrightFest still had more to give to fans that night, in the shape or lack there of The Invisible Raptor, B horror cheesiness in all the best ways possible. The film sees an amusement park Palaeontologist and a hapless security guard team up to stop said raptor from escaping.
The last film of the night was Wake Up, a different take on the slasher genre. It sees a group of youthful activists confront a nightmarish reality within the aisles of a home superstore. The film is a lot about environmental activism meeting primal horror.

Day 3 and last of the festival brought the World Premier of MOM, a mothers descent into postnatal depression and beyond. It’s a psychological horror that’ll leave you wanting to hug the ones you love.
Glasgow was also treated to a Scottish Premier of the The Funeral, which gave a unique look at love and the undead through the journey of a lone hearse driver.

Next up was Custom, a tale of arthouse pornographers entanglement with a mysterious client. And the last film of the day was The Well, a medieval painting restoration beckons an ancient curse.

FrightFest Glasgow also gives festival goers Q&A’s after specific films. It’s a great chance for horror fans to ask the directors, producers, writers and actors questions about the films and the inspiration behind them.

FrightFest is a lot more than a showcase for horror. It’s also a meeting place for like minded people. Being able to talk to people that love horror movies too is always a good thing.