‘Crawlers’ Unleashes a Deadly Spider Invasion at Grimmfest

Arachnophobia is about to get a workout in Manchester. Crawlers, Ángel Gómez Hernández’s new creature horror starring Matilda Lutz, will screen at Grimmfest next week, bringing a quarantined apartment block, a rapidly multiplying spider infestation and a particularly bad day for one building manager to Odeon Great Northern.

The film plays at 7.15pm on Saturday 10 October, with a filmmaker Q&A set to follow. Its Grimmfest appearance comes before the wider UK theatrical release, with Signature Entertainment bringing Crawlers to cinemas from 30 October.

Lutz stars as Serena, the overworked manager of the Paradiso Palms apartment complex. When a mysterious death raises fears of a viral outbreak, the building is placed under quarantine, but the real threat soon reveals itself to be far more immediate. Venomous spiders are spreading through the property, leaving residents trapped inside as the infestation grows.

Serena’s intimate knowledge of the building quickly becomes one of the residents’ best chances of survival, although the crisis forces her to confront her own fear of spiders while dealing with the consequences of years of neglect around the property.

Grimmfest has positioned the film as an old-school creature feature with a comic edge, praising its enclosed setting, pace and social commentary alongside the spider-driven set pieces. The festival also highlights the dynamic between Serena and her cynical English friend, with the script using the apartment block’s failing infrastructure and exploitative landlord as additional pressure points once the building is sealed off.

Directed by Gómez Hernández from a screenplay by Jayson Rothwell, Crawlers also stars Gregg Sulkin, William Miller and Melina Matthews.

The project began production under the title Arachnid, with principal photography taking place in Portugal over five weeks during summer 2024. The film marks the first production from Badlands, the collaboration between Scott Strauss and Thunder Road Films producers Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee. Rothwell, Alexandra Milchan and Peter Welter are also among the producing team.

For Lutz, the film continues a run of physically demanding genre roles following Revenge, while Gómez Hernández returns to creature-driven horror after building his reputation in Spanish genre cinema.

The Grimmfest screening also falls within a wider October festival run for Crawlers, ahead of its US cinema release through Roadside Attractions and Saban Films on 16 October and its subsequent UK opening later in the month.

Don’t miss your chance to see Crawlers when it screens at Grimmfest 2026 at Odeon Great Northern, Manchester, on Saturday 10 October at 7.15pm, followed by a filmmaker Q&A. Signature Entertainment releases the film in UK cinemas from 30 October 2026. For Grimmfest tickets and info, visit: grimmfest.com/

Crawlers trailer