‘Blockhead’ Proves Indie Horror Can Still Fight Its Way Onto the Big Screen

A blocked novelist, a dangerously unpredictable decorator and one very bad home-improvement decision are heading to cinemas around the UK as Blockhead, Matt Harlock’s darkly comic psychological horror, begins a theatrical tour on 5 November before landing on digital platforms early next year.

The film stars Danny Horn as a struggling writer desperate for inspiration who becomes convinced that his creative breakthrough has arrived in the unlikely form of an unstable decorator, played by Joe Sims. As the novel begins to take shape, the writer’s real life starts collapsing around him, with artistic obsession, violence and delusion becoming increasingly difficult to separate.

Michele Moran also stars in the film, which marks Harlock’s first fiction feature following his award-winning documentary American: The Bill Hicks Story.

Blockhead made its world premiere at FrightFest in 2025 before continuing onto an international festival run that included Encounters Film Festival, Bristol Independent Film Festival and London Independent Film Festival, where it won Best Thriller.

Its next chapter is deliberately taking place in cinemas rather than heading straight to streaming.

The production is pursuing an event-led theatrical model, with selected screenings accompanied by filmmaker discussions, workshops and conversations about the realities of producing and releasing independent cinema. The aim is to turn each date into something more than a conventional screening, particularly for aspiring filmmakers and local creative communities.

Harlock has spent more than a decade building the NoDirectionHome filmmaking community, which has previously brought its members into contact with figures including Mike Leigh, Asif Kapadia, Walter Murch, Ben Wheatley, Alice Lowe and Prano Bailey-Bond. That experience is feeding directly into the Blockhead tour, with the filmmakers using the release to open up the process behind the production.

Confirmed dates currently include Electric Hastings on 5 November, Ritzy Brixton on 10 November, Lewes Depot on 11 November, FACT Liverpool on 14 November, Dukes Komedia Brighton on 25 November and CinemaCity Norwich on 26 November.

The tour then continues to Finsbury Park Picturehouse on 6 December and Curzon Soho on 14 December, before reaching Watershed Bristol on 12 January. Further dates are expected to be announced.

Blockhead begins its UK cinema tour at Electric Hastings on 5 November 2026, with screenings continuing across the country into January. The film will be released on digital platforms through Blue Finch Film Releasing on 4 January 2027, with tickets for the theatrical dates available through participating cinemas now.

Blockhead trailer