Record Number of Premieres Announced for FrightFest 2025 Shorts

FrightFest has announced its most extensive short film line-up to date, with four showcases presenting a record number of premieres at this year’s festival. Screening at the ODEON Luxe West End between 22 and 25 August, the programme spans 29 world premieres alongside international and European debuts, featuring work from nine countries across four continents.

The opening showcase on Friday 22 August begins with Dead Tooth, Romane Eilahtan’s French black comedy in which a dental appointment spirals into chaos. The US supernatural satire Obey! sees a pet influencer confronted by a vengeful spirit, while Jason Sheedy’s occult drama Tapestry follows a desperate mother’s ritual to resurrect her child. Australian short Flowers explores the unexpected effects of a hallucinogenic tea, and Pandora, Inc. introduces a seductive AI in a tale of temptation and risk. Sweden’s V?sen traps two sisters in a farmhouse with a mythical threat, Vowels examines self-doubt in the audition process, Five Star pushes a locksmith to extreme measures, and Murderbird unveils the dark side of an exotic pet.

Saturday morning’s second showcase offers an equally diverse slate. Needleteeth delivers a rural Irish nightmare of slaughtered sheep and creeping hunger. UK short The Man That I Wave At follows a man’s existential quest to identify a familiar stranger. William Willoughby’s My Best Friends turns a simple act of kindness into horror, while Bloodbuzz sets survival against a bug-infested climate breakdown. Ruth Platt’s No One Is Coming to Rescue You explores long-standing revenge, Gilda pits a performer against an occult presence, Inebriated confronts family demons, and You Look So Beautiful questions whether love can be salvation or doom.

Sunday’s third showcase expands the geographical reach. From India, The Leopard (Waagh) captures the panic of a big cat wandering into an urban apartment block. US entry Whitch stages a ritualistic home invasion, Click delves into the unease of a mysterious computer programme, and Australian short DIY exposes a neighbour’s disturbing secret. Thorns uncovers paranoia running skin deep, Cruz (The Kook Cook) follows a murderous surfer, Portuguese piece Pimple unleashes grotesque consequences from a burst blemish, It Loves Me So blends heartbreak with the supernatural, Praying Mantis confronts mercy and power in a remote cabin, and Hammer sets witchcraft against the backdrop of 17th-century Colombia.

The final showcase on Monday features Watch Me Burn, in which a deaf teenager’s new friendships take a dark turn, followed by The Fairy Moon, a roadside encounter that unravels a man’s life. Frame hints at an unseen presence through mysterious photographs, while Ouija Go Out With Me? transforms online dating into a spectral courtship. In Undertone, strange sounds under a house escalate into terror, Homecoming examines suspicion and trust, Don’t Look challenges players of a deadly game to keep their eyes shut, and Grandma Is Thirsty offers a folkloric bargain with unexpected costs.

The sheer variety on display – from intimate psychological tension to elaborate supernatural world-building – underscores FrightFest’s standing as a launchpad for distinctive genre voices. Running from 21 to 25 August at the ODEON Luxe Leicester Square and ODEON Luxe West End, the festival’s short film strand remains a vital space for innovation in horror and beyond.

FrightFest 2025 digital guide

If you want an idea of everything that will be taking place at this year’s event, FrightFest have published their digital guide, which you can read here: FrightFest 2025 digital guide

For the full programme details and tickets, visit: frightfest.co.uk/