‘Good Boy’ Rounds Out Manchester’s Grimmfest 2025 Schedule

Grimmfest has revealed its final feature film addition for this year’s programme, with Ben Leonberg’s Good Boy announced as the surprise title. The film, which reimagines a haunted house story through the perspective of a loyal dog, joins the already extensive line-up of premieres and international highlights set to screen across the festival’s four days in Manchester from 9 to 12 October.

Good Boy, which has drawn attention on the festival circuit for its unusual point of view, sees a canine protagonist defending his owner against malevolent forces that occupy their home. Leonberg’s film is positioned alongside an eclectic programme that mixes world premieres with rediscovered talent, international works, and regional showcases.

Among the world premieres are Past Life, directed by festival organisers Simeon Halligan and Rachel Richardson-Jones, featuring Jeremy Piven, Pixie Lott, Aneurin Barnard and Tim McInnerny in a thriller centred on regression therapy and repressed memory; Syphon, Tom Botchii’s brutal hacker revenge story; Manu Herrera’s witchcraft-themed Lily’s Ritual; and anthology feature The Driftless by Tim Connery, which draws on Midwestern folklore.

International premieres include Remington Smith’s vampire thriller Landlord, Jacob Lees Johnson’s psychedelic I See the Demon, Dan Asma’s cosmic horror Tribe, Gille Klabin’s apocalyptic comedy Weekend at the End of the World, Sergio Pinheiro’s allegorical Wormtown, Bari Kang’s siege horror Itch!, and Kenichi Ugana’s surreal splatter satire Incomplete Chairs.

European premieres comprise Jordana Stott’s post-apocalyptic Western Forgive Us All and Pierre Tsigaridis’ industry-focused Frankie, Maniac Woman. UK premieres include Abel Ferry’s Squealers, Paul Etheredge’s The Other, Kiah Roache-Turner’s shark survival thriller Beast of War and Emilio Portes’ dark comedy Don’t Leave the Kids Alone.

Northern premieres bring regional attention to Bryn Chainey’s folk horror Rabbit Trap starring Dev Patel and Rosy McEwen, Daniel M. Caneiro’s twisted Christmas comedy Deviant, Dawid Torrone’s giallo-inspired Dead by Dawn and Jake Myers’ satirical Kombucha.

Alongside the feature slate, Grimmfest will present three themed short film programmes. Family Values explores the darker side of blood ties, Awkward tackles social discomfort and fractured friendships, while The Crawling Chaos delves into cosmic entities and distorted realities. With more international and UK short premieres than in any previous year, the expanded shorts section underscores the festival’s ongoing commitment to new and diverse voices.

Grimmfest 2025 will run at the Odeon Great Northern in Manchester, with Good Boy rounding out a programme that showcases 21 feature films across multiple premiere categories. For more information and tickets, visit: grimmfest.com/