Horror, Fantasy and Cult Cinema Collide at Black Sunday Film Festival 2026

Christmas has come early as Black Sunday Film Festival has revealed the full programme for its 2026 edition, confirming a return to Firstsite Colchester for a three-day celebration of independent genre cinema that runs from Friday 30 January. The annual event continues to position itself as a showcase for boundary-pushing work across horror, thriller, fantasy, documentary and cult cinema, with filmmaker Q&As, short film showcases and the festival’s long-running Cult Film Secret Screening once again forming part of the schedule.

The festival opens with the UK premiere of Lunatic: The Luna Vachon Story, a documentary presented by Raven Banner and directed by Kate Kroll. The film charts the life and legacy of the late WWF women’s wrestling icon Luna Vachon, exploring her impact inside the ring alongside her struggles with mental health, addiction and identity away from the spotlight. Opening night continues with the UK premiere of What the Tide Dragged In from writer-director Patricio Valladares, an atmospheric story of isolation in which buried secrets begin to surface with destructive consequences.

Also screening on Friday is GroupChat, a UK premiere from writer-director Dan Brownlie and producer Mel Morley that examines the darker edges of online culture and the real-world repercussions of digital paranoia. Belgium’s Inferno, directed by Brandon Gotto, makes its UK debut with a story rooted in elemental catastrophe and personal reckoning, before the day closes with the Essex premiere of Deathstalker from Steven Kostanski, a modern reworking of fantasy action traditions filled with magic, monsters and shifting allegiances.

Saturday opens with the Essex premiere of The Reckoning, directed by Alex Breaux and written, produced and led by Michael Weaver, a thriller centred on moral confrontation and the cost of revenge. The UK premiere of Son of Sara, written and directed by Houston Bone and starring Chloe Van Landschoot and Tymika Tafari, follows with a more intimate approach to horror that focuses on family legacy and inherited trauma. Also debuting in the UK is Los Ahogados (Deep End) from Juan Sebastián Jácome and Victor Mares, a surreal exploration of identity and consequence. Saturday night escalates with Traction Park Massacre, a UK premiere set in an abandoned amusement park, before concluding with the Essex premiere of Can Evrenol’s The Turkish Coffee Table.

The final day begins with the Essex premiere of The Dark Fantastic, a documentary by LG White examining the career of composer Simon Boswell. This is followed by Loner, directed by Charlie Robb and Douglas Tawn, with Robb also writing and starring in a study of isolation and human connection. The festival closes with the Cult Film Secret Screening, presented by Arrow Video, before an afterparty brings filmmakers and audiences together to mark the end of the weekend.

Alongside features, Black Sunday will present an extensive programme of international genre short films, with selections from the UK, Europe and North America. UK-made shorts include Border by Dominic Ross, The Bait from director Sabrina Rivetti and writer Georgia Crowther, Bloodbuzz by Daisy Bata, A Drive at Dawn by Joe D’Ovidio, A Screen in a Room by Sean Sears, Surprise! by Dave Gardner, and Undertone by Shaun Munro.

The European selection features Dormant from Dutch filmmaker Niels Bourgonje and Hearts of Stone by Belgium’s Tom Van Avermaet, while North American shorts include And They Shall Handle Serpents directed by Stuart Valberg and written by Jason Tostevin, Bangs from writer-director Nancy Webb with Emelia Hellman, Did You Know There’s a Black Hole in Your Refrigerator? by Joseph McMurray and Leonard Farr, and A Good Death by Kaz Ps.

 Tickets, day passes and full festival passes go on sale Tuesday 30 December. Sponsors for the 2026 edition include Arrow Video, Raven Banner Entertainment and… excitingly… Love Horror!

We’ll be share all news as it comes. Don’t forget to get in early with your tickets and passes from blacksundayff.com and you can follow the festival on X and Instagram @blacksunday_ff.