Horror and Cult Favourites Return as Black Sunday Film Festival Tickets Go Live

Tickets are now on sale for the 2026 edition of Black Sunday Film Festival, as the independent genre showcase confirms its full three-day schedule ahead of its return to Firstsite Colchester from Friday 30 January to Sunday 1 February. The festival continues to build its reputation as a key UK platform for boundary-pushing horror, thriller, documentary and cult cinema, pairing feature presentations with a wide-ranging short film programme and filmmaker appearances throughout the weekend.

The 2026 event opens on Friday morning with Lunatic: The Luna Vachon Story, Kate Kroll’s documentary profile of the late WWF women’s wrestling icon, examining both her trailblazing career and personal struggles away from the ring. The opening day continues with What the Tide Dragged In from Patricio Valladares, a story of two sisters whose journey to scatter their mother’s ashes on a remote Chilean beach takes an unsettling turn. Dan Brownlie’s GroupChat follows, exploring the darker implications of online role-playing and digital identity, before Brandon Gotto’s Inferno brings a crime-led mystery shaped by personal trauma and violence. Friday concludes with Stephen Kostanski’s Deathstalker, a modern reworking of sword-and-sorcery traditions that closes the first day on a heightened fantasy note.

Saturday’s programme begins with The Reckoning, directed by Alex Breaux, which centres on family secrets and moral consequence. Houston Bone’s Son of Sara follows, presenting a descent into horror through the experience of a pregnant woman confronted by disturbing visions. The afternoon continues with Deep End, before Traction Park Massacre brings an abandoned water park setting into play for an evening of escalating carnage. The day wraps with Can Evrenol’s The Turkish Coffee Table, a tightly focused story in which a domestic disagreement spirals into chaos.

The final day opens with documentary The Dark Fantastic, directed by LG White, which examines the work and influence of composer Simon Boswell. This is followed by Loner, from Charlie Robb and Douglas Tawn, a story of isolation set against a wilderness backdrop. As tradition dictates, the festival closes with its Cult Film Secret Screening, with the title kept firmly under wraps until showtime.

Across the weekend, most feature screenings will be preceded by curated short films from the UK, Europe and North America, reinforcing the festival’s commitment to emerging voices alongside established talent. With day passes and full festival passes available, Black Sunday Film Festival 2026 once again positions itself as a focused celebration of genre cinema on the big screen.

Don’t delay! Single tickets (£10), day passes (£25) and full festival passes (£75) are available via Firstsite. More information on the films and the wider event can be found at blacksundayff.com/