Romford Horror Festival Welcomes ‘Black Chariot’ and ‘Mr. Whispers’

Two new British horror features are heading to the big screen this month as Black Chariot and Mr. Whispers secure festival screenings at the Romford Horror Film Festival, continuing the event’s focus on distinctive independent work that places atmosphere and character at the forefront.

Written and directed by Lawrie Brewster, Black Chariot represents a stripped-back approach to suspense, foregrounding performance and mood over spectacle. The film marks a conscious pivot toward classical storytelling influences, drawing from film noir and mid-century mystery thrillers while maintaining a contemporary sensibility rooted in psychological unease. The result is a tightly focused work that unfolds with deliberate restraint, allowing tension to accumulate through character interaction and visual composition rather than overt shocks.

The film features performances from Laurence R. Harvey, Megan Tremethick, Novarro Ramon, Dorian Todd and Sam McMillan, with supporting roles from Nick Ford, Richard Pate, Liv Southard and Peter F. Mahoney. It also signals a shift in emphasis for British Horror Studio, reflecting a renewed engagement with the traditions of classic cinema while retaining the independent ethos that has defined the company’s output in recent years. Black Chariot will screen on Sunday 22 February at 6.50 pm, followed by an on-stage discussion with Brewster and members of the cast and crew.

Earlier that afternoon, audiences will have the chance to see Mr. Whispers, a found footage feature that approaches horror through suggestion, texture and gradual revelation. Set in the mid-1990s, the film adopts a deliberately worn VHS aesthetic, situating its story within a period defined by analogue media and urban folklore. The plot follows a group of student investigators drawn to an abandoned cinema while researching a series of historical child disappearances, only for their enquiry to spiral into increasingly disturbing territory.

Directed by Dorian Todd, Oliver Revie and Seumas MacNeil, Mr. Whispers is the debut horror feature from The B-Team Studio, run by Paul William Kelly and Megan Tremethick, with support from British Horror Studio. Tremethick also leads the cast alongside Novarro Ramon, Dorian Todd, Sam McMillan and Stephen Corrall. The film will screen at 4.20 pm on Sunday 22 February, with Todd and Revie introducing the screening and taking part in a post-film Q and A.

Together, Black Chariot and Mr. Whispers illustrate two markedly different creative approaches within contemporary British horror. One looks back to classical suspense frameworks, the other embraces the raw immediacy of found footage, yet both are united by a commitment to tone, restraint and psychological pressure.  The films will join another of Tremethick and Brewster’s projects at the festival, with Spoiling You screening at 7 pm on Saturday.

For more information and tickets, visit: romfordhorrorfestival.com/