‘Bad Karaoke’ Brings Deadly Singalong Mayhem to FrightFest

Everyone has endured an awkward karaoke performance. Bad Karaoke simply imagines what might happen if singing off-key became a matter of life and death. The horror-comedy from first-time feature directors Chris Lightbody and Robert J. Steinmiller Jr. is heading to Tubi FrightFest for its world premiere on 30 August, bringing a possessed karaoke machine, plenty of dark humour and a mounting body count to London’s biggest genre festival.

Screening at 8.55pm in the ODEON Luxe West End Discovery Screen 2, Bad Karaoke follows wedding band keyboardist Emily, who stumbles across an old karaoke machine tucked away in the back of a dive bar. Expecting an evening of drinks and music with her fellow band members, she instead unleashes a supernatural force with a deadly appetite.

According to the official synopsis, every performance comes with fatal consequences. After one singer survives thanks to an exceptional rendition, the group believes it has discovered the machine’s rules and a possible route to survival. That confidence proves short-lived as more victims fall and the arrival of a mysterious stranger suggests the cursed machine has claimed lives long before this night’s performance.

Lexi Underwood, known for Little Fires Everywhere and Cruel Summer, stars alongside Case Walker, whose recent credits include The Other Two and the Monster High films. Recording artist and actor Kat Cunning also features, with Jenna Karan completing the central group of reluctant performers.

For Lightbody and Steinmiller, the film marks their feature directorial debut after years working across music, television and film production. Alongside co-writer and producer Spencer Yaras, the pair have built careers spanning projects as varied as Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, Step Up 3D and the recent musical remake of Mean Girls. In 2023, Lightbody and Yaras also collaborated on the festival award-winning mockumentary Bootyology.

Announcing the premiere, the filmmakers offered a tongue-in-cheek explanation for the project’s origins.
‘We were inspired to make this film after years of painful karaoke performances nearly put us in an early grave. We found that many people have had near-death karaoke experiences and we wanted to play with that idea, as well as say something profound about the state of new music. But instead, we made Bad Karaoke.’

Following its festival launch, Bad Karaoke will not remain exclusive to FrightFest audiences for long. The film is scheduled for a Digital, Blu-ray and DVD release through Lightbulb Film Distribution on 7 September.

Bad Karaoke receives its world premiere at Tubi FrightFest on Sunday, 30 August 2026, screening at 8.55pm in the ODEON Luxe West End Discovery Screen 2. It will then be released on Digital, DVD and Blu-ray from 7 September 2026.

Bad Karaoke trailer