Five FrightFest Facts with James Pickering and Richard Galloway from ‘He Kills at Night’

Christmas is often a time for cosy traditions, family gatherings and familiar comforts — but He Kills at Night offers something far darker beneath the seasonal snow. Written by James Pickering and directed by his brother Tom, the film unfolds almost in real time on Christmas Eve, following a mother desperate to return home who finds herself abducted by a blood-soaked stranger. What begins as a chilling roadside encounter spirals into a tense, twist-laden thriller across the wintry English countryside, where nothing is quite as it seems and survival itself becomes a deadly gamble.

At the heart of the film are James’s sharp writing and Richard Galloway’s unnerving turn as Alan, the mysterious drifter whose sudden intrusion derails one woman’s holiday journey. With its blend of slasher menace and noir atmosphere, He Kills at Night taps into the fear of the unknown lurking on quiet roads and the fragility of safety during the moments we let our guard down. The film also continues the Pickerings’ commitment to genre storytelling, following James’s award-winning debut and documentary success, while marking another step in their growing presence on the horror and thriller scene.

In this Five FrightFest Facts interview, James and Richard discuss their influences and creative paths into filmmaking, from growing up on a steady diet of cult horror to treading the boards in Northern Ireland. They also share their dream festival screenings, the horror awards they’d love to see recognised, and even the frighteningly strange movies their own lives might inspire.

James Pickering, writer and Richard Galloway, actor

1. Tell us about your film

James: He Kills at Night is part slasher, part noir, taking place on Christmas Eve across a snow drenched English countryside. The film takes place almost in real time and follows a mother (Levi Heaton) trying to get home to her estranged family, when a blood-soaked stranger (Richard Galloway) forces her off the road, and demands she helps him get out of the country.

Richard: HKAN (He Kills At Night) is a Christmas thriller, full of twists and turns!

2. How did you get into making movies?

Richard: I started acting (the age-old story) when I was a pup back in Ballymena N.I. where I toured shows, and I was hooked from the get go.  My love of cinema started from a very young age, so I always knew I’d end up telling stories in some capacity.

James: I wanted to be a writer ever since I wrote my own X-Files episode back when I was 10 years old in the mid 90’s. I had quite liberal parents, and I think it was just easier for them to let me and my brother (Tom Pickering, director of He Kills at Night) just watch the movies they rented with them. They typically rented horrors, thrillers and action stuff too, so Tom and I were raised on genre cinema. I remember when I was a bit older my dad brought Dog Soldiers home, and I absolutely loved it and showed it to everyone. In a pretty surreal turn of events, the Dog Soldiers producer (Tom Reeve) has just produced my latest feature Dead Howling (a werewolf/zombie creature feature set in Australia). That was definitely a pinch me moment.

3. What films would you love to see screened at FrightFest and why?

James: My favourite director is John Carpenter, so I’d love a bonus all-nighter with Assault on Precinct 13, The Fog, The Thing and Christine. If he could also be in attendance to introduce them, I’d try persuading him to get back in the director’s chair one last time too. It’s been far too long.

Richard: I’d love an Alfred Hitchcock marathon, or some classic Hammer.

4. If you could create your own award to give at FrightFest, what would it be and why?

Richard: I think an award for best location. The location tells so much of the story in horror movies. Finding the perfect location is an art in itself!

James: It would probably be called the ‘What the fuck just happened!’ award. It would be pretty broad and given for things like jump scares, great twists, preposterous beats and wacky gore. All the things us genre fans love!

5. If your life was made into a horror film, what would it be called and who would play the starring role?

James: My time these days is spent raising my son Memphis and writing horror movies. As a result, I’ve pretty much given up on sleeping, so maybe I’d call it I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, and I can die in act three and return as a zombie and go after all the development heads that passed on my scripts. Luckily for Hollywood movie stars none of them look like me, so it’s maybe a job for Andy Serkis in his motion capture suit!

Richard: Something psychedelic- in the tone of Requiem for a Dream – and something folksy hitting the heritage front… Title idea : Down the Hole and Back again – Actor: Robin WILLIAMS.

He Kills at Night trailer