Every film having World Premiere at Grimmfest as organisers promise to ‘traumatise’ fans
The UK horror film festival is returning this week with some huge names in attendance
The organisers of one of the UK's most revered horror and sci-fi film festivals have promised those who attend will be left "traumatised" by what they see.
Grimmfest kicks off on October 9 in Manchester and runs until October 12 at the city's ODEON Great Northern. This year boasts a record number of world, UK and international premieres, including a film from the festival's own directors, Simeon Halligan and Rachel Richardson-Jones.
Started back in 2009, the festival is now celebrating its seventeenth edition this year with celebrity guests in attendance including popstar Pixie Lott and film star Dev Patel (Monkey Man, Lion) who stars in the upcoming release Rabbit Trap. There will be 22 feature films shown across the event in total over the four days.
Discussing the upcoming event, Grimmfest director Simeon Halligan and lead film programmer Steve Balshaw told the Mirror: "This year we are opening with the World Premiere of our very own movie, the psychological mystery thriller Past Life, directed and produced by our festival directors, Simeon Halligan and Rachel Richardson-Jones respectively.
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"Set and shot in our home city of Manchester, and starring Jeremy Piven (Mr. Selfridge, Entourage), Tim McInnerny (Blackadder), and Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk, Time Stalker). So that is both exciting and more than a little nerve-wracking."
Which films are having their World Premiere at Grimmfest?
- Past Life
- Lily's Ritual
- Syphon
- The Driftless
Halligan and Balshaw continued: "Every film at the festival is a premiere of one kind or another, with half a dozen International Premieres, several European Premieres and the rest either UK or Regional. Plus we've three themed programmes of shorts that we cannot wait to traumatise our audience with.
"This year we have more guest filmmakers and stars than ever joining us for the screenings, from Europe, the States, Canada, and even as far afield as Japan, and we are excited to be presenting their work, and giving them the chance to network and interact with our audience.
"But this year, just like any other year, we are most excited about the event itself; about seeing all of the hard work, long hours, and sleepless nights that go into creating the festival finally reach fruition."
Grimmfest runs from October 9 to October 12. For more details about the event and the full film line-up, visit the festival website.