This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labour of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movies being covered here wouldn't exist.
Now in its sixth year, Soho Horror Film Festival is set to take Brixton's Whirled Cinema in November with a mix of terrifyingly brilliant horror offerings covering ‘an eclectic mix of horror, suspense, LGBTQ+, thriller, dark fantasy, sci-fi and the most pitch black of comedy, diligently harvested from all corners of the globe.' Following the in-person South London event, Soho brings a four-day-long ‘online home invasion' of screenings and special events for horror fans across the UK and beyond, titled Sohome Horror Film Festival.
With more than 30 features and 50 short films to enjoy, the festival is set to be one horror fans will not want to miss as it kicks off with the international premiere of THE HYPERBOREAN, a Canadian ice mummy movie from the director of Cult Hero and Pontypool writer Jesse Thomas Cook.
Isti Madarász's mortuary romance HALFWAY HOME, TIFF favourite FIXATION, and the UK Premiere of HIPPO are also among this year's programme. For fans of body horror, Mary Dauterman's BOOGER and Anthony Cousins' FROGMAN will have their European premieres across the weekend.
Upholding the festival's keystone of platforming LBGBTQ+ horror, is the centrepiece film, the International Premiere of SAINT DROGO from the creators of cult horror Death Drop Gorgeous. Gore hounds are sure to be in for a treat with the likes of Aimee Kuge's redemptive CANNIBAL MUKBANG, Caye Casas' shocking THE COFFEE TABLE, and the UK premiere of Adam Mason's supernatural slasher BABY BLUE.
‘Satanic Panic' will be the focus of the showpiece gala for this year's festival, opening with a special preview of the documentary SATAN WANTS YOU which follows ‘the untold story of the eighties moral panic.' Also on the line-up is Australian horror GODLESS: THE EASTFIELD EXORCISM and the English premiere of ONYX THE FORTUITOUS AND THE TALISMAN OF SOULS before the in-person festival line-up is closed by cult crime horror ONLY THE GOOD SURVIVE.
The gala continues into the virtual festival which opens with the international premiere of Alice Maio Mackay's SATRANIC PANIC, with her alien parasite feature T BLOCKERS also being screened. Following the success of Australian horror smash hit Talk To Me, Sohome will host a summit on the genre featuring Sam Curtain's BEATEN TO DEATH, creature feature SUBJECT, an Antipodean short film showcase, and a roundtable discussion of the history and importance of Australian horror.
Sohome will also see screenings of Zach Passero's THE WEIRD KIDZ, supernatural cult thriller ELDRITCH USA, and the apocalyptic THE LAST MOVIE EVER MADE. serial killer flick TEARSUCKER, Patricio Valadres' INVOKING YELL, bizarre puppet nightmare ABRUPTIO, and mental marionette movie CAROUSEHELL 3 will be featured in the virtual programme alongside the international premiere of Terence Krey's SUMMONERS. Zachary Burns' HELL HATH NO FURY and Cassie Keet's SCREAM THERAPY feature before the festival will be closed by festive horror SANTASTEIN.
Soho Horror Festival will also collaborate with Ghouls Magazine with the publication presenting its first curated film programme, Ghoulsbump, while Drunken Horror Podcast will host a 25th anniversary celebration of the 1988 sci-fi classic Disturbing Behaviour.
Soho Horror Film Festival will run from November 24 to 26. SoHome Horror Film Festival will run from November 30 to December 3. Full details of the films and ticket information can be found online.
