Spine tingling Sheffield horror film festival, Celluloid Screams, has revealed the line-up for its 16th edition, taking place from 24–27 October 2024 at Showroom Cinema.
With three UK premieres, a brand-new industry day, and a DIY Filmmaking Challenge, this year’s event promises a chilling mix of horror delights for fans and filmmakers alike.
The festival kicks off with the UK premiere of Frankie Freako, a quirky horror comedy by Steven Kostanski. The film follows Conor (Conor Sweeney), a workaholic who finds himself entangled with a peculiar goblin after answering an ad for a party hotline.
Director Kostanski and stars Conor Sweeney, Matthew Kennedy, and Adam Brooks, collectively known as Astron-6, will be present for a post-screening Q&A. They’ll also revisit their cult hit The Editor with a live audio commentary and host a screening of Ghoulies Go to College in a curated slot titled Astron-6 Presents: Cult Movie Mayhem.
The festival will close on Sunday, 27 October, with another UK premiere: Krazy House by Dutch directors Steffen Haars and Flip Van der Kuil. Featuring Nick Frost, the film is a 1990s-set dark comedy about a religious homemaker who must save his family from Russian criminals. Like Frankie Freako, Krazy House encapsulates the festival’s focus on horror comedy this year.
Celluloid Screams will also feature several standout premieres. Cody Kennedy and Tim Rutherford’s The Last Video Store brings nostalgia to life with a cursed VHS tape, while Vivieno Caldinelli’s Scared Shitless sees a plumber and his son face a blood-thirsty creature in an apartment’s pipes. Michael Duignan’s The Paragon centres on a hit-and-run victim’s quest for psychic revenge.
The festival will also host the UK premiere of Grafted, a visceral body horror from New Zealand’s Sasha Rainbow, alongside Fréwaka by Aislinn Clarke, an Irish folk horror exploring the sinister myths of the Na Sídhe.
These will be joined by Argentina’s fiercely political 1978, which portrays political tension through the lens of the Onetti Brothers’ distinctive style, British thriller 7 Keys directed by Joy Wilkinson, and Kazakhstan’s Steppenwolf by Adilkhan Yerzhanov, which follows a woman’s desperate search for her son.
This year, the festival launches its first-ever Industry Day on Thursday, 24 October, featuring panels on film development, distribution, and festival strategy. Director Joanne Mitchell will deliver a keynote on her debut feature, Broken Bird, with free tickets available for industry professionals. Attendees can also join Film Hub North’s regional filmmakers’ mixer to connect with industry peers.
In collaboration with BFI Network and Film Hub North, Celluloid Screams introduces a DIY Film Challenge. The shortlisted films will be showcased on Saturday, 26 October, with the winning filmmaker receiving £1,000, plus mentoring for their next project.
The festival’s tradition of celebrating horror classics continues with anniversary screenings, from Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace (60th anniversary), to Beyond the Grave (50th anniversary), and Bride of Chucky (25th anniversary). Fans can also look forward to the infamous Secret Film, a mystery screening that has previously featured the likes of Barbarian and The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
This year’s short film programme, curated by Polly Allen, highlights emerging genre talent. Notable entries include Eros V’s Meat Puppet, David Yorke’s Nervous Ellie, and Chi Thai’s poignant Lullaby.
For more information, the full programme and tickets, visit Celluloid Screams’ official website https://www.celluloidscreams.com/ or follow their socials. https://www.instagram.com/celluloidscreams/
