BHFF | 2021
Online | November 26th - December 3rd
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It's The British Horror Film Festival's twelfth year and we have an amazing and horrific line up!
There are a number of awards up for grabs at the Festival, including the prestigious British Horror Award for Achievement in Film on a Low Budget and our new
Rising Star Award for upcoming talent in the industry.
Participating films were screened online from the 26th of November through the
3rd of December.
The Official Selection
The Blood List
The Film Festival Guild Blood List is for screenplays of outstanding quality.
These pieces are up for both the title of Best Screenplay as well as
four Runners-Up positions. Nominations coming soon!
Winners will be announced the week of December 6th.
Feature Films
Masking Threshold
(91m)
Director: Johannes Grenzfurthner
Writers: Johannes Grenzfurthner & Samantha Lienhard
Producers: Günther Friesinger, Julianne Gabert, Jasmin Hagendorfer & Johannes Grenzfurthner
Cast: Ethan Haslam, Johannes Grenzfurthner & Katharina Rose
Conducting a series of experiments in his makeshift home-lab, a skeptic IT worker tries to cure his harrowing hearing impairment. But where will his research lead him?
Masking Threshold combines a chamber play, a scientific procedural, an unpacking video, and a DIY YouTube channel while suggesting endless vistas of existential pain and decay. Glimpse the world of the nameless protagonist in this eldritch tale, which is by no means for the faint of heart.
The Jack in the Box: Awakening
(93m)
Director & Writer: Lawrence Fowler
Producers: Lawrence Fowler & Geoff Fowler
Cast: Matt McClure, James Swanton & Mollie Hindle
When dying Olga Marsdale acquires a mysterious box containing a captured demon, the powerful entity within is soon unleashed as part of a deadly deal; claim six victims and the demon will rid her of her illness. With the help of her devoted son Edgar, can they trap enough unsuspecting victims on their estate before it's too late, or will someone find a way out of the Manor gates alive?
Short Films
AXIS - Larwood & Koh
(Luke Dale, 3m)
As Larwood experiments on his lethal creation, a malevolent, impending force approaches from the bowels of the dungeon. But can his deadly warrior creation rescue him from the evil shadow dweller?
Believe
(Peter Stead, 14m)
A collection of Sean’s last recordings document him as he tries, increasingly desperately, to prove that his flat is not haunted.
Cannibalism
(Diego R. Aballe, 14m)
Adaptation of a text by the galician playwright Marcos Abalde, Cannibalism takes us to a cold night in Galicia, where two men drive around in their car until they find a beggar sleeping in an abandoned ATM. A thriller about human nature, the hatred of the unknown, moral judgments and immoral certainties.
Crossing
(Ruslan Bosenko, 20m)
Desparate father who is struggling to find his daughter’s killer meeting a stranger asking for help at the river's bank. This encounter turns to be a fatal one for both men.
Dead End Drive
(Alexander Yellen, 15m)
During the zombie apocalypse, one survivor finds a dead end that will hopefully lead him to salvation.
Don't Answer
(Artturi Olavi Rostén
& Sara Nieminen, 8m)
Every road heads towards an end.
Echoes
(Zak Harney, 3m)
A woman wanders home after a night out and turns down an ominous tunnel. It's here where soon loses any connection to the outside world and starts to hear voices echoing around her.
EJE (Blood)
(Fabian Adeoye Lojede, 15m)
Lara, an unemployed young lady, responds to an online ad for a babysitter. To her surprise, she gets the job with just a phone interview and no reference checks.
Evolutionary
(Oliver Crawford, 15m)
The year is 2048, A military-led government 'Hunter' unit is sent out to track down and eliminate an alien being, but very soon they realise all isn't what it seems.
Familiar
(David J. Ellison, 10m)
It is 1942, in the dark woods of Pennsylvania, Richard Mason is the Familiar to a hideous ancient vampiric creature living in the bowels of an isolated mansion.
Every day he must bring a new victim for it to feed on and tolerate its physical and mental abuse.
First Time
(Euan Foulis, 3m)
A young woman panics after getting revenge on her abusive boyfriend.
Flesh and Blood
(Brian Ivie, 6m)
A young woman investigates her mother's life after she dies in a mental asylum.
Griffica
(C.J. Arellano, 12m)
A man suspects his boyfriend is a demon
Haunted
(Robin DUC, 4m)
A guns lover recounts his last hunt party...
Hunger
(Carlos Meléndez, 15m)
A child is being tormented by a voracious well demanding food from him. But as he proves unable to satisfy its hunger, he drags himself to find another way of feeding it.
Iris
(Tomás García & Ezequiel Degastaldi Ciccone, 25m)
iRIS, the most recent update to the most advanced operating system in the world, enters Pablo's life when he updates his smartphone. Based on artificial intelligence, it learns from its social milieu and its interaction with humans. It has been created to make our life easier and help us on a day-to-day basis?but what if iRIS has other plans?
It's Bedtime
(Sadjad Frogh, 3m)
Every evening Thomas is read from his favorite children's book. Although he knows the story and always made him happy, the same story has made him anxious the recent days.
Koreatown Ghost Story
(Minsun Park &
Teddy Tenenbaum, 15m)
In this supernatural horror tale based on a Korean ritual starring Margaret Cho and Lyrica Okano, a woman entertains a macabre marriage offer that would let her pursue her dreams, for better or for much much worse.
Long Pig
(Riccardo Suriano, 9m)
A major metropolitan city struggles to keep it together in the wake of a string of kidnappings in the area. Could the possible abductor be hiding in plain sight? Long Pig peeks into the unconventional dark side of humanity. Evil doesn’t have to follow a specific set of rules and it certainly doesn’t take into account the existence of others. It’s lurking in every corner.
My Castle, My Home
(José Mira, 15m)
Guilherme is tormented by his tennis coach and some creatures with racket hands. They chase him through the corridors of his house, which has metamorphosed into a labyrinth. On the run, Guilherme looks for his mother because she is the only one who can put an end to his torment.
My Dead Husband
(Blake Ridder, 15m)
A woman is being haunted by her dead husband. She must find a way to face her fear.
Nevermore
(Sheida Sheikhha, 7m)
After the accidental death of her 4 year old son, a mother battles with her inner fears and demons as she come to terms with the fact that her older son is responsible for this tragedy.
No Game Like Foxes
(Raphael Arkera, 12m)
A man finds himself being stalked by a relentless killer, in a deadly game where humans are hunted for sport.
Odds
(A. D. Cooper, 3m)
A man lost in a landscape accepts a lift from a stranger.
Once Familiar
(Rubén González, 11m)
A girl awakens in the middle of an unknown forest. Seeking a way out, she begins to follow someone in the distance only to discover they are her mirror image.
Panic
(Alexander Weber &
Victor Jim Moye-Noza, 4m)
Always on the run, trying to keep going in search for the next place to be - that's what Aver and Andy call life. While a glowing pill promises Aver a way to find joy, it lures her to a point where she cannot resist. Is Aver's need to continue being on the run a burden she must fight for or has the illusion of an easy life blinded her?
Perfect Match
(Marc Schießer, 5m)
A young woman's tinder feed leads her to a horrific encounter.
Peter the Penguin
(Andrew Rutter, 9m)
Nigel is on his way to meet his partner's daughter Emily for the first time. With high expectations in tow, he's hoping to make a great impression.
Serial Dating
(Eric C Castro, 12m)
Serial Dater Kyle uses the same online apps we all do. Things start innocent and honest. Kyle's manipulative text and social media stalking, creates a uncomfortable experience as we the audience, recognize our most innoculous and positive interactions used against us.
The week ends in sex, but that isnt enough. Things take a dark turn, intentionally leaving his dates with the possibility of a STD, and the audience scared to swipe right
She and the Darkness
(Daniel Romero, 13m)
A cleaner suffers a deep depression after the death of her daughter. On one of her night runs to fight insomnia, she feels someone is watching her from the darkness of an alley.
Sleepaway -
the Wildhearts
(Justin Griffiths, 5m)
Dingy kitchen. Yellowy light. Two bad men are sat at the table. Gambling. An old man, with disfigured face and a milky blind eye, and a younger man, clearly filled with hate for his opponent.
Tempers will fly, blood will be spilled...
"Sleepaway" is a gory horror flick. Not for the feint-hearted. The story tips its hat to "The Telltale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe, and was commissioned by the band as "make us an unpleasant video please"
Smiles
(Javier Chavanel, 13m)
Borja is about to meet his girlfriend´s parents. This is meant to be a tricky moment and even awkward. However, he hasn´t even imagined what he´s going to suffer next. The best way to overcome the situation: to give smile and wait.
Survivors
(Harry Kirby &
George Kirby, 7m)
When the unexpected side effect of a trial cancer treatment brings about the apocalypse, a group of young friends must use their martial arts skills to survive the infected hordes.
Tekenchu
(Carlos Matienzo Serment, 9m)
Rafael, a seriously injured man, falls into the darkness of the Tlalpujahua forest, is found by Teresa and her sister Dolores who take care of him, until they discover his dark past and return him to the forest but now at the mercy of Tekenchu.
The Bottom
(Morgan Ruaidhrí O'Sullivan
& James Kautz, 9m)
At the edge of a mysterious lake, a reckoning between friends becomes a fight for life - as one man’s mind games threatens the other’s grip on reality.
The Corridor
(James Mansell, 5m)
An endless corridor of locked doors holds a man prisoner as his mind begins to disintegrate.
The Deluge
(Daniel Booth, 15m)
After being turfed out of their bunker, Sarah does everything she can to get her pregnant daughter, Lilly to the safety of another underground settlement. If the brutal wilderness wasn't a challenge enough, the imminent threat of a huge creature is.
The Gloom
(Dani Viqueira, 14m)
Laura studies for the opposition of her medical specialty. You don't have time for your husband's hypochondria. Nor for his children's fights. But when everything goes dark and Laura enters the gloom, time is all she will have.
The Lake Parasite
(Joe Reilly, 15m)
Toxic waste runoff from a luxury resort creates a lake monster which wreaks havoc on the exclusive resort town.
The Nick
(Robert Smellin, 5m)
Our protagonist, The Character, finds themselves in a death struggle with a wicked and evil part of their own body.
The Nicky Nack
(Tom Oxenham, 6m)
Horror-comedy short based on an improbable pub tale from the North East of England. A man walking home from his local one night is tormented by a terrifying sound: The Nicky Nack. Starring Alun Armstrong.
The Sky Below
(Charlie Rose, 10m)
After unintentionally unleashing an ancient horror, a timid, hungry cave dweller's only hope is his greatest fear– the surface.
You will never be back
(Mónica Mateo, 14m)
Ana and David say goodbye like any other day. The young lady has plans, but she won't be late. However, something extraordinary happens; something that alters her reality and changes everything completely.
The Awards
2021
Best Feature Film
*Masking Threshold*
Best Short Film
Believe
Don't Answer
Evolutionary
Familiar
Flesh and Blood
Griffica
Haunted
Hunger
It's Bedtime
*Koreatown Ghost Story*
My Dead Husband
Odds
Panic
Perfect Match
Peter the Penguin
Serial Dating
She and the Darkness
Tekenchu
The Bottom
The Corridor
The Deluge
The Lake Parasite
The Nicky Nack
Best Music Video
*Panic*
Best Director
*Andrew Rutter (Peter the Penguin)*
Marc Schießer (Perfect Match)
Tom Oxenham (The Nicky Nack)
Best Cinematography
Don't Answer
Griffica
*She and the Darkness*
Best Sound Design
Familiar
Masking Threshold
*The Nicky Nack*
Best Actor
Chris Butler (Peter the Penguin)
*James Kautz (The Bottom)*
Romain Francisco (Haunted)
Best Actress
*Beatriz Arjona (She and the Darkness)*
Elizabeth Stretton (Odds)
Margaret Cho (Koreatown Ghost Story)
Best Supporting Actor
Jack Blakey (Odds)
*Peter Terry (Peter the Penguin)*
Ulyses Espinoza (Griffica)
Best Supporting Actress
Alex Kapila (Peter the Penguin)
Betty Denville (The Deluge)
*Lyrica Okano (Koreatown Ghost Story)*
British Horror Award
(best achievement on a low budget)
Evolutionary
Peter the Penguin
*The Deluge*
Rising Star Award
*C.J. Arellano (Director of Griffica)*
Carlos Meléndez (Director of Hunger)
Johannes Grenzfurthner (Director of Masking Threshold)
Best Screenplay
Affordable Housing (written by Wi-Moto Nyoka)
Bitter Harvest (written by John Munn)
MOTEL (written by Jerry Sampson)
*Terror London (written by Terry Clark)*
The Onslaught (written by Oscar Barby & Gemma Esau)
.