The full line-up for the festival has now been announced:
THURSDAY 13 OCTOBER
7.30PM:
Wolf Manor
Dir: Dominic Brunt (UK) 85m 2022
Cast: James Fleet, Thalia Zucchi, Rupert Procter
"The crew of a low-budget vampire film finds the production violently interrupted – by a resident werewolf! Inventive fun from the prolific Brunt – whose indie, DIY filmmaking ethos underpins a deep love of the genre."
10PM:
Dark Glasses
Dir: Dario Argento (Italy/France) 86m 2022 [Subtitled]
Cast: Ilenia Pastorelli, Andrea Zhang, Asia Argento
"A chance to see the latest film from the maestro of horror (and first after a decade) on the big screen. Ilenia Pastorelli (Jeeg Robot) plays a sex worker, blinded in an accident that leaves her responsible for an orphaned Chinese boy - they team up to survive the serial killer hunting them down. This is a lean, mean, stripped-back giallo with a pounding electronic score from Arnaud Rebotini" FRIDAY 14 OCTOBER
3PM:
The Appointment
Dir: Lindsey C Vickers (UK) 89m 1981
Cast: Edward Woodward, Samantha Weysom
"Lindsey C. Vickers' much sought-after supernatural shocker was something of a lost film and a one-off, but now it has returned to much-deserved cult status. Haunted by prophetic nightmares, a businessman leaves his wife and daughter for a work trip. A journey that means he may lose much more than his grip on reality"
5PM:
Birdemic 3: Sea Eagle - UK PREMIERE
Dir: James Nguyen (USA) 83m 2022
Cast: Julia Culbert, Ryan Lord, Alan Bagh
"The cultiest example of cult cinema has returned! Get those coat hangers at the ready – the explosive dive-bombing birds are back and this time, they're sea eagles. Plus, there's an important message about global warming subtly explored in Nguyen's return to the film franchise that made his name - and found ecstatic support at previous special Mayhem screenings. For fans of The Room, deadpan humour, and long (very long) walks on the beach"
7.45PM:
Incredible But True
Dir: Quentin Dupieux (France) 74m 2022 [Subtitled]
Cast: Alain Chabat, Lea Drucker, Benoit Magimel, Anais Demoustier
"Alain and Marie are looking for the house of their dreams – but the estate agent has a surprise for them in the basement. A surprise that might change their lives forever. From the director of Rubber, and the mind behind Flat Eric, comes this mix of cracked-sitcom and sci-fi, with totally surreal twists creating a genuinely hilarious but utterly original creation"
9.30PM:
Huesera
Dir: Michelle Garza Cervera (Mexico/Peru) 93m 2022 [Subtitled]
Cast: Natalia Solien, Alfonso Dosal, Mayra Batalla
"Having wanted a child, Valeria soon discovers that her pregnancy is nothing like the miracle she dreamed of. Something is very wrong. A truly nerve-jangling experience in horror" SATURDAY 15 OCTOBER
12PM:
Unicorn Wars
Dir: Alberto Vazquez (Spain/France) 92m 2022 [Subtitled]
"Fascist, bigoted teddy bears enter a magical forest to wage all-out war against black Unicorns in an attempt to drink Unicorn blood and remain beautiful forever. A madly psychedelic, fully animated, ultra-violent clash of care bears and Apocalypse Now"
2PM:
Vesper
Dirs: Kristina Buozyte & Bruno Samper (Lithuania/France/Belgium) 112m 2022
Cast: Raffiella Chapman, Eddie Marsan, Richard Brake
"After the collapse of the ecosystem, 13-year-old Vesper must use her skills to survive while protecting her father. Impressive science-fiction worldbuilding in an edge-of-your-seat adventure from the creators of cult hit Vanishing Waves"
4.45PM:
Short Film Showcase
Dirs. Various (International) 120m [Partly Subtitled]
"The dark heart of Mayhem Film Festival – a selection of shorts from around the globe… and closer to home. From sci-fi to horror, fish-based frights, curious cults, home invasions, and more…"
7.45PM:
Kuroneko
Dir: Kaneto Shindo (Japan) 99m 1968 [Subtitled]
Cast: Kichiemon Nakamura, Nobuko Otowa
Mayhem presents, in association with the BFI, a specially commissioned score, performed live by Yumah as part of the festival's Night Of The Cat.
"A folk horror original and a key film in J-horror history, Kuroneko's vengeful spirits of a mother and daughter-in-law seek out the samurai who killed them, feeding on them like cats"
10PM:
Sleepwalkers
Dir: Mick Garris (USA) 91m 1992
Cast: Mädchen Amick, Alice Krige, Brian Krause
30th Anniversary Screening as part of Mayhem's Night Of The Cat
"One of the strangest original concepts dreamt up by Stephen King, and a late-night treat. Charles and his mother are Sleepwalkers: shape-shifting, incestuous vampires that feed off the lifeforce of virgin college girls. The only thing that can defeat them: domestic moggies!" SUNDAY 16 OCTOBER
12PM:
Freaks Out
Dir: Gabriele Mainetti (Italy/Belgium) 141m 2021 [Subtitled]
Cast: Claudio Santamaria, Aurora Giovinazzo
"From the creator of Mayhem hit I Am Jeeg Robot, this is just as genre-defying a take on the superhero genre as its predecessor. 1943 – a group of bizarre circus performers must rescue their mentor, Israel, after the Nazis arrest him. Gloriously anarchic entertainment"
3PM:
Jethica - UK PREMIERE
Dir: Peter Ohs (USA) 70m 2022
Cast: Ashley Denise Robinson, Callie Hernandez
"Unable to shake off her stalker, Jessica discovers that she needs help from beyond the grave to get rid of him for good. A gem of an alternative ghost film - inventive, smart, dead-pan funny. Mayhem is delighted to host the UK premiere"
4.45PM:
The Harbinger
Dir: Andy Mitton (USA) 87m 2022
Cast: Gaby Beans, Emily Davis
"Monique leaves the safety of her family home to help a friend suffering in isolation. But her friend is having very bad dreams indeed… and they're spreading. Andy Mitton delivered big time with the unsettling The Witch in the Window – a big hit at Mayhem in 2018. Now he's back with an even more ambitiously scary film set during lockdown"
7.15PM:
No Looking Back
Dir: Kirill Sokolov (Rus) 101m 2021 [Subtitled]
Cast: Sofya Krugova, Viktoriya Korotkova, Anna Mikhalkova
"Wanting a clean slate after a brutal time in prison, Olya returns to collect her 10 year old daughter. What follows is a violent, whiplash-fast cross-country pursuit in this impressive, all-action follow-up to the huge Mayhem hit Why Don't You Just Die!"
9.30PM:
Watcher
Dir: Chloe Okuno (USA) 95m 2002
Cast: Maika Monroe, Burn Gorman
"Joining her husband in Bucharest, a young American woman (Monroe, It Follows) soon suspects that the man constantly watching her from across the building is a serial killer, decapitating local women. Stylishly scary, terrifyingly tense"