Arrow Video Frightfest

London, U.K. / August 22-26, 2019 / frightfest.co.uk

Fest-goers’ decision-making skills are put to the test by FrightFest, during which several different features are shown at its five neighboring venues in and around London’s Leicester Square at any given time. In an era in which too many worthy films go the direct-to-VOD/disc route, it’s a treat to catch a number of FrightFest’s offerings on one of the two giant IMAX screens it commandeers for its five days. Once you’ve sated yourself with new features and classic retrospectives, there’s still more fun to be had. “FrightFest is complete mania,” says a panelist. “Events like the Duke Mitchell Film Night and the FrightFest Karaoke Party are utterly insane.” Founded at the dawn of the 21st century and supervised today by directors Ian Rattray, Alan Jones, Greg Day, and Paul McEvoy, FrightFest has expanded to Scotland for FrightFest Glasgow (March 1-2, 2019), and there’s also an annual FrightFest Halloween screening day in London (November 3 this year).