Join us in The Phoenix Room to discover some of the best new indie horror shorts at HorrorConUK’s film fest on the 11^th & 12^th May! Dive into this specially curated selection of horror films chosen by the Spirit of Independence Film Festival. From subtle psychological terrors to mind-bending twists, each film celebrates the ingenuity and creativity of independent filmmaking that explores themes of fear, monsters, identity, social anxiety, and the supernatural! Come support the filmmakers of the future! Dip in and out for a film or two, or stay for the duration of each compilation! The choice is yours!

SUNDAY

11:30   CRUEL SEA – Dir: Tobias Bye | Norway | 2023

Way up north, out at sea – Skjalg and Storm try to make a living. Their patience is tested after not catching anything again. Storm longs to go back to shore, but he comes to realise there is something more beguiling below the surface of the sea.

11:52   VALLEY OF SOULS – Dir: Edileuza Penha de Souza | Brazil | 2023

A black family tries to defend their land against invaders but gets caught between a mischievous witch and a tortured spirit eager for revenge.

12:07   RESERVOIR – Dir: Nicholas Cole | UK | 2023

Jade is getting some strange results out in the field as she tests the soil for pollution. She is shocked to find that somehow the vegetation is still growing. When Jade comes across a rock in the ground surrounded by strange flowers things get stranger still.

12:22   BREAK

12:45   ONE NIGHT ONLY – Dir: Josh Harris | UK | 2023

Touring pub singer, Bex, lets her celebrity delusions get in the way of her relationship with her daughter, Rhian, who is left to pick up the pieces when faced with the cruel reality of her mother’s lifestyle.

1:08   TASTE – Dir: Lucy Rose | UK | 2023

When Jane marries and moves into her new home, she will discover her husband is keeping more than a few skeletons in his closet. From her food, she pulls clusters of hair, silence haunts the lonely corridors of the home; and, while Jane is abused by her husband, she untangles the house and its harrowing history.

1:21   GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS – Dir: Isabel Steuble Johnson | UK | 2023

When two young aristocrats stumble upon a maid being assaulted, they “save the day” by killing the perpetrator. As the trio transports him to the woods to dispose of the body, it turns out it’s an average day, and each female plays their part.

1:31   BREAK

2:00  CULT SCREENINGS Q&A

We’re delighted to be joined by Cult Screenings, the filmmakers behind the acclaimed documentaries ‘Hollywood Dreams and Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story’ and ‘Robodoc’, to explore their recent documentary successes and take a look at their upcoming projects.

3:00   GRAVID – Dir: Laura Jai Smith | UK | 2023

A woman discovers something repulsive growing inside her. She fears it’s a manifestation of the secret she is keeping from her boyfriend: she doesn’t want children. He does. And he’s delighted because he thinks she is pregnant.

3:19   SPOOR – Dir: Statten Roeg & Sunita Soliar | UK | 2023

A freakish, throbbing growth torments Ash. She is stuck caring for her vitriolic, dementia-ridden mother. With every indignity, Ash’s lump grows until it erupts, spewing a mysterious substance. Will Ash figure out what it is and how to stop it?

3:34   MRS BARKER’S CHAIR – Dir: Aaran McKenzie | UK | 2024

Believing his newly bed-bound mother is suffering from dementia, Chris steps up to take care of her at her own home, but is deeply unsettled when she claims it was the chair that did this to her.

3:43   MINE – Dir: Aaran McKenzie | UK | 2024

A young woman who is terrorised in her own home learns the truth of her haunted past and is forced to face her harrowing destiny.