Tags: mayhem

The most wonderful time of the year is almost upon us and we have a couple of important announcements to share with you all.

We have had to make a change to our line-up and we will no longer be screening RKSS's Wake Up as our closing film. If you purchased an individual ticket for that film, we will be in touch shortly to inform you about the refund procedure. If you selected the film as part of a Frankenstein package, then you will be able to swap that ticket for a different film depending on availability. Again, our team will be in touch to guide you through the process.

We will be replacing the film with a different title and we will share that announcement with you very soon. We are very excited to announce that Daddy's Head director, Benjamin Barfoot, will join us on Friday 18 October for an introduction and post-screening Q&A. Benjamin was previously at Mayhem in 2017 with his film Double Date, and we can't wait to welcome him back to the festival to discuss the nightmarish Daddy's Head.

If you are yet to book your tickets or passes for the festival, there is still time to do so.

We can't wait to welcome you all to our 20th edition.

Individual tickets and Frankenstein ticket packages now also available

With just a month to go before Mayhem's 20th edition takes place at Broadway, Nottingham (17-20 October 2024), the team is excited to reveal this year's full festival line-up. With a mix of premieres, previews, classics, and not one but two shorts programmes, there is something for every fan of genre cinema in this year's programme.

Mayhem Film Festival will open on Thursday 17 October with Ariane Louis-Seize's Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Personthe tale of a young vampire unable to kill who sees an opportunity when meeting a young suicidal man. Rounding off the first night will be David Moreau's fast-paced single shot horror, MADS in which a young man's life of partying takes a sinister turn when he encounters a tormented and injured woman.

Friday 18 October sees day 2 of the festival, which will open with Jong-seok Yoon's Confession - a mystery thriller following a man accused of a locked-room murder and his lawyer who is trying to uncover the truth. Next up, and previously announced, will be Christina Hornisher's astounding, once-forgotten first feature, Hollywood 90028 (1973)in which an aspiring filmmaker's disillusionment turns murderous. We'll then head to the highly original world of Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy's Dead Mailwhere a kidnapped synthesiser technician manages to get a note to a post office investigatorsetting off a deadly chain of events.

We'll move into the evening with Michiel Blanchart's relentless, action thriller Night Call, in which a young locksmith finds himself at the heart of a dangerous drug deal gone wrong, before closing the day with Daddy's Head. The new film from Benjamin Barfoot (Double Date, Mayhem 2017)tells the story of a young boy and his stepmother who, following the untimely death of the boy's father, are visited by a disturbing creature.

We'll open Saturday 14 October with Cody Kennedy and Tim Rutherford's The Last Video Store - a VHS era homage in which a young woman's attempt to return some tapes to a video store takes a turn for the worse.

We'll then head into Adilkhan Yerzhanov's Mad Max-like, Steppenwolf, where a mother's search for her missing child sees her reluctantly partner up with a cruel former detective, before delving into the first Short Film Showcase of this year's festival.

The evening will start with Jean-Luc Herbulot's supernatural thriller Interstate. The director of Saloum takes us on a deadly road trip where a hit-man's attempt to get out of town with the woman he loves takes a sinister turn.

We will close the day with a screening of Wes Craven's The People Under the Stairs(1991)- a sharp commentary on landlords, gentrification and class wars.

Our last day will open with the UK Premiere of Michael Duignan's The Paragon - a uniquely Kiwi deadpan comedy following a failed tennis coach on a quest to become psychic to take revenge on the driver who ran him over.

We'll then head to the action-packed Dark Match from director Lowell Dean (Wolfcop) - the story of a small-time wrestling company hired for a gig in a small town only to find themselves at the mercy of a mysterious cult leader, before delving into our second Short Film Showcase of this 20th edition.

As we move into our final evening, we'll present the UK Premiere of Luis Prieto's Last Stop Rocafort St in which a young woman's new job in a Barcelona subway station opens up the door to a terrifying legend.

We'll close the festival with the new film from Canadian collective RKSS, Wake Up. The makers of Turbo Kid are back with a violent slasher film set in a homeware superstore where a group of teenagers who have set up camp for the night must face a deranged security guard.

Full Festival Passes are still available for £95, giving you access to all films and events at this year's festival. Individual tickets and Frankenstein ticket packages (where you can select any four films for the price of three), are now available. For more information, and to book tickets and passes, please visit www.mayhemfilmfestival.com. For Frankenstein ticket packages, please visit Broadway's box office or contact them on 0115 952 6611.

Mayhem Film Festival takes place at Broadway, Nottingham on 17-20 October 2024.

For press enquiries, please contact the team at mayhemfilmfest@gmail.com

MAYHEM FILM FESTIVAL 2024 - FULL FESTIVAL LINE-UP

Thursday 17 October

7.00PM - HUMANIST VAMPIRE SEEKING CONSENTING SUICIDAL PERSON // Dir. Ariane Louis-Seize, Canada, 90m, 2023, with English subtitles

9.00PM - MADS // Dir. David Moreau, France, 86m, 2024, with English subtitles

Friday 18 October

12.00PM - CONFESSION // Dir. Jong-seok Yoon, South Korea, 105m, 2022, with English subtitles

2.00PM - HOLLYWOOD 90028 // Dir. Christina Hornisher, US, 76m, 1973

4.00PM - DEAD MAIL // Dirs. Joe DeBoer & Kyle McConaghy, US, 106m, 2024

6.45PM - NIGHT CALL // Dir. Michiel Blanchart, Belgium/France, 97m, 2024, with English subtitles

9.00PM - DADDY'S HEAD // Dir. Benjamin Barfoot, UK, 92m, 2024

Saturday 19 October

12.00PM - THE LAST VIDEO STORE // Dirs. Cody Kennedy & Tim Rutherford, Canada, 90m, 2023

2.00PM - STEPPENWOLF // Dir. Adilkhan Yerzhanov, Kazakhstan, 102m, 2024, with English subtitles

4.15PM - Short Film Showcase #1 // Dirs. Various, International, 100m, 2024, partly subtitled

7.15PM - INTERSTATE // Dir. Jean-Luc Herbulot, Italy/France/Belgium, 90m, 2024, with English subtitles

9.15PM - THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS // Dir. Wes Craven, US, 102m, 1991

Sunday 20 October

12.00PM - THE PARAGON [UK PREMIERE] // Dir. Michael Duignan, New Zealand, 85m, 2024

2.00PM - DARK MATCH // Dir. Lowell Dean, Canada, 95m, 2024

4.00PM - Short Film Showcase #2 // Dirs. Various, International, 95m, 2024, partly subtitled

6.30PM - LAST STOP ROCAFORT ST [UK PREMIERE] // Dir. Luis Prieto, Spain, 90m, 2024, with English subtitles

8.30PM - WAKE UP // Dirs. RKSS: Anouk Whissell, François Simard & Yoann-Karl Whissell, Canada/France, 83m, 2024

Festival also sets date for full line-up announcement

Mayhem Film Festival is delighted to announce the 18 films that will make up this year's Short Film Programme. The festival will take place at Broadway, Nottingham on 17-20 October 2024.

Mayhem initially started as a single selection of shorts almost 20 years ago, and to mark the occasion, the festival will this year feature not one, but two Short Film Showcases. The 20th edition's shorts line-up includes three UK Premieres, with work from filmmakers making their first appearance at the festival, as well as long-time friends of Mayhem. For the second year running, the team worked with The Nottingham Horror Collective's Emily Malone to curate the programme.

"There were so many excellent shorts we have expanded your opportunity to discover new talent and of course, established proponents of short, sharp shockers and surreal storytelling", said Chris Cooke, Mayhem Co-Director.

The 18 films from this year's line-up are:

SHORT FILM SHOWCASE #1

We Joined A Cult

Dir. Chris McInroy, US, 4m10

The story of two friends who just wanted to play kickball.

She Talks in Her Sleep

Dir. Paul Taylor, UK, 8m44

Dan and Faye appear to be like any other couple, but when Faye starts sleep-talking, her eerie, unconscious messages lead Dan to believe that something sinister is coming for them…

Matta and Matto

Dirs. Bianca Caderas & Kerstin Zemp, Switzerland, 10m16

In a dystopian world where touch is forbidden, Matta and Matto offer refuge to the lonely at Hotel Vaip. In the deceptive labyrinth of mind-bending rooms at their transient hotel, deepest desires are fulfilled and surpassed, but this comes at a price.

The Thaw [UK Premiere]

Dirs. Sean Temple & Sarah Wisner, US, 16m31

In 19th-century Vermont, a young woman's parents drink sleeping tea to survive the harsh winter, but an early thaw leads to horrifying results.

Transylvanie

Dir. Rodrigue Huart, France, 15m, with English subtitles

Ewa is a 10-year-old girl living in a high building in a quiet town. She's an odd, lonely child and for good reason: she's convinced of being a vampire.

Make Me a Pizza

Dir. Talia Shea Levin, US, 12m25

BORED HOUSEWIFE seduces HOT PIZZA GUY for free pizza, but is desire worth $29.99?

Off Cuts

Dir. Ben Steiner, UK, 3m55

Returning home to his pregnant partner, a man brings an unwelcome presence with him.

Shé (Snake)

Dir. Renee Zhan, US, 15m30, partly subtitled

When pressures mount on a tightly wound violinist in a London youth orchestra, her internal monsters take external form.

The Visitor [UK Premiere]

Dir. Tony Morales, Spain, 10m, with English subtitles

Alone in her home overnight, a young influencer's solitude is interrupted by an unexpected visitor.

SHORT FILM SHOWCASE #2

Dream Creep

Dir. Carlos A.F. Lopez, US, 12m34

A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice.

The Sin-Eater

Dir. Kelly Holmes, UK, 17m

1852, Wales: a desperate young mother carries out a forbidden ritual to save the soul of her unbaptised dead baby, but is tricked into taking on a terrifying supernatural burden.

Perfect City: the Bravest Kid

Dir. Shengwei Zhou, US, 6m19

A paper boy who is dreaming of a big iron knife hand chasing him realises that his parents, whom he depends on most, are actually that knife hand.

The Rainbow Bridge

Dir. Dimitri Simakis, US, 12m40

Tina and her elderly dog visit a mysterious clinic offering human-to-pet communication. However, they soon get more than they bargained for when two sinister doctors uncover a bond between them that transcends time and space. They might just be the key to something greater… but at what cost?

Lullaby

Dir. Chi Thai, UK, 14m43

A refugee is haunted by a devastating incident from her past.

Pocketman

Dir. Ericka Clevenger, US, 2m

A wedding is terrorised by a supernatural being who can steal things from pockets. Things escalate when the wedding party tries to get their stolen ring back.

Storm

Dir. Lena Tsodykovskaya, US, 8m

A couple wakes on a stormy night to find themselves trapped in the mechanisms of a horror movie.

Triptych

Dir. Sophia Ray, UK, 14m29

Provocative artist Margaux Kasser plans to destroy a Bosch masterpiece, claiming it's performance art. But the artwork conceals a dark secret from her past. A horrific reckoning is coming. Margaux must fight to escape her fate.

Reel [UK Premiere]

Dir. Rodrigue Huart, France, 4m12, with English subtitles

1857. Coutances. Two farmer girls find a smartphone in their field.

With just over a month to go before this year's edition takes place on 17-20 October 2024, Mayhem have also announced they will reveal their full line-up on Thursday 18 September, with individual tickets set to go on sale at the same time.

Full Festival Passes remain available for £95, giving access to all films and events from this year's festival.

Mayhem Film Festival announce THE PARAGON, HUMANIST VAMPIRE SEEKING CONSENTING SUICIDAL PERSON and HOLLYWOOD 90028 as Early Bird Passes go on sale

Mayhem Film Festival is proud to announce the first three films of its 20th edition which will take place at Broadway, Nottingham on 17-20 October 2024.

First up is the UK Premiere of Michael Duignan's feature debut, The Paragon. Victim of a hit-and-run which he blames for the loss of his job and his girlfriend, an egocentric man decides to acquire psychic powers to take revenge on the driver who ran him over. Starring Benedict Wall and Florence Noble, as well as What We Do in the Shadows' Jonny Brugh, The Paragon is a cosmic adventure with a big heart told with distinct Kiwi humour.

Next up is Ariane Louis-Seize's Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person. Teenage vampire Sasha refuses to kill to survive. Exasperated, her parents decide to cut off her blood supply until she learns to hunt for herself. When she meets Paul, a young man with suicidal tendencies, an opportunity presents itself, but perhaps those two lost souls have more in common than they know. Ariane Louis-Seize has crafted a delightful deadpan coming-of-age comedy horror.

To round-up this first wave of announcements, Mayhem will be presenting a rare screening of Christina Hornisher's exceptional first feature Hollywood 90028. Shot against the backdrop of 1970s Los Angeles, the film follows an ambitious cameraman who, unable to get work outside of the sleazy world of adult films, begins to release his frustrations by strangling young women. Once forgotten, Hollywood 90028 is returning to the big screen in a stunning 4K restoration. A love letter to pre-gentrification LA and a stern commentary on class, gender and the film industry, Christina Hornisher's debut is a truly haunting thriller that will stay with you long past the end credits

"Mayhem is back to explore the strange borders of genre cinema" said festival Co-Director Chris Cooke. "From the uncanny to messed up road movies, from all action thrillers to introspective horror comedies, we'll have something for everyone."

Broadway's Director of Marketing and Communications commented: "The Mayhem weekend is always an incredible experience, with audiences coming from all over the UK to revel in the films the Mayhem team has worked tirelessly to acquire and curate, The standard is always high, and we can't wait to host the Mayhem Film Festival in its 20th year at Broadway."

Early Bird Passes for the festival are now on sale. For £85, Early Bird Passes give you access to all films and events for the four days of the festival. They are available to purchase from Broadway's website and box office.

More information and announcements about Mayhem's 20th edition will follow later in the summer.

Mayhem Film Festival will take place at Broadway, Nottingham on 17 – 20 October 2024. For more information, please visit https://www.mayhemfilmfestival.com/

Festival also opens submissions for short film entries

Mayhem Film Festival will return to Broadway, Nottingham on 17-20 October 2024 to showcase the best in international horror, sci-fi and cult cinema, and celebrate its 20th edition. Plans are currently underway and the Mayhem team are on the lookout for the titles that will make up the 2024 line-up.

Following on from last year's edition that saw the UK Premieres of Bertrand Mandico's She Is Conann, Franck Khalfoun's Night of the Hunted and Thomas Sainsbury's Loop Track, the team is excited to be back to present the best in genre cinema and a milestone in the festival's history.

Mayhem Film Festival Co-Director Chris Cooke says: "It's our 20^th anniversary and Mayhem continues to be a forward-looking festival, bringing audiences the best in brand new previews and premieres of original genre cinema from around the world."

Broadway's Marketing Director Stewart Terry says of this year's anniversary edition: "We can't wait to welcome Mayhem back to Broadway for their 20th year. It's always the most exciting time in the building, with horror fans from across the country visiting Nottingham to get their bloody fix!"

In addition to announcing this year's dates, Mayhem Film Festival is also pleased to announce their call for short films will open on Friday 3 May. The short film programme is where Mayhem started back in 2005. Over the years, the festival has grown to a four-day event, but its yearly selection of shorts remains at the heart of every edition. Mayhem Film Festival is looking for horror, sci-fi and cult short films, produced after 1 January 2023 and that are under 22 minutes long. More information on how to submit films is available at https://filmfreeway.com/MayhemFilmFestival

In previous years, Mayhem has welcomed many filmmakers from around the world such as Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) for Monsters, Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentlemen, Sherlock) for a special masterclass, Ben Wheatley for a preview screening of Sightseers, Nicolas Roeg for a special screening of Don't Look Now at St Mary's Church in Nottingham, and cult Canadian collective Astron-6 for The Editor and The Void. Mayhem Film Festival has also hosted special events such as screenings with specially commissioned live scores from 8MM Orchestra, two exclusive live stage readings of unmade Hammer Films screenplays, The Unquenchable Thirst of Dracula in 2015 and Zeppelin V. Pterodactyls in 2017, and a live performance of Tales of HP Lovecraft by The Duke St Workshop featuring British actor Laurence R. Harvey.

Planning is currently underway for Mayhem Film Festival's 20th edition, with more information and announcements coming soon.

For press enquiries, please contact the team at mayhemfilmfest@gmail.com

Individual tickets and revamped Frankenstein ticket packages to also go on sale

With just a month to go before Mayhem's 19th edition takes place at Broadway, Nottingham (12-15 October), the team is excited to reveal this year's full festival line-up. With a mix of premieres, previews, classics and Q&As, there is something for every fan of horror, sci-fi and cult cinema in this year's programme.

Mayhem Film Festival will open on Thursday 12 October with a preview of Paris Zarcilla's Raging Grace. Following an undocumented Filipina immigrant who takes on a job caring for an ailing man to try and provide for her young daughter, Raging Grace is a chilling thriller with hints of gothic horror. Rounding off the first night will be Richard V. Somes' violent action-packed martial-arts thriller, Topakk (Triggered) in which a former special forces operative attempts to save a woman from a corrupt police death squad.

Friday 13 October sees Day 2 of the festival, and superstitions are at the heart of our opening film. Set in 17th-century England, Sean Hogan's To Fire You Come at Last follows a group of men struggling to ignore ancient folk tales as they set off to carry a coffin on a long walk to the local graveyard. Director Sean Hogan, previously at Mayhem in 2011 for The Devil's Business and in 2015 for Future Shock! The Story of 2000AD, will return for a post-screening Q&A.

We'll then delve into the archives for giallo-inspired Door from Japanese director Banmei Takahashi, in which a woman becomes increasingly paranoid after being threatened on the phone by a local salesman.

We'll move into the evening with the previously announced UK Premiere of Bertrand Mandico's mind-bending epic She Is Conann, before ending the day with Joe Lynch's gory horror Suitable Flesh.

We'll open Saturday 14 October with Mike Cheslik's Hundreds of Beavers - a no-dialogue live-action cartoon epic in which a drunken applejack salesman must defeat hundreds of beavers to have a chance at being with the woman of his dreams.

We'll then head into Matt Vesely's sci-fi thriller, Monolith, in which a podcaster tries to get to the bottom of an alien conspiracy after discovering the existence of a mysterious artefact, before delving into this year's beloved Short Film Showcase, featuring 15 films from around the world.

The evening will start with the previously announced Where The Devil Roams from the Adams family who we are absolutely delighted to welcome to this year's festival. John Adams, Lulu Adams and Toby Poser will join us for a post-screening Q&A, before we wrap up the evening with Robert Rodriguez' cult sci-fi horror, The Faculty.

Our last day will open with River, another time-loop fantasy from Junta Yamaguchi (Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes, Mayhem 2021), before stepping into the UK Premiere of Franck Khalfoun's (Maniac, Mayhem 2012) Night of the Hunted - a bloody thriller in which a woman is tormented by a lone sniper after stopping at a gas station in the middle of the night.

The previously announced bloody folk horror from Ariel Vida, Trim Season, will round-up the afternoon.

As we move into our final evening, we'll present the remarkable The Animal Kingdom from French director Thomas Caillet - a body horror sci-fi set in a not-so-distant future in which some humans begin to mutate into other animal species.

We'll then close the festival with the previously announced UK Premiere of Thomas Sainsbury's surprising debut feature, Loop Track.

Full Festival Passes are still available for £85, giving you access to all films and events from this year's festival. Individual tickets and Frankenstein ticket packages (where you can select four films for the price of three), are now also available. For more information, and to book tickets and passes, please visit www.mayhemfilmfestival.com. For Frankenstein ticket packages, please visit Broadway's box office or contact them on 0115 952 6611.

Mayhem Film Festival takes place at Broadway, Nottingham on 12-15 October 2023.

MAYHEM FILM FESTIVAL 2023 - FULL FESTIVAL LINE-UP

Thursday 12 October

7PM - RAGING GRACE // Dir. Paris Zarcilla, UK, 100m, 2023

9.15PM - TOPAKK (TRIGGERED) // Dir. Richard Somes, Philippines, 113m, 2023, with English subtitles

Friday 13 October

2.30PM - TO FIRE YOU COME AT LAST + Q&A // Dir. Sean Hogan, UK/US, 43m, 2023

4.15PM - DOOR // Dir. Banmei Takahashi, Japan, 95m, 1988, with English subtitles

7PM - SHE IS CONANN [UK Premiere] // Dir. Bertrand Mandico, Belgium/France, 105m, 2023, with English subtitles

9.15PM - SUITABLE FLESH // Dir. Joe Lynch, US, 101m, 2023

Saturday 14 October

12PM - HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS // Dir. Mike Cheslik, US, 108m, 2023

2.15PM - MONOLITH // Dir. Matt Vesely, Australia, 94m, 2022

4.15PM - Short Film Showcase // Dirs. Various, International, 120m, 2023, partly subtitled

7.30PM - WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS + Q&A // Dirs. John Adams, Lulu Adams & Toby Poser, US, 93m, 2023

10PM - THE FACULTY // Dir. Robert Rodriguez, US, 104m, 1998

Sunday 15 October

12PM - RIVER // Dir. Junta Yamaguchi, Japan, 86m, 2023, with English subtitles

2PM - NIGHT OF THE HUNTED [UK Premiere] // Dir. Franck Khalfoun, US/France, 95m, 2023

4PM - TRIM SEASON // Dir. Ariel Vida, US, 100m, 2023

6.45PM - THE ANIMAL KINGDOM // Dir. Thomas Cailley, France, 130m, 2023, with English subtitles

9.30PM - LOOP TRACK [UK Premiere] // Dir. Thomas Sainsbury, New Zealand, 94m, 2023

Festival also sets date for full line-up announcement

Mayhem Film Festival is delighted to announce the 15 films that will make up this year's Short Film Showcase. The festival will take place at Broadway, Nottingham on 12-15 October 2023.

Mayhem initially started as a single selection of shorts almost 20 years ago, and the Short Film Showcase remains at the heart of the festival, playing midway through the Saturday of the festival. The 19th edition's showcase includes films from five different countries, from filmmakers making their first appearance at the festival, as well as long-time friends of Mayhem. This year, the team worked with The Nottingham Horror Collective's Emily Malone to shortlist the line-up from all the films submitted to the festival.

The 15 films from this year's line-up, in alphabetical order are:

Absolution, Parsin

Dir. Jack Nop, UK, 4m55

The imagined perpetrator in a famously unsolved true-crime case, "Who Put Bella Down the Wych Elm", is confronted about his past by an unearthly Bison in this Stop-Motion animated short film.

Angels [UK Premiere]

Dir. Samantha Aldana, US, 7m18

When a farmer caring for her dying mother discovers a creature with strange abilities, she's forced to confront her ideas about right and wrong.

Bleep

Dir. Ben S. Hyland, UK, 8m20

A couple's relationship is pushed to the brink as they investigate a strange noise that's woken them in the night.

Claudio's Song

Dir. Andreas Nilsson, UK, 9m41

A young man faces the wrath of criminals that target people who are famous on the internet; when their scheme fails things take an unexpected turn.

Dead Enders

Dirs. Fidel Ruiz-Healy & Tyler Walker, US, 12m08

Disaffected, young gas-station clerk Maya doesn't care about much besides messing with her manager and getting her beer discount at the end of the midnight shift. But after a sinister race of mind-controlling parasites are set loose by irresponsible oil drillers, Maya realises that there might be more to life than spending all your waking hours stacking shelves for a corporate overlord.

Forgotten Lake [UK Premiere]

Dirs. Adam Brooks & Matthew Kennedy, Canada, 7m02

The counsellors at Forgotten Lake Summer Camp are horrified to discover that the legend of the Blueberry Boy is more real than they ever imagined.

Merger

Dir. Daniel Negret, UK, 7m45

A man's commitment to his job takes a dark and surreal turn for the worst.

Night of the Bride

Dir. Viral Pal, India, 7m09

A young woman's cry for help falls on deaf ears as a family holds her hostage. Keen on getting their only son married, who has 'chosen' her as the one, the family is willing to go to any lengths to fulfil his wish and unite them forever. As the gagged and bound bride is dragged in for the ceremony, the events take an even more sinister and shocking turn that ends up changing the course of this unholy ritual.

Plaggy Bag

Dir. Alex Withers, UK, 13m

When working class Zoe meets her best mate's more privileged friends, she tries to ignore the chip on her shoulder and make a good impression. But when a single-use plastic bag comes to life and hunts down the group one by one, Zoe must face her inner rage head-on.

Sandra Gets a New Fringe [World Premiere]

Dir. Michael Beddoes & Penelope Yeulet, UK, 9m20

After making the life-changing decision to get a new fringe, a disregarded office-worker attempts to get her dismissive colleague's attention in increasingly bizarre and violent ways.

Stop Dead [UK Premiere]

Dir. Emily Greenwood, UK, 7m56

When a workaholic city detective and her laid-back partner try to stop a dishevelled girl staggering down the middle of a country road, they discover she's being stalked by some unseen entity with a horrifying ultimatum: you stop moving, you die.

The Body with No Face

Dir. Owen Tooth, UK, 5m18

Trapped in her body by life-changing illness and a nightmarish system she can't escape, a woman fights to hold on to her humanity.

The Wild Roots

Dir. Nicolas Millot, France, 13m59

Adam, a young hunter, is convinced that danger lurks in a forest plagued by strange phenomena. However, when one of his friends is found dead, this fear transforms into certainty. Adam decides to return to the woods, determined to uncover the source of this threat.

Toast

Dir. Thomas Longstaff, UK, 1m30

A happy little piece of bread is excited to be made into a piece of toast.

We Forgot About the Zombies

Dir. Chris McInroy, US, 3m43

Two dudes think they found the cure for zombie bites.

"The Short Film Showcase is such an important part of the festival", says Mayhem's Melissa Gueneau. "Every year, we're blown away by the quality of the films that are submitted to the festival and this year was no different. It's our biggest showcase yet and we're delighted to welcome back some of our alumni, as well as new talents from around the world and closer to home."

With just over a month to go before this year's edition takes place on 12-15 October 2023, Mayhem have also announced they will reveal their full line-up on Tuesday 12 September, with individual tickets set to go on sale at the same time.

Full Festival Passes remain available for £85, giving access to all films and events from this year's festival. For more information, and to book passes, please visit www.mayhemfilmfestival.com

Mayhem Film Festival takes place at Broadway, Nottingham on 12-15 October 2023.

For press enquiries, please contact the team at mayhemfilmfest@gmail.com

Festival also reveals this year's design by local artist Forecast Designs

With less than two months to go, Mayhem Film Festival is proud to announce three additional titles from this year's edition, which will take place at Broadway, Nottingham on 12-15 October 2023.

Mayhem is excited to be hosting the UK Premiere of Bertrand Mandico's She Is Conann, which had its World Premiere at this year's Directors' Fortnight in Cannes. Flipping the myth of Conan the Barbarian on its head, the film finds underworld woman/dog mutant Rainer recounting the six lives of Conann, a bloodthirsty Amazon. Populated with strange creatures and gory tableaux, She Is Conann is a camp, time-bending tale of barbarism and betrayal.

Next is Suitable Flesh, the new film from Joe Lynch (Mayhem, Mayhem 2017) in which Heather Graham plays a psychiatrist who becomes obsessed with a young patient she believes is suffering from multiple personality disorder, only to uncover something much darker and sinister. Also featuring horror icon Barbara Crampton, the film is a gory, psychosexual, Lovecraftian tale that's deeply inspired by 80s horror.

Finally, witchcraft is at the heart of Ariel Vida's Trim Season which rounds up this second wave of announcement. A group of young people hoping to make some quick cash trimming marijuana at a remote farm, quickly discover the lady of the house may be hiding some dark secrets. Trim Season is a bloody folk horror that also explores themes of gender and self-discovery.

The three films join the previously announced UK Premiere of Thomas Sainsbury's Loop Track, as well as the Adams family's Where the Devil Roams and a 25th anniversary screening of Robert Rodriguez' The Faculty in this year's line-up.

Early Bird Passes for the festival are still available for just £75 but only until Thursday 31 August. From Friday 1 September, passes will only be available at the full price of £85. To purchase a pass, please visit https://www.broadway.org.uk/whats-on/mayhem-film-festival-2023-full-festival-pass

The rest of the programme for Mayhem's 19th edition will be revealed early September with individual tickets being released shortly after. Mayhem Film Festival will take place at Broadway, Nottingham on 12 – 15 October 2023.

Festival also announces new partnership with Near Now and on-sale date for Early Bird Passes

Mayhem Film Festival is proud to announce the first three films of this year's edition which will take place at Broadway, Nottingham on 12-15 October 2023.

First up is the UK Premiere of Thomas Sainsbury's directorial debut, Loop Track. A man on the verge of a nervous breakdown decides to remove himself from society by going on a hike in the wilderness, only to be reluctantly befriended by a group of hikers and unable to shake the feeling that something sinister might be stalking him. Some may recognise Sainsbury from his role as Constable Parker in New Zealand hit-show Wellington Paranormal. With Loop Track, he delivers an incredibly surprising film that cleverly builds a sense of dread and paranoia.

Next, Mayhem is excited to screen the new film from the Adams family, Where the Devil Roams. Following Hellbender (Mayhem 2021), one of the coolest families in horror returns with their most ambitious title yet. Set during Depression-era America, the film traces a family of murderous sideshow performers as they travel the dying carnival circuit. The Adams family continues to explore the intricacies of family dynamics in this haunting, violent and truly original new film.

To round-up this first wave of announcements, Mayhem will be presenting a 25th anniversary screening of Robert Rodriguez' The FacultyFeaturing an all-star cast, this sci-fi horror is a mini-classic of the millennial era, in which a group of students must face the alien parasite that decided to inhabit their high school's teachers.

Mayhem Co-Director Steven Sheil says: "We're really looking forward to returning to Broadway Cinema for our 19th annual edition, and delighted to be bringing some more of the weirdest, bloodiest, scariest and shocking-est slices of world genre cinema to our audience."

Coinciding with Mayhem is the return of an accompanying exhibition in Broadway's Gallery. Last year's Monsters Within exhibition was produced as part of In Dreams Are Monsters: A Season of Horror Films, a UK-wide film season supported by the National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network. It proved to be a success with festival audiences and for the many local artists exhibiting and selling their creative works. This year, Mayhem invites artists back once more to share their interpretations of iconic characters, creatures and memorable moments from horror/cult cinema. A limited number of original artworks, editions and prints will be available to buy in the Gallery.

The exhibition is curated and produced by Broadway's Near Now with Nottingham artist Rachel Parry. For more information on how artists can submit work for inclusion in the exhibition, please visit www.nearnow.org.uk/gallery.

Early Bird Passes for the festival will go on sale on at 10am on Friday 28 July. For £75, Early Bird Passes give you access to all films and events for the four days of the festival. They will be available to purchase from Broadway's website and box office.

More information and announcements about Mayhem's 19th edition will follow later in the summer.

Mayhem Film Festival will take place at Broadway, Nottingham on 12 – 15 October 2023.