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H1: FrightFest Glasgow returns to GFF 2026

FrightFest Glasgow returns to GFF 2026 with world and UK premieres

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FrightFest is back at Glasgow Film Festival for its 21st year, bringing three days of horror and fantasy to Glasgow Film Theatre from Thursday 5 March to Saturday 7 March 2026.

Across the weekend we’re screening eight feature films (including five world premieres) plus a Short Film Showcase spotlighting filmmakers from the UK and Ireland.

H2 What’s on at FrightFest Glasgow 2026

What’s on at FrightFest Glasgow 2026

H3: Thursday 5 March - Opening Night

Thursday 5 March - Opening Night

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We kick off with the World Premiere of Jailbroken (Dir. Vasily Chuprina); a relentless, high-stakes thriller set entirely inside a single prison cell, with key Scottish cast including David Hayman, Bryan Larkin, Shauna MacDonald and Armin Karima. Cast and crew will be in attendance.

H3: Friday 6 March (weekend pass day 1)

Friday 6 March - Weekend Pass Day

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Friday’s line-up takes you from supernatural dread to camp sci-fi horror comedy and an internet-age nightmare:

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Bury the Devil (UK Premiere)

Friday starts by dropping us straight into the fear: a hospice nurse finds herself trapped overnight with a dementia patient, but she suspects the woman is hiding something otherworldly.

Director Adam O’Brien uses an ambitious single-take approach to crank up the tension, turning a supernatural-tinged home-invasion setup into a tight, twisty ride that puts a fresh spin on exorcism horror.

Bone Keeper (World Premiere)

Next is Howard J. Ford’s creature feature Bone Keeper — a survival nightmare deep inside a remote cave system.

After a cosmic fireball awakens something buried below, an explorer’s granddaughter leads a team into the caves to investigate the legend of the “Bone Keeper” — only to realise they’re being hunted and the line between hunter and prey is disappearing.

Ford will introduce the film alongside some of the cast.

Boorman & the Devil (UK Premiere)

Then we switch gears into documentary territory with Boorman & the Devil, directed by David Kittredge.

It revisits the infamous making of Exorcist II: The Heretic — how a major studio sequel became a legendary disaster, and what it says about ambition, craft, and the risk of big creative swings — with interviews including John Boorman, Linda Blair and Louise Fletcher.

The Restoration of Grayson Manor (UK Premiere)

Our main evening presentation is Glenn McQuaid’s camp sci-fi horror comedy The Restoration of Grayson Manor — pitched as “The Beast with Five Fingers meets the Universal Monsterverse.” Irish playboy Boyd Grayson loses his hands in an accident and becomes the first person to pilot nano-tech mechanical hands controlled by his subconscious… until the hands start moving on their own. McQuaid is expected to attend, alongside star Alice Krige.

The Curse (UK Premiere)

Friday night climaxes with Kenichi Ugana’s The Curse, described as “The Ring updated for the TikTok age” — a sharp satire on the horror hiding inside addictive online attention and algorithm culture.

After a friend dies following disturbing social posts, beauty salon receptionist Riko digs into a world of memes and influencers as bodies begin to pile up — and the trail leads to Taiwan to trace the source of a demonic social-media killer.

H3: Saturday 7 March

Saturday 7 March - Weekend Pass Day 2

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Saturday starts fast and doesn’t let up:

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Violence (International Premiere)

Saturday starts with Connor Marsden’s Violence, a punk-fuelled action-horror blast set in an alternate 1980s packed with danger and grime.

Antihero Henry Violence tries to rescue his ex-lover from a spiral into drugs and crime, but gets dragged into a brutal cartel war — triggering turbo-charged, blood-drenched carnage.

Short Film Showcase

Following last year’s success, we’re bringing back the Short Film Showcase — eight shorts from emerging directors across the UK and Ireland.

It’s a proper talent spotlight, and we’re expecting all directors and various cast to attend — making it a packed, buzzy celebration of the next wave of genre filmmakers.

The Convenience Store (International Premiere)

Next is The Convenience Store, directed by Jiro Nagae — a Japanese horror adaptation of the popular Chilla’s Art game, with Kotona Minami in the lead.

A college girl works the midnight shift as strange events build around the store — then a delivery man hands her a package that forces a life-changing, darkest-of-decisions moment. Is it imagination, a haunting, or something worse she’s woken up?

Red Riding (World Premiere)

Saturday evening kicks off with Craig Conway’s directorial debut, Red Riding, a horror-thriller that reimagines Little Red Riding Hood through a gritty contemporary lens.

After her mother’s overdose, teen Redele Riding is sent from London to her estranged grandmother’s estate in the Scottish Highlands — where vanished children, whispers of a wolf, and sinister control begin to surface.

Conway, exec producer Neil Marshall, and some cast will introduce the film.

Karmadonna (UK Premiere)

Then comes Karmadonna — a dark, dystopian fable that blends violence with social critique on religion, greed and modern malaise.

In her third trimester, Yelena receives a call from a voice claiming to be God: kill a selected list of corrupt figures or lose her unborn baby — pushing her into the Serbian criminal underworld to carry out a “divine” hit list.

Deathkeeper (World Premiere)

We close with Australian fantasy horror Deathkeeper (Dir. Tristan Barr), adapted from The Deathkeeper novella series by Vasilios Bouzas.

Near-immortal angel Luke only ages when he saves lives — but can become young again only by taking a life. When he’s drawn to a possessed woman seeking refuge, the evil Malagor closes in, amassing an army of the dead for a final Good vs Evil showdown.

H2 Tickets and passes

Tickets and passes

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FrightFest Weekend Pass (£88) goes on sale 10:00 Friday 16 January 2026 (covers Friday 6 March + Saturday 7 March only; pass holders exchange for wristbands).
Individual tickets (and tickets for Jailbroken) go on sale to CineCard/CineCard+ at 10:00 Friday 23 January 2026.
General sale starts 10:00 Monday 26 January 2026.
Prices: £12 / £9.60 concessions.
Important: Thursday night’s film (Jailbroken) is not included in the weekend pass and requires a separate ticket.

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