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!

SATURDAY

11:45   SINCOPAT – Dir: Pol Diggler | Spain | 2023

Ona, the creative executive of a large company, is about to launch the latest technological revolution into the market: a device that allows listening to music directly inside the brain.

12:03   OUT OF BOUNDS – Dir: Rob Ulitsky | UK | 2023

Having somehow fallen past the boundaries of our reality, an injured woman must remain motionless in the beam of a flashlight to avoid a malevolent force in the shadows.

12:08   SCRIPT – Dir: Piero Cannata | Italy | 2018

Two screenwriters, a ghost story, and the night that goes on. Who will put an end to this?

12:17   KILLER IN THE HOUSE – Dir: Kris Carr | UK | 2024

Two friends hide under their kitchen table when a masked killer invades their home…

12:24   UPHEAVAL – Dir: Aaran McKenzie | UK | 2024

Beth and Mark are a couple heading to a country home for a weekend break to fix their rocky relationship. But when Mark goes missing in the middle of the night, Beth is faced with the truths of a haunted past.

12:32   BREAK

1:00–1:20   THE CHILDREN OF THE WICKER MAN: SPECIAL PREVIEW

Prior to its UK premiere later this year, we’re delighted to be joined by Dominic and Justin Hardy, sons of Robin Hardy, the director of ‘The Wicker Man’, alongside director Chris Nunn to preview their new documentary, ‘Children of the Wicker Man’. The documentary explores the production and legacy of the acclaimed British classic horror film and the profound impact the film had on Dominic and Justin.

2:00   BREAK

2:20   BOOKWORM – Dir: Javier Yañez Sanz | Spain | 2023

Spain, 1979. Irene is an aspiring writer who obsesses with the delicate ghost at the library where she works.

2:38   THE EYES OF MARGE – Dir: Lily Howkins | UK | 2023

A self-hating social worker traumatised by his sister’s death from domestic abuse is plagued by phone calls from an unknown woman looking for her dead sister.

2:52   THE AESTHETE – Dir: Kaylan Jordan-Sen & Ian Sen | UK | 2023

The Aesthete is a psychedelic horror film, dealing with themes of dangerous art, drug use, manipulation, the nature of loneliness and alienation as experienced by the outsider, the things that the truly desperate pin their hope on, and the possibility, perhaps, of transcendence. Warning: contains flashing imagery.

3:12   BREAK

3:35   DEADLINE – Dir: Idan Gilboa | Israel | 2023

Deadline is a black comedy stop-motion short that explores the power balance between bureaucracy, death, and the feline devotion of the elderly. At its centre is a story of a brave friendship and solidarity between two senior ladies sickened by society’s disregard and disrespect.

3:52   UNDER THE BED – Dir: Jeremy Sladden | UK | 2023

Horror legend Robert Englund, who gave us all nightmares as the iconic Freddy Krueger, narrates a bedtime story with a difference.

3:53   THE BLOOD ON ME – Dir: Guy Harvey | UK | 2023

During social and economic unrest in a sub-rural village. A detective must uncover the truth of women being murdered in unusual and beastly circumstances.