David Farnor | On 01, Aug 2015

Film4 FrightFest will premiere six horror short films on All 4 this year.

The festival, which returns to London’s Leicester Square from 27th August, has always placed an emphasis on shorts as part of its showcase of scary talent from the UK and further afield. This year, its short film line-up is bigger than ever, with three strands and over 30 films from around the world, including 11 world premieres and seven European premieres. That includes Karen Gillan’s directorial debut, Coward, James Moran’s Ghosting and others featuring Johnny Vegas (Dark.net), Billy Boyd (The Alpha Invention) and even one with a score by Clint Mansell (Deathly).

Short films have always suffered slightly in the film world, something that digital platforms can help to address, with VOD services such as We Are Colony, Vimeo and iTunes giving film-makers the chance to reach an audience with their work. (We now regularly showcase shorts – and where you can watch them online – here.)

With VOD an increasingly important part of horror film distribution, FrightFest is embracing that digital potential by teaming up with Channel 4’s on-demand service, All 4, to premiere six shorts. The series, titled A Moment of Horror, consists of six individual films, which will premiere throughout the festival. All of them will then be available to watch exclusively on All 4.

The films’ directors consist of Rose Glass (Room 55, Film of City Frames), Christian James (Freak Out, Stalled), Weronika Tofilska (winner of FrightFest’s Short Cuts to Hell competition), Lee Lennox (AmStarDam), Andrew Brand (Where There’s Smoke), and Michelle Fox (Zominic), all of whom bring their distinctively dark thoughts to the screen. Actors featuring in the films range from Alice Lowe (Sightseers, Hot Fuzz) and David Oakes (Truth or Die, The Borgias) to Alexa Brown (Absent Mind, The Trial) and Elizabeth Chan (Black Mirror, Silent Witness). The series is produced by Zorana Piggott at 011 Productions and was commissioned by Jody Smith and Sam Lavender at Channel 4.

FrightFest Short Film Programmer Shelagh Rowan-Legg comments: “We are thrilled with the short films programmed this year, with 31 titles from Europe, North America and the Middle East. These films show the incredible diversity of fantastic genre cinema, from gory horror to creepy thrillers to chilling science fiction to moody experimental, with films that are both live action featuring amazing actors, and stunning stop-motion animation. FrightFest audiences have the opportunity to see emerging talents as well as regular favourites.”

Here are the shorts that will be on All 4:

Night Feed (Dir. Christian James)

A young mum is woken in the middle of the night by her hungry, crying baby. In the dark and half conscious, she autopilots her way through the nightly routine… but tonight, something else is waiting.

Bath Time (Dir. Rose Glass)

Every night before she goes to bed, Evy listens to a self-help tape that aims to tackle her crippling anxiety disorder. But while having a bath, her anxieties take on a horribly physical form…

The Doorkeeper (Dir. Weronika Tofilska)

A janitor walks through a long, dark corridor at night, closing a number of doors on his way. But the job is not as easy as it seems, since someone – or something – is intent on keeping them open.

Behind You (Dir. Lee Lennox)

A little girl’s favourite bed-time read is a creepy 19th century spectral illusions book, which hides a nasty surprise for the girl’s babysitter.

What the Dog Saw (Dir. Andrew Brand)

All Linda wants to do is sleep but her dog Max won’t stop barking. If only she knew what the dog saw…

Killing Time (Dir. Michelle Fox)

A rebellious intern wastes time at work on her mobile phone and discovers a vengeful boss is a force to be reckoned with.

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