We had the opportunity to screen five of the films featured in the annual FrightFest this past summer in London. Promoting “the Dark Heart of Cinema,” FearFest 2025 included close to 100 features (both new films and recent restorations) and short film showcases across five days.
Though it was not one of the ones we had a chance to view, I was excited to see that their programming included the new 4K restoration of Harry Kümel’s Malpertuis (The Legend of Doom House) based on the classic “Belgian-weird” novel of Jean Ray. A definitive translation of that novel is available from Wakefield Press and the film adaptation is available on physical media from Radiance or as a Digital Cinema Package for screenings from an AGFA library scan.
Of the five that we were able to view, none have physical media releases yet, but two have been released for rent on various digital streaming platforms. The remaining three are awaiting further release expected in 2026, so keep on the lookout.
Here then are some capsule information/reviews on the five films we screened, in the arbitrary order I watched them in: Your Host, Pig Hill, 213 Bones, Noseeums, and The Red Mask:
• Your Host; directed by DW Medoff; written by Joey Miller; starring Jackie Earle Haley, Ella-Rae Smith, Jamie Flatters, & Seth Michaels; 89 mins; available now streaming to rent.
Disgraced former game show host Barry Miller captures and holds four friends captive to play against one another in demented, deadly games that are designed to reveal truths about their relationships and vanities. Accurately classified within the same sub-genre as the Saw franchise by most reviews, Your Host has also been criticized as a derivative, pale imitation of that series, a judgement I wouldn’t agree with. Though sharing a skeletal plot and several broad themes, I’d argue that Your Host improves upon much of Saw by enhancing the connections between the friends and Miller and going deeper into the psychology of what they’ve done. The physical means of achieving the kills also make more sense within the mock game show context. But the clear highlight of Your Host is the complexity that underlies Miller’s madness and murderous turn, and the brilliantly manic performance by Jackie Earle Haley. If you are a fan of this subgenre of horror, or enjoy masterful unhinged villains, then this should be a movie to check out. Immediately after its world premier at FrightFest, Your Host was released online to streaming platforms.
• Pig Hill; directed by Kevin Lewis; written by Jarrod Burris; starring Rainey Qualley, Shiloh Fernandez, Shane West, & Tammy Pescatelli; 100 mins; available now streaming to rent.
Carrie and her older brother Chris grew up together in Meadville, PA, near the swine farms near Radio Tower and the local legends that arose about the hybrid pig people of Pig Hill that take wary women. Freshly split from her husband and learning of the tenth woman reported missing in the vicinity of Pig Hill, aspiring writer Carrie decides to investigate the legend for a book. But Carrie also must deal with overprotective Chris (who is business partners with Carrie’s estranged husband) trying to overcome his own traumas. Pig Hill is based on the novel Pig: A Supernatural Thriller by Nancy Williams, and perhaps for this reason the characterization of the movie is particularly developed, as are the plot twists. I also began watching this expecting a slasher that didn’t take itself very seriously, only to discover those genre and tonal expectations were off. This made me appreciate that Pig Hill was not proceeding in expected fashion, though I did wish it had gone down a supernatural route (which the novel may stick with?) rather than turning to more psychological horror that explores the blurring of reality and fantasy. The local setting of the film ends up feeling like the real star, but upon the shift from slasher/folk horror to psychological horror that setting takes an unfortunate back seat to the main characters that never manage to be more interesting. In October Pig Hill had its US debut at the Nightmares Film Festival followed by a limited theatrical release before being released online to streaming platforms.
• 213 Bones; directed by Jeffrey Primm; written by Dominic Arcelin & Jeffrey Primm; starring Colin Egglesfield, Dean Cameron, Toni Weiss, & Liam Woodrum; 85 mins; release TBD.
Members of a university anthropology class find themselves targeted by a mysterious masked killer who leaves bones for the next victim to discover. It is up to the professor, the students, the local sheriff, and the local coroner to identify or catch the killer before another body is left for forensic anthropologic analysis. One part slasher and one part whodunit murder mystery, this is another movie where setting becomes predominant, in this case a picturesque campus in Washington state. 213 Bones takes its name from the approximate number of bones in the adult human body, and the movie basically continues to follow textbook expectations for a horror/mystery from there. The characters are a mixed continuum from the likable heroic to the obnoxious and fully unlikable, all with their individual secrets and possible connections. Although an exceptionally routine movie, it is well done with a good cast and therefore makes for an entertaining watch. To my knowledge the movie hasn’t had a debut in the US yet, but is still expected to have a wide release online sometime ahead in early 2026.
• Noseeums; directed by Raven Carter; written by Jason-Michael Anthony & Hendreck Joseph; starring Aleigha Burt, Tabitha Getsy, Trisha Arozqueta, & Jasmine Nguyen; 80 mins; release TBD.
College student Ember accepts an invitation to join a small group of friends for a girls trip at the Florida country vacation home of affluent Abigail. Once there Ember begins to question the nature of her friendship with some of the girls and also finds herself drawn to the marshy backwoods surrounding the home, an eerie landscape that holds visions of lynchings and graves, and plagues of the black no-see-ums bugs. Ember gradually realizes the ghosts of her ancestors are trying to speak to her and reveal the truth of the land and its history. Noseeums is an effective story of a haunting that explores important issues of race in history and the present day. The climax/ending of the movie is strong and Aleigha Burt’s performance is one of exceptional depth and complexity. However, the film is weakened somewhat by a heavy-handedness to its script/themes and portrayal of the friends. Yet, of the five films watched from the FearFest selections, this is probably the one I’d be most interested in revisiting for a fresh perspective. Noseeums had its US premier at the Mill Valley Film Festival in October and is expected to have a broad streaming release early in 2026.
• The Red Mask; directed by Ritesh Gupta; written by Samantha Gurash & Patrick Robert Young; starring Inanna Sarkis, Helena Howard, Kelli Garner, & Jake Abel; 91 mins; release TBD.
Accomplished and outspoken script writer Allina Green is picked by the studio to write the next installment of a popular slasher franchise called “The Red Mask.” Of course, this is met with immediate online troll vitriol who object to a queer, feminist woman producing her new take on a classic series. Battling writer’s block and trying to ignore online death threats and abuse, Allina seeks refuge in an isolated country cabin rented over Airbnb with her fiancée Deetz. As Deetz tries to help Allina work out details of her script and mentally support her, another couple arrives claiming they have the cabin booked for an overlapping time. Despite wariness, Allina and Deetz allow the man and woman to enter, but find interactions begin to turn darker and dangerous. I adored the meta nature of this movie, and its relation to/presentation of modern society is spot-on. Though a slasher/home invasion film at heart and in whole (reference to Funny Games is made), The Red Mask plays with the tropes of that sub-genre in clever ways, with a great cast throughout and a particularly fantastic conclusion. With limited characters and setting the script keeps the movie tight and well-paced. The Red Mask has had US screenings at Screamfest Film Festivals in October and November, and is expected to have a broad streaming release early in 2026.
