Whilst many a great fest has been and gone, there are still plenty to come before the year’s out.

Below is a list of horror films you can (hopefully) catch at film fests near you some time soon that we cannot recommend enough! Some we’ve reviewed already, but be sure to keep checking back at Terror Time for the latest news and review/interview coverage of upcoming festivals.

And if you’ve seen these or are looking forward to other festival flicks, let us know in the comments section below.

Isaac Ezban’s THE SIMILARS

Although this has already enjoyed an extensive and successful festival circuit run, there’s still time to catch Isaac Ezban’s THE SIMILARS at the impending Horror Channel FrightFest in London.

Set in the lead up to the Tlatelolco Massacre, considered part of the Mexican Dirty War, when the government used its resources to suppress political opposition, Ezban uses this backdrop as the perfect springboard to blend in a myriad of “Twilight Zone” sci-fi elements as a metaphor to something disturbingly close to home. Some of the film’s more bizarre plot devices certainly poke plenty of proverbial fun at yesteryear’s sci-fi that the film is emulating, but ultimately, the characters’ predicament serves as a powerful allegory of society’s loss of identity and the important role appearance plays in shaping our singularities.

THE SIMILARS will be screening at the Horror Channel FrightFest this 26th August.

Geoff Redknap’s THE UNSEEN

This newfangled take on invisibility tropes eschews time-honored tales of scientists cultivating state-of-the-art serums in favor of a protagonist suffering a rare congenital anomaly which is slowly eating away at him like a cancer; both physically and psychologically. This fresh take paves the way for a much more emotionally character-driven premise of a man battling illnes and also guilt, having abandoned his wife and daughter, before eventually resorting to a life of crime to save his estranged daughter from a rebellious streak, who, just to add salt to the wounds, ends up getting kidnapped by persons unknown.

Redknap has a long history in Hollywood special effects, and as sparingly used as the effects are in THE UNSEEN, the protagonists’ ultimate decay is mind-blowing.

The idea of catching more of a slow-burning, character-driven movie might not resonate with many festivalgoers looking for something with a bit more midnight movie mayhem, but the thriving tension and pristine performances seriously deserve your attention.

THE UNSEEN just hit Fantasia and we’ll let you know as soon as any further festival dates are announced for this one.

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Carles Torrens’ PET

Barcelona-born helmer Carles Torrens’ claustrophobic and obsessive thriller, PET, follows Dominic Monaghan as Seth, who bumps into an old school friend (Ksenia Solo) and forms a rather unhealthy obsession with her before she finds herself caged up and held captive underneath the animal shelter where Seth works.

Whilst the narrative does feel overly familiar at first, don’t be put off, or fooled, as Torrens slips in some seriously unexpected curveballs. I wasn’t particularly familiar with Solo until PET, but after this – the best performance I’ve seen thus far in a film this year – this breakout role (if you’ll pardon the pun) has her destined for big things some time soon.

Amongst other festivals, PET can be caught at the SITGES International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia this October and at the Horror Channel FrightFest this 26th August.

Jackson Stewart’s BEYOND THE GATES

Kids of the VHS era are in for a real treat as Stewart’s directorial debut, BEYOND THE GATES is equal parts an ode to the revolutionary VCR board game, Nightmare, and a love letter to the likes of Lucio Fulci and Tobe Hooper.

The ensemble cast is made up of a list of familiar faces that’ll have genre fans foaming at the mouth, and they all absolutely embrace the whole ’80s/’90s vibe going on and Barbara Crampton plays our VCR game hostess for the evening, putting in one hell of a performance, particularly down to the fact that it’s a role we’re not all that accustomed to seeing her play.

Acting chops and narrative aside, gorehounds will have an absolute field day with some of the most inventive and explosive special effects this side of Carpenter’s THE THING.

Amongst other festivals, BEYOND THE GATES can be caught at the SITGES International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia this October and at the Horror Channel FrightFest this 27th August.

Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski’s THE VOID

Last year’s IndieGoGo campaign for THE VOID reached its goal in next to no time when the Astron-6 collective duo put their minds to their most ambitious project yet, promising the perfect blend of atmospheric dread and visceral (and VERY practical) creature FX:

“With this project we are pooling over ten years of experience to conjure up a terrifying film that will combine the aesthetic attitude of modern horror cinema as it emerged in the 1970s with the splatter and sophisticated practical special effects that ruled the creature features of the 1980s and early ’90s. But make no mistake, unlike MANBORG and FATHER’S DAY, this time we aren’t joking around. We are committed to introducing audiences to a unique horror-mythology.”

THE VOID pits a police officer and a group of hospital staff against a mutating horde of voracious parasitic creatures. Unfortunately for the protagonists, as soon as they’ve holed themselves up in the hospital, they realize the real terror is already inside there with them.

Sounding like a mix of John Carpenter’s classic THE THING, and more recent shockers, Toby Wilkins’ SPLINTER and Masayuki Ochiai’s INFECTION, this one promises all the trappings of the ultimate midnight movie every festivalgoer yearns for.

THE VOID will be getting its World Premiere at Fantastic Fest in September before heading to the SITGES International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia this October.

Cody Calahan’s LET HER OUT

LET HER OUT is the latest project from Black Fawn Films, the minds behind one of last year’s festival faves, BITE.

Dubbed “The Secret Project” until recently, LET HER OUT sees director Cody Calahan make a departure from his ANTISOCIAL franchise to serve up a possesion film of sorts, firmly grounded in an urban environment.

Penned by Adam Seybold and starring Alanna LeVierge, Nina Kiri, and Adam Christie, LET HER OUT follows bike courier Helen (LeVierge) as she begins experiencing inexplicable hallucinations and blackouts. The horrific truth behind her symptoms is that she has a benign tumor which is actually the remains of her “vanishing twin sister” that was absorbed in utero. Just like anyone cooped up for way too long, her evil twin wants to put an end to her life of imprisonment and starts urging Helen to act out her psychotic plan, putting everyone in Helen’s midst in danger.

LET HER OUT will be getting its World Premiere at the Horror Channel FrightFest this 25th August.

You can follow Howard Gorman over on Twitter @HowardGorman

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