Running 16–19 October at Broadway, Nottingham, Mayhem Film Festival has unveiled the 17 films in this year’s Short Film Programme. Two showcases. Seven UK premieres. A mix of brand-new names and old friends returning with fresh nightmares.
Shorts have always been part of Mayhem’s DNA. The festival itself started with a single programme 20 years ago, and this format still feels like the best way to discover fresh ideas, bold new voices, and freaky little stories you won’t shake off quickly.
For the third year running, The Nottingham Horror Collective's Emily Malone worked with the Mayhem team to curate the line-up, pulling together a mix of surreal comedies, unsettling horrors, and shorts that blur the line between reality and nightmare. One minute she was cackling, the next she was peeking through her fingers. Then came the tears. It was a ride.
Showcase #1
Séances that backfire. A hazing ritual with unexpected consequences. Sleep-talking that turns sinister. Even an existential crisis triggered by waving at a stranger. This strand swings between eerie period pieces and sharp, modern fables — with a few bloody surprises along the way.
Speak with the Dead
Dir. Stephanie Paris, US, 12m12
In 1850, the Fox sisters hold a seance for a wealthy couple who want to call on their deceased son's spirit to give them closure. When the girls' parlour tricks backfire, the audience begins to catch on.
AMIRA
Dir. Javier Yañez Sanz, Spain, 15m, with English subtitles
In the XVIII Century, there is a music school where it's always dark…
Night Whispers
Dir. Adrian León, UK, 6m50
A night of passion takes a terrifying turn for Tom when his date starts talking in their sleep.
FEMME [UK Premiere]
Dir. Nina Noël Raaijmakers, Netherlands, 17m08, with English subtitles
Young student Fem discovers an interesting hunger that her body develops after a hazing ritual forces her to have sex for the first time.
The Second Time Around
Dir. Jack Howard, UK, 12m00
On a rainy night, while closing a café, a young waitress is confronted by a mysterious older woman.
TV or the Disturbance on Forest Hill Road
Dir. Frederic Siegel, Switzerland, 14m09, with English subtitles
A police patrol is drawn into a vortex of fictional worlds, triggered by the extensive TV consumption of a little boy.
The Man that I Wave at
Dir. Ben S. Hyland, UK, 10m38
Dave’s life is turned upside down after his wife teases him about the identity of the man that he waves at. Unsure who the man is or why he waves, Dave spirals into an existential crisis as he struggles to put the pieces together.
MUFF [UK Premiere]
Dir. Elliot Ancona, UK, 5m55
Dive into this darkly comic and bloody fable where commitment-phobic Noah is spellbound to fight a duel for the hand of a spectral lady whose bewitching Muff is an accessory…to die for.
Don’t Be Afraid [UK Premiere]
Dir. Mats Udd, Sweden, 14m57, with English subtitles
A tormented photographer makes a comeback with freshly taken photos at the very location where his son once disappeared. During the exhibition, visitors suddenly realize that there's someone lurking in the background of several photos.
Showcase #2
Think ancient grandmas who feed on kids’ youth, bureaucratic fever dreams, and a pinhole-camera folk horror maze. There’s gory fun, surreal breakdowns, and body horror that’ll stick with you long after the credits.
Grandma Is Thirsty
Dir. Kris Carr, UK, 14m30
All George wants is to stop getting pushed around by the local bullies. So when a pair of weird twins offer to introduce him to their grandma they say can “make him big & strong”, he jumps at the chance. One problem: Grandma is an ancient creature who feeds on children’s youth.
In and Out of the Hornbeam Maze [UK Premiere]
Dir. Tomas Stark, Sweden, 5m28
Four kids are playing in a garden maze on a summer’s day. One by one they are about to meet their fears. Based on a horror ballad by Helen Adam. The film is shot on a pinhole camera.
Civil Service [UK Premiere]
Dir. Tiffany Kimmel, US, 15m30
Civil Service follows a single man in charge of ‘family services’ through a typical workday as he denies requests for government assistance while being confronted by his psyche in the form of his dead mother. It is a surrealist exploration of corporate bureaucracy and the kinds of men who choose to rise within government agencies only to dismantle what the public entrusts them to protect.
Skeeter
Dir. Chris McInroy, US, 3m55
A backyard party goes bonkers when this one weird guy shows up.
The Unbearing [UK Premiere]
Dir. ALSO Sisters, US, 14m17
After resorting to an illegal abortion, a pest control worker must exterminate the sinister presence growing inside of her before it takes control over her own body and life
Last Call
Dir. Winnie Cheung, US, 7m
When a high-speed crash sends Claudia spiraling between reality and illusion, her nights grow darker and more unhinged.
Zoé [UK Premiere]
Dir. Rémi St-Michel, Canada, 15m52
The remaining shreds of Zoe's mind desperately cling to her vague memories of better feelings.
Whitch
Dir. Hoku Uchiyama, US, 5m42
After putting her daughter to bed, Aura discovers an intruder in her house: an elderly lady who acts strangely familiar, and who is hell-bent on performing a bloody ritual before midnight.
A limited amount of Full Festival Passes and individual tickets remain available. For more information, and to book passes, please visit www.mayhemfilmfestival.com
For press enquiries, please contact the team at mayhemfilmfest@gmail.com
