Celluloid Screams is Sheffield’s premier Horror Film Festival, celebrating the finest in classic and contemporary horror. Held annually each October at the Showroom Cinema, the festival presents a thrilling lineup of films—from cutting-edge new features to chilling short films crafted by the next generation of genre talent.
Since its inception in 2009, Celluloid Screams has become a must-attend event for horror fans and a key highlight of the UK film festival scene. It’s the ultimate gathering for the horror community to experience the best of the genre on the big screen where it belongs and we’re excited about these selections!
The fest opens Thursday, 24th of October with wild and ghoulish Frankie Freako. A Canadian comedy horror from Steven Kostanski set in the 1980s. It follows Conor (Conor Sweeney), a workaholic yuppie who’s tired of being called boring by his wife Kristina (Kristy Wordsworth) and his boss Mr. Buechler (Adam Brooks). In a desperate attempt to prove he’s fun, Conor calls a party hotline run by Frankie Freako (Matthew Kennedy)—a strange alien creature—and ends up in a whirlwind of intergalactic mayhem.
Inspired by ’80s creature features like Gremlins and Ghoulies, this film is packed with throwback thrills and chaos!
The 25th brings to the screen, the tumultuous family documentary, The Children of The Wicker Man. Fifty years after The Wicker Man (1973), director Robin Hardy’s long-lost papers resurface, landing in the hands of his filmmaker son, Justin. Teaming up with his brother Dominic, the two embark on a journey to unravel the tangled web of independent filmmaking and the complexities of their relationship with their father.
Despite The Wicker Man being hailed as one of the greatest films ever, Robin’s sons grapple with its lasting impact on their family dynamic. Alongside researcher and co-director Chris Nunn, they dive into a trove of newly uncovered production documents, confronting themes of cinema and fatherhood.
Saturday the 26th brings Grafted, a fresh body horror out of New Zealand. When a brilliant but misunderstood Chinese scholarship student faces rejection from her classmates at a prestigious New Zealand university, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Driven by a desire for acceptance, she unleashes her scientific genius in a delightfully grotesque way, concocting a wild plan that’s sure to make her the centre of attention—whether they like it or not!
Features are always a big draw at festivals, but the celebration for shorts at Celluloid look like a hell of a lot of fun, fear and fungus.
Our Top Five:
Amygdala (2024)
After a hostile government takeover implants civilians with a deadly timer, a rag-tag group of survivors questions the validity of their uncertain fates.
Dream Creep (2024)
A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice.
What A Catch (2024)
On a late night trip to the lake, a Victorian fisherman’s evening takes a sinister turn.
A Rotten Woman (2024)
Alice, a kindergarten teacher, finds mushrooms growing on her skin. Despite seeking medical help and support from an elderly neighbor, the fungal infection spreads as her mental health declines.
You Have Reached Your Destination (2023)
With the Google Maps app leading him in circles, a man suspects his phone is purposely lying to him.
About Celluloid Screams
Full Festival Pass: Dive into the entire experience for just £115, which includes an exclusive lanyard and a fabulous festival goodie bag to take home! These passes are on sale now, so grab yours online or swing by the Showroom Box Office to secure your spot!
Day Passes:
Thursday Opening Night Pass: Kick off the festival with a pass for only £25!
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Day Passes: Enjoy a full day of thrills for just £45 each!
Day passes will be available starting at 12 PM on Saturday, September 21. Get them online at Showroom Workstation or in-person at the Showroom Cinema Box Office.
Individual Film Tickets: Want to catch a specific film? Individual tickets are just £12 each, making it easy to pick and choose your favorites!
Seating: When you book your tickets, you’ll get to select your seat, which will be reserved for you throughout the festival. If you plan to enjoy the films with friends, we highly recommend booking your passes together in one transaction so you can all sit together and share the excitement!
Where to Stay: Looking for a place to crash? Our official festival partner hotel is the Leonardo Hotel Sheffield, located at 119 Eyre St, just a short stroll away from the Showroom Cinema. Plus, there’s a special discount rate available for Celluloid Screams attendees! To snag this deal, simply make your booking directly at Leonardo Hotels using the promo code “CELLULOID.” Happy festival planning!
Mo Moshaty is an acclaimed horror writer, lecturer, and producer whose work combines visceral storytelling with the psychological insight of her Cognitive Behavioral Therapy background. She has lectured internationally, including as a keynote speaker at Nightmares from Monkeypaw: A Jordan Peele Symposium (Prairie View A&M), No Return: A Yellowjackets Symposium (Horror Studies BAFSS Sig), The Whole Damn Swarm: Celebrating 30 Years of Candyman (University of California), and with the Centre for the History of the Gothic (University of Sheffield). Mo has also presented at the BFI, Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, and Final Girls Berlin Film Festival’s Brain Binge on women’s trauma in horror cinema, Cine-Excess on The Creepy Kid Horror Subgenre and Mother/Daughter Trauma in Horror, and Romancing the Gothic on Cosmic Horror’s Havoc on The Body Electric Her short film, 13 Minutes of Horror: Sci-Fi Horror, won the 2022 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Short Film. As a core producer with Nyx Horror Collective, Mo co-created the 13 Minutes of Horror Film Fest and partnered with Shudder in 2021 and 2022, while also establishing a Stowe Story Labs fellowship supporting women creatives over 40+ in horror. A member of the Black Women in Horror Class of 2023 and featured in 160 Black Women in Horror, Mo’s short fiction appears in A Quaint and Curious Volume of Gothic Tales (Brigid’s Gate Press) and 206 Word Stories (Bag O’ Bones Press). Her debut novella, Love the Sinner, was released July 5, 2024, with Clairviolence: Tales of Tarot and Torment released in October 2025. The first of her five-volume non-fiction series, The Annex of the Obscure: The Afterlife, will be released in 2027 from Tenebrous Press. As the Editor-in-Chief of NightTide Magazine and founder of Mourning Manor Media, Mo champions marginalized voices in horror. Under her leadership, NightTide plans to launch a film festival in 2028, furthering her mission to reshape the genre through inclusivity and representation.
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