By Mo Moshaty

SXSW LONDON hits the town on 2 June through the 7th!

SXSW London has crept into town like a werewolf whose hair is perfect: polished on the surface but hiding fangs under the Strands section. Blink and you’ll miss SHIVERS, the sinister little corner where horror and genre thrillers lurk and wait. Sure it’s tucked away like a cursed VHS tape, (differing from SXSW Austin, where they put their horror on front street) but trust us: there’s a handful of DELICIOUSLY deranged gems in there we’re dying to sink our teeth into.

First up…

Dead by Dawn – Poland – 87 minutes – Writer/Director: Dawid Torrone, Producers: Katarzyna Kostecka, Kinga Tasarek

A group of actors invited to rehearse a new play in the mysterious theater of the Heissenhoff family, a well-known artistic dynasty with rumored ties to the occult. Soon, what should have been an ordinary rehearsal spirals into a desperate game of survival as a masked killer begins to stalk them. Unbeknownst to the cast, everything-the theater, the play, and the murders-is part of a dark, elaborate ritual.

We love a little theatre whodunnit with a masked killer, and running at a tight 87 minutes, this is sure to be a fun and bloody time.

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Night Silence – Poland – 86 Minutes – Director: Bartosz M. Kowalski, Screenwriters: Bartosz M. Kowalski, Mirella Zaradkiewicz, Paweł Maślana, Producers: Dariusz Pietrykowski, Mirella Zaradkiewicz

Lucjan is admitted to a nursing home, where he is welcomed by the residents and staff. Everything is fine, there are no dark secrets hidden in the basement, no strange, malevolent creatures. Don’t worry about it. Everything – is – fine…

Sigh. It’s hell getting old, and the weight it bares on the adult children (or as we in the horror game call ’em, next) can be excruciating. But it would hurt kicking the tires, looking around and sussing out viscious monsters while you’re shopping for nursing homes for dear old Dad?

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The Occupant – Netherlands – 104 Minutes – Director: Hugo Keijzer, Screewriters: Philip M. Howe, Hugo Keijzer, Roelof Jan Minneboo, Xiao Tang, Producers: Raymond van der Kaaij, Isabel Freer, Jay Taylor, Kwesi Dickson

When Abby, a guilt-ridden engineering geologist in transit from her remote assignment survives a mysterious helicopter crash, she must try to escape the harsh environment. Guided by the voice of a pilot whose plane waas also brought down, Abby feels safe…but she’s dead wrong.

What starts as Survivor: Geologist Edition looks like it’ll spiral into Gaslight in the Georgian Taiga. If horror (and life) has taught us ANYTHING, its never let a man lead or take you to a second location, EVEN IF his voice is soothing and you’re freezing to death.

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The Institute – USA – Series (based on the Stephen King novel of the same name), Director: Jack Bender

Luke Ellis whose parents are murdered. He wakes up at The Institute in a room that looks just like his own, except there’s no window. Outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids. who got there the same way Luke did.

We do love a creepy kid, but let’s be honest, you don’t get pint-sized telepaths without a deeply sinister grown-up pulling the strings.

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So whether you came for the tech talks, the indie darlings, or just wandered into SHIVERS looking for trouble, SXSW London proves it’s more than just startups and soundtracks, it’s a breeding ground for genre chaos in the best way. Tucked between buzzy premieres and experimental showcases are the films that bite back, and remind us why horror will always have a seat at the festival table… even if it’s the one furthest from the firelight.