Glowflare Horror Film Festival
| Location | Yorkshire, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2024 |
| Founded by | Daniel Smales |
| Awards | 20 |
| Hosted by | Parkway Cinemas |
| Language | English |
| Website | www.glowflarehorrorfestival.com |
Glowflare Horror Film Festival is an independent horror film festival founded in 2024 by Daniel Smales. The festival celebrates the art of filmmaking in horror genres, offering a platform for independent filmmakers from the UK and internationally to showcase their work.[1] The festival took place in Beverley, United Kingdom.[2] The event has been hosted since 2025 at Parkway Cinemas an independent cinema known for its modern facilities and support for independent film events.[3][4]
The festival welcomes short and feature length films of horror genre and sub genres.[5] Submissions are managed through FilmFreeway, a platform that simplifies the process for filmmakers to submit their works to festivals.[1]
History
Founded in 2024, submissions for the inaugural event were opened exclusively through FilmFreeway on 11 August 2024.[1] The festival was announced publicly by Daniel Smales, the festival director, in April 2025.[6] The festival accepted both short (under 40 minutes) and feature-length films, with submissions categorised under animation, comedy, folk horror, found footage, gore/extreme, monster/creature, psychological, science fiction/fantasy, slasher, supernatural, and zombie.[4][7][8][9] Tickets for the first festival were made available through the Parkway Cinemas website on 4 April 2025.[10][11][12] Final submissions was accepted until 18 April 2024.[13] Submissions included works from both local and international filmmakers, with entries from the United States, Canada, and Europe, highlighting the festival’s openness to international participation.[14]
"All This Time," "The Reign of Queen Ginnarra," and "The Cellar" were announced as part of the first official selections for the 2025 Glowflare Horror Film Festival, as reported by the Yorkshire Times.[15][16] The official trailer for the 2025 Glowflare Horror Film Festival was released on 10 May 2025 on YouTube, offering a preview of the films and events scheduled for the festival’s inaugural edition.[17] The final line-up was announced on 12 May 2025.[18] The 2025 programme featured films produced across a wide range of budgets, from no-budget shorts to feature films completed for up to $350,000 (approximately £280,000), reflecting the diversity of production scales in independent horror filmmaking.[19] Award nominations was announced on 13 May 2025.[20]
The short film "Sour Tooth" by Inverclyde-based filmmakers Scott McIntosh, Cameron McDonald, and Rachael McAlonan premiered at the 2025 Glowflare Horror Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Editing and Best Film Made for Under £1,000.[21][22] The festival concluded with an awards ceremony on 18 May, where All This Time won Best Feature Film, Best Director (Rob Worsey), Best Actor (Daniel De Bourg), and the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature. Other winners included Tears of Sorrow for Best Short Film, and Lost Angels for Best Screenplay and Best Editing.[23][24]
Submissions opened for its 2026 season on 1 May 2025, reflecting its intention to become a recurring event on the film festival calendar.[25]
Official Selection
The following is the list of films selected for the inaugural Glowflare Horror Film Festival in 2025:
| Project | Director(s) | Runtime | Type | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All This Time | Rob Worsey | 1:29:00 | Feature | United Kingdom |
| Blood on the Bleachers | Chase Dudley | 13:40 | Feature | United States |
| Candy | Giuseppe Marino | 16:03 | Short | Italy |
| Chainsaws Were Singing | Sander Maran | 1:57:33 | Feature | Estonia |
| Disease | Alex Masciotra-Milstein | 4:58 | Short | Canada |
| Evil Dinner | Jose Murzia | 10:10 | Short | Mexico |
| Firecrow | Markham Samuels | 19:55 | Short | Canada |
| Goodnight Sweetheart | Kathrin Told | 28:43 | Short | United Kingdom |
| Gretchen | Dean Addison | 18:20 | Short | United Kingdom |
| How To Kill Monsters | Stewart Sparke | 01:35:00 | Feature | United Kingdom |
| Karen | Dean Addison & Marc Zammit | 13:58 | Short | United Kingdom |
| Lady and the Tooth | Shaun Clark | 8:00 | Short | United Kingdom |
| Lost Angels | Peder Pedersen | 01:35:47 | Feature | Denmark |
| Mother Mary | Warren Dudley | 17:15 | Short | United Kingdom |
| Rip Advisor | Ludovic Matthey | 9:48 | Short | Switzerland |
| Sanitorium | Bruno Martínez | 14:00 | Short | Spain |
| Shape in the Lake | Falko Jakobs | 22:00 | Short | Germany |
| Tears of Sorrow | Jodie R. Tuccio | 7:47 | Short | United States |
| The Abyss | Orlando Del Maestro, Josh Flower | 5:51 | Short | United Kingdom |
| The Allure | Josh Wood | 13:30 | Short | Canada |
| The Birdwatcher | Ryan Mackfall | 13:40 | Short | United Kingdom |
| The Cellar | Jamie Langlands | 2:06 | Feature | United Kingdom |
| The Dead of Winter | Stephen Graves | 11:42 | Short | United Kingdom |
| The Five Stages of… | Glenn L Lisser | 06:00 | Short | United Kingdom |
| The Reign of Queen Ginnarra | Lawrie Brewster | 1:39:00 | Feature | United Kingdom |
| The Xmascist | Andy Winward | 06:58 | Short | United Kingdom |
| Uncanny Valley | Diego Pino | 9:00 | Short | Venezuela |
Awards
The festival recognises the achievements of filmmakers in variety of the following awards.[1]
- Best Feature Film
- Best Short Film
- Best Director
- Best Screenplay
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress
- Best Cinematography
- Best Editing
- Best Score
- Best Sound Design
- Best Special Effects (Practical or CGI)
- Best Hair & Makeup
- Best Creature Design
- Best Film Made for £50,000 or Less
- Best Film Made for £1,000 or Less
- Best Kill Scene
- Best Gorefest
- Best Villain
- Audience Choice Award(s)
| Key | |
|---|---|
| Award Nomination | |
| Award Winner | |
| Award | Nominee / Award Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Feature Film | All This Time (Directed by Rob Worsey) |
| Queen Ginnarra (Directed by Lawrie Brewster) | |
| Lost Angels (Directed by Peder Pedersen) | |
| The Cellar (Directed by Jamie Langlands) | |
| How to Kill Monsters (Directed by Stewart Sparke) | |
| Blood on the Bleachers (Directed by Chase Dudley) | |
| Best Short Film | Shape in the Lake (Directed by Falko Jakobs) |
| Rip Advisor (Directed by Ludovic Matthey) | |
| Tears of Sorrow (Directed by Jodie R. Tuccio) | |
| Goodnight Sweetheart (Directed by Kathrin Told) | |
| Mother Mary (Directed by Warren Dudley) | |
| Evil Dinner (Directed by Jose Murzia) | |
| Gretchen (Directed by Dean Addison) | |
| The Abyss (Directed by Orlando Del Maestro and Josh Flower) | |
| Best Director | Rob Worsey (All This Time) |
| Peder Pedersen (Lost Angels) | |
| Lawrie Brewster (The Reign of Queen Ginnarra) | |
| Jamie Langlands (The Cellar) | |
| Markham Samuels (Firecrow) | |
| Dean Addison (Gretchen) | |
| Kathrin Told (Goodnight Sweetheart) | |
| Stewart Sparke (How to Kill Monsters) | |
| Best Screenplay | All This Time (Written by Rob Worsey) |
| The Cellar (Written by Jamie Langlands) | |
| The Abyss (Written by Josh Flower) | |
| Lost Angels (Written by Jan Lundager Iversen) | |
| Goodnight Sweetheart (Written by Kathrin Told) | |
| The Reign of Queen Ginnarra (Written by Lawrie Brewster & Sarah Daly) | |
| Mother Mary (Written by Warren Dudley) | |
| How To Kill Monsters (Written by Paul Butler and Stewart Sparke) | |
| Best Actor | Daniel De Bourg (All This Time) |
| Adrian Linke (Shape in the Lake) | |
| Nathan Plumite (Firecrow) | |
| Andrew Gourlay (The Reign of Queen Ginnarra) | |
| Bastien Burgi (Rip Advisor) | |
| Neil James (The Cellar) | |
| Leonard Patterson (Blood on the Bleachers) | |
| Anto Sharp (Gretchen) | |
| Best Actress | Agnes Born (Lost Angels) |
| Megan Tremethick (The Reign of Queen Ginnarra) | |
| Emily Rose Holt (All This Time) | |
| Hannah McClean (The Abyss) | |
| Meghan Adara (The Cellar) | |
| Lyndsey Craine (How to Kill Monsters) | |
| Arriana Harris (Blood on the Bleachers) | |
| Angie Sutcliffe (Karen) | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Micki Stoltt (Lost Angels) |
| Stephen Corrall (The Reign of Queen Ginnarra) | |
| Johnny Vivash (How To Kill Monsters) | |
| Gary Sowerby (The Xmasist) | |
| Xavo Giménez (Sanitorium) | |
| Houston Buckley (Blood on the Bleachers) | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Darcey Alice Brown (All This Time) |
| Emma Pallant (All This Time) | |
| Charlotte Mashall (The Cellar) | |
| Alessandra Aulicino (Candy) | |
| Perrine Casper (Tears of Sorrow) | |
| Michaela Longden (How To Kill Monsters) | |
| Best Cinematography | Goodnight Sweetheart |
| All This Time | |
| Lost Angels | |
| Shape in the Lake | |
| The Birdwatcher | |
| The Cellar | |
| The Reign of Queen Ginnarra | |
| How to Kill Monsters | |
| Best Editing | All This Time |
| Lost Angels | |
| Rip Advisor | |
| Shape in the Lake | |
| Tears of Sorrow | |
| Sour Tooth | |
| Goodnight Sweetheart | |
| How to Kill Monsters | |
| Best Score | All This Time |
| Shape in the Lake | |
| Tears of Sorrow | |
| Evil Dinner | |
| How to Kill Monsters | |
| Firecrow | |
| The Birdwatcher | |
| The Reign of Queen Ginnarra | |
| Best Sound Design | The Disease |
| Lady and The Tooth | |
| Rip Advisor | |
| How to Kill Monsters | |
| Gretchen | |
| Tears of Sorrow | |
| Best Special Effects | Firecrow |
| Tears of Sorrow | |
| Disease | |
| Shape in the Lake | |
| How to Kill Monsters | |
| The Reign of Queen Ginnarra | |
| Best Hair & Makeup | The Reign of Queen Ginnarra |
| The Xmasist | |
| Tears of Sorrow | |
| All This Time | |
| Blood on the Bleachers | |
| Goodnight Sweetheart | |
| Best Creature Design | Uncanny Valley |
| Firecrow | |
| The Reign of Queen Ginnarra | |
| Tears of Sorrow | |
| Evil Dinner | |
| How to Kill Monsters | |
| Best Film Made for £50,000 or Less | The Dead of Winter (Directed by Stephen Graves) |
| Uncanny Valley (Directed by Diego Pino) | |
| Tears of Sorrow (Directed by Jodie R. Tuccio) | |
| Firecrow (Directed by Markham Samuels) | |
| Goodnight Sweetheart (Directed by Kathrin Told) | |
| The Cellar (Directed by Jamie Langlands) | |
| Sanitorium (Directed by Bruno Martínez) | |
| Karen (Directed by Dean Addison & Marc Zammit) | |
| Best Film Made for £1,000 or Less | Candy (Directed by Giuseppe Marino) |
| Shape in the Lake (Directed by Falko Jakobs) | |
| Mother Mary (Directed by Warren Dudley) | |
| The Allure (Directed by Josh Wood) | |
| The Abyss (Directed by Orlando Del Maestro & Josh Flower) | |
| Sour Tooth (Directed by Scott McIntosh) | |
| Lady and the Tooth (Directed by Shaun Clark) | |
| Gretchen (Directed by Dean Addison) | |
| Best Kill Scene | Tears of Sorrow |
| Rudi the Blood Nosed Reindeer | |
| Lost Angels | |
| Rip Advisor | |
| Mother Mary | |
| How to Kill Monsters | |
| Best Gorefest | Disease |
| Goodnight Sweetheart | |
| Tears of Sorrow | |
| Chainsaws Were Singing | |
| Rudi the Blood Nosed Reindeer | |
| How to Kill Monsters | |
| The Five Stages Of | |
| Rip Advisor | |
| Best Villain | Perrine Casper (Tears of Sorrow) |
| Micki Stoltt (Lost Angels) | |
| Neil James (The Cellar) | |
| Cole Williams (Rudi the Blood Nosed Reindeer) | |
| Angie Sutcliffe (Karen) | |
| Dan De Bourg (All This Time) | |
| Halo Haynes (Gretchen) | |
| Megan Tremethick (The Reign of Queen Ginnarra) | |
| Audience Choice | All This Time (Best Feature Film) |
| Disease (Best Short Film) | |
| Disease (Scariest Film) | |
| How To Kill Monsters (Most Entertaining Horror) |
References
- ^ a b c d "Glowflare Short Film Festival". FilmFreeway. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Glowflare Horror Film Festival". Parkway Cinemas. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
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- ^ "Glowflare Horror Film Festival Brings A Weekend Of Scares To Beverley In May". Yorkshire Times. 8 April 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
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- ^ "Glowflare Horror Film Festival is a resounding success for filmmakers". Yorkshire Post. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ Emily Bennett (19 April 2025). "Glowflare Horror Film Festival kicks off with vampires, sorcery and amnesia". Love Horror. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Glowflare Horror Film Festival Unveils First Selections Ahead Of May Event". Yorkshire Times. 18 April 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Glowflare Horror Film Festival 2025". YouTube. 10 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "New horror film festival launches in East Yorkshire". Yorkshire Post. 12 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Horror Highlights: Bride Of Re‑Animator 4K, Glowflare Horror Film Festival, Night After Night". Daily Dead. 16 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Glowflare Horror Festival 17–18 May". Just Beverley. 13 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Inverclyde filmmakers premiere short film at horror festival". Greenock Telegraph. 24 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Movie making friends Inverclyde hit". Yahoo News UK. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Horror Highlights: Jurassic World Rebirth, Bride Of The Living Chad, Glowflare Horror Festival, Arrow". Daily Dead. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Horror Film Festival A Resounding Success For Filmmakers". Chimeo. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Horror Film Festival A Resounding Success For Filmmakers". Yorkshire Times. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Glowflare Horror Film Festival 2025 Awards". Glowflare Horror Film Festival. Retrieved 4 July 2025.