Tag: Welsh horror

2025: My year in horror – January

January 20th, 2026

It’s the second week of January and, somehow, I’ve only watched four movies so far this year. 2025 had a bloody brilliant start, with me going to see Nosferatu on New Year’s Day – 2026 hasn’t started with as majestic a bang! (Although seeing 28 Years Later and The Bone Temple as movies 3 and 4 has helped!)

Last year was absolutely brilliant for horror cinema and I thought I’d write a round-up of my year in horror. I fully planned to do this last January, wrapping up 2024’s movies. I mapped it out, got as far as February or March, got overwhelmed and ditched it. So this year, I’m eating the elephant in chunks (or whatever that weird phrase is) and breaking it down. I want to challenge myself to write more regularly and forcing myself into a 12 month retrospective is hardly the best place to start!

I am relying on love of my life, Letterboxd, to go through my year otherwise I won’t bloody remember anything. As I go month by month, I’ll link to various reviews and videos to mix it up a bit, in an attempt to make this somewhat digestible. I logged 311 films in 2025 (god knows how many I forgot to log…), covered 7 film festivals as press and got so many brilliant review opportunities. I’m a bit proud of myself, even if I don’t know what to do with that feeling.

New movies

Nosferatu was a wonderful way to start the year and I fell in love with how beautiful it was. The cinematography, costumes, score, performances and Orlok himself were all exquisite. In typical me fashion, I’d planned to write or record a full review but after I left this hilarious Letterboxd note I left it as it was. Nosferatu was also my second movie of the year – I went back to watch it again, this time on IMAX which really allowed me to see the glorious depths of the darkness.

After the excitement of Nosferatu, I was really excited for the rest of the year ahead. The first horror festival of the year was Horror on Sea (which is running as I write) which, for me, was a mixed bag of films. A few were awful, but don’t want to name names as I always feel terrible being negative about indie films. Plus, it may just not be my taste and someone else may love it. But there were also some pretty good and some absolutely great films.

Very Frightening Tales (2023), Take from Me (2024), Bring Me A Skin For Dancing In (2024) and Virus Detected (2025) were all enjoyable movies and with two anthologies in the mix, there’s usually something for me to love among the shorts.

My favourites of the festival were The Mill Killers (2024) and Protein (2024), two Welsh movies that I think were just brilliant. Both perfectly captured the feeling of small Welsh towns and I will always love seeing Wales portrayed on film. I’d definitely recommend both – The Mill Killers is available to watch for free on Prime and you can rent Protein on Prime too.

Marginalia (2025) was an absolutely gloriously absurd movie, which I’d really love to see again. It doesn’t seem to have been released in the UK yet, but I’m hopeful for a physical media release.

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A Stranger in the Woods (2024) is a great found footage movie you can watch for free with ads on Found TV or Plex. Horror on Sea also had some great shorts – I watched and enjoyed Sincopat (2023), Forever Yours (2024) and One Night Only (2023), another Welsh offering that I thought was fantastic.

The other new watches for the month were Books of Blood (2020), A Bay of Blood (1971), Room 6 (2006), Funeral Home/Cries in the Night (1980) and Swamp Thing (1982). I don’t recall any of them particularly standing out to me, as I didn’t rate or review any of them. But I’m always pushing myself to watch new-to-me movies, instead of rewatching, so I think that was pretty good going. I also watched Bottoms (2023) – not a horror movie, but I love queer movies and I’m definitely trying to watch more non-horror movies and push myself out of my comfort zone a little.

Talking of my comfort zone, though, I rewatched Hereditary (2018) and The Monster Squad (1987). Two movies I will always go back to for a dose of comfort and familiarity – just on opposite ends of the wholesome scale!

Podcasts

I put out two podcast episodes in January 2025, both with very different themes. For Horror Hyperfixations, I waxed lyrical about my love of Ghost Stories and talked to myself about my favourite play for over 3 hours. SPOILER – I ended up going to see Ghost Stories 4 times in 2025. Not that I’m obsessed, or anything…

And furthering my attempt to watch movies outside of the horror genre, I watched Transformers the Movie with my friend Kev for Speshul Features. I’ve never been a Transformers girlie, but the soundtrack slapped and there was a dinosaur robot. Sold!

Books

I go into most years with the goals of reading more, writing more, watching more, so reading Schrader’s Chord by Scott Leeds was a good start to inspire me to keep reading in 2025. When you’re late for work because you can’t put your book down, you know it’s good! (Spoiler: I didn’t read anywhere near enough last year, but at least I read!)

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It’s not the most exciting or well put together of updates, but I did it! Yay me! The rest of the year to come soon!
Grimmfest 2025 – Rabbit Trap

October 11th, 2025

UK/USA, 88 minutes, Directed by Bryn Chainey

Rabbit Trap is an incredibly beautiful folk horror from Bryn Chainey and Spectrevision and I absolutely loved it. I still feel under its spell, even after it’s finished.

Set in Wales, Rabbit Trap follows a married couple who are recording an album in a remote house. Daphne is a musician, Darcy is a sound engineer and Darcy happens upon a neighbour, while out recording in nature. Credited as “the child”, the neighbour seems to be a genderless, ageless being who knows a lot about the area and the local folklore. The tiny, but perfect, cast of Dev Patel, Rosy McEwen and Jade Croot really grounded the fantastical story.

While it was filmed in Yorkshire, Rabbit Trap really captures the magic and beauty of Wales. The scenery, the language and the rich history of myths and legends. I felt very emotional hearing Welsh words and Welsh song in a film that’s been produced outside of Wales (by Spectrevision, no less!) And to hear “be there now in a minute” in a film that will be seen all around the world (starting at bloody Sundance!) was magical in itself.

Sound is so integral to this film and by a happy accident, I watched it with headphones on. The sound design is absolutely incredible and so engrossing. While the plot of film is entirely different, the soundscape reminded me a lot of In the Earth by Ben Wheatley – capturing something ancient, otherworldly and unknowable. For the first time in ages (I know, for shame!) I sat through the entirety of the credits at home, so I could bask in the sound for as long as possible. I really need to see Rabbit Trap on the big screen, not only for the visuals, but to appreciate the sound on huge speakers.

Rabbit Trap is just a glorious film and it’s especially impressive that this is Bryn Chainey’s debut feature. I truly hope that this gets a wide release so I can see it again and more people can experience a little bit of Welsh magic.

Rabbit Trap had it’s European premiere at Grimmfest on 11th October and a UK release date has not yet been announced. Rabbit Trap is available to watch online in the US.
Review – Foxhollow

July 12th, 2025

“If you go looking for monsters…you’ll find them”

Foxhollow is the brilliant debut feature film from Tom Hughes of Ritual Video. Tom has directed, written, edited and starred in Foxhollow and this genuinely tense and scary found footage movie had me making little whimpers of fear!

Set in the South Wales Valleys, Foxhollow follows Tom, a struggling filmmaker that is hired to make a nature documentary by a local eccentric. But once the pair get deep into the woods, their film devolves into a desperate fight for survival. Found footage will always be scary to me, because I forget I’m watching a film. I watch a lot of vlogs, so my brain naturally goes into “let’s watch a nice vlog” mode. Add in the fact that I’m from the valleys and the accents made me feel right at home, and I’m totally immersed and scared for Tom’s survival. Even though he was playing a character and I’ve spoken to him since!

Tom Hughes

Tom does a brilliant job playing “himself” and Paul Black as Trapper Harding is an intimidating presence. Sarah-Louise Tyler and Andrew Lennon both give solid supporting roles, as the Foxhollow park ranger and investigator. Each character felt natural, with relatable dialogue and decisions made – which doesn’t often happen in found footage movies! A character who is skeptical from the off is a breath of fresh, non-infuriating air.

Shot on GoPros and a vlogging camera, the footage is believable and it doesn’t have that “shot on a good camera and made to look shitty in post” feeling. The whole film feels plausible and like fuck am I ever going into the woods in South Wales! It’s real, it’s relatable and it’s made with love and a DIY, punk rock attitude.

Paul Black

Tom’s shorts and music videos are also brilliant and if Foxhollow is anything to go by, Tom has a very bright future in film.

Foxhollow will be released on Halloween and Tom is currently crowd-funding for a physical release. If you’d like to support indie cinema and get yourself a cool AF limited edition DVD to boot, visit Foxhollow on Indiegogo. I’ve backed the crowfunder myself and can’t wait to get my hands on the DVD!

Tom is also planning a screening for local horror fans and cast and crew. Follow Ritual Video on Instagram for updates!
Watch brilliant short, “One Night Only”

March 6th, 2025

In typical me fashion, I’m excited by something new and have entirely cast everything else I should be doing aside. Scrolling Instagram this morning, I saw that ZooTime Productions have made their short “One Night Only” available on Vimeo.

For a whole bunch of reasons, I hadn’t actually shared my review of the short anywhere. But now is the time as I loved it and, as small as my platform is, I always want to champion indie film-makers. Especially as ZooTime Productions’ mission statement is “ZooTime is Wales on film. Welsh people and Welsh stories. We’re part of the foundation of Wales’ growing horror-based national cinema movement. Our goal is to celebrate and showcase these stories. To contribute to Sinema Cymru, and take these stories to worldwide audiences.” I’m nothing, if not an excited little gremlin who will shout from the rooftops about anything Welsh. I’m very proud of being Welsh and the history of the arts in Wales, so filmmaker Josh Harris is my people!

Anyway, enough of my rambles – here is the short! Do yourself a favour and cast it to your tv, if you can. It’s beautiful and deserves the biggest screen you can manage!

One Night Only is a brilliant short, achieving something that I find rare with shorts – really wanting more. I enjoy how stories can be told in a few minutes, creating a little world to be in for a short time. But writer and director, Josh Harris, has done such a good job with One Night Only that I wanted to spend more time with Bex and Rhian and really dig into their relationship. And that’s not a criticism – the film still feels perfectly contained.

It looks beautiful, with lovely cinematography and editing. It’s moody, dark and atmospheric and I loved it. The cast are fantastic, especially Welsh fave Steve Spiers, who I am always delighted to see.

I really can’t wait to see what Josh directs next, as I think what he can create in feature length will be incredible.
Horror on Sea – Darklands restoration and director’s cut

February 8th, 2025

UK, 85 minutes, Directed by Julian Richards

Darklands follows journalist Frazer Truick as he investigates the mysterious death of the brother of trainee journalist Rachel Morris. Delving deeper, Truick becomes convinced that the tragedy was murder, committed by a bizarre religious cult. But as the evidence unfolds, things take on a more sinister and potentially lethal significance for the reporter, as he becomes embroiled in devil worship, witchcraft and ultimately human sacrifice!

How I’d not seen Darklands before now is beyond me, but I’m so glad I finally watched it! Set in South Wales, Darklands follows Frazer Truick (played by Craig Fairbrass) who gets caught up in mystery, pagan rituals and human sacrifice, while investigating for the local paper.

Released in 1996, Darklands has had a 4K restoration ahead of its 30th anniversary. I was lucky to see the director’s cut, which hopefully means a new, shiny release this year or next! I’ve seen the poster for Darklands over the years, but had someone told me it was set in South Wales, with a recognisable cast of Welsh legends and featured the Welsh language and some cool pagan shit, I would have been straight on it! Director Julian Richards is from Newport, too – just down the road! I’m fully in my “embrace the Welsh language and culture” era, so I’m grateful I found it at just the right time.

It’s dark and grotty, with great performances, compelling characters and a really cool score and soundtrack. I was 10 when this movie was made and it was the most delightful snapshot of the valleys in the 90s (although we didn’t have ritual sacrifice in my village. I don’t think…) It’s been hailed as “the Welsh Wicker Man”, which I think is a fair comparison. I really enjoyed it and it’s definitely one I’d add to my collection and watch again.

If you like 90s horror, folk horror, Welsh horror… or a combination of all three, definitely check Darklands out and keep an eye out for screenings or a release of the restoration and director’s cut! Darklands is currently available to stream on Shudder.
Horror on Sea – Virus Detected: A Technology Anthology

January 20th, 2025

UK, 1 hour 30 mins, Directed by Charlie Bond, Paul Cousins, James Hamer-Morton, Geoff Harmer, Chris Josty, James Morrissey, James Plumb, Samuel Rush

When an electrical storm hits during a late-night talk show, a radio DJ receives persistent phone calls from a mysterious caller warning her and telling her stories of electrical appliances having been affected by the storm. Are they true, or just calls for attention?

Virus Detected – A Technology Anthology is an absolute hoot. It’s funny, well written and tied together by a radio DJ taking listener calls during a worldwide electrical storm. All sorts of gadgets start going wrong, from a toaster, to VR headsets. Each short has a different director and the production value is high across the whole film. The performances are great, too!

The Toy was my favourite segment – I think you can imagine what that is about! It was very funny and campy and the line “it’s essentially an Alexa, in the shape of a dick” had me giggling.

Virus detected felt really fresh and fun and I really hope we get more anthologies that are this good. Also, cue a very excited me when I recognised the voice of Dhean Morris (AKA Dheanasaur on Tiktok and Instagram) who was really bloody great (and just one of many Welsh people involved in this film – bendigedig!)

I’m definitely going to be keeping an eye on everyone involved in the production, to see what they do next!
Horror on Sea – Protein

January 12th, 2025

UK, 1 hr 40 mins, Directed by Tony Burke

A gym-obsessed serial killer murders and eats a local drug dealer (for their protein), inadvertently sparking a brutal and bloodthirsty turf war between rival gangs.

Dw i ddim yn hoffi cig, ond roeddwn i’n caru Protein 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

If you don’t speak Welsh, or aren’t learning on Duolingo like me, that means “I don’t like meat, but I loved Protein”. Ex-soldier Sion escapes to South Wales and inadvertently finds himself in the middle of a turf war between drug dealers. And he eats people. Lush. I hesitate to refer to this film as cosy, ‘cos cannibalism, but there’s something incredibly comforting about watching films and tv set in the valleys. The cast are excellent, with lots of familiar faces from Welsh and British film and TV.

Writer and director Tony Burke is English, (coincidentally from Southend, also the home of Horror on Sea) but has perfectly captured the valleys on film. As much as I’d love portrayals of Wales to be all about green valleys, lush waterfalls and male voice choirs, there ARE grotty towns, scummy people and drug problems. I live an hour away from Swansea and Llanelli, where Protein was filmed, and I have encountered many of these characters. It’s so real and grounded in reality, even during the scenes of cannibalism and gore. It’s not sensational, it’s not gratuitous, it’s a depiction that almost feels like you’re watching a documentary. The script is perfect – nothing feels hyperbolic, or a caricature of valleys people. I hear people speak like this every day. It’s probably how I sound, too. I especially relate to the mum in bed, shouting that she needs crisps. What a queen.

I was gutted to have missed this film at FrightFest last year, so was super excited and grateful when Tony got in touch to share the movie. It’s darkly funny, bleak and exciting and I loved every minute. Protein is based on the 2014 short of the same name, which I’ll have to track down and watch. This is Tony’s first feature as writer and director and I think it’s an incredible debut film. Da iawn, Tony!

Protein is screening at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff on Sunday 16th February, at 3 pm.
Horror on Sea – The Mill Killers

January 12th, 2025

UK, 1 hr 40 mins, Directed by Aled Owen

Four girls enter an abandoned factory to retrieve stolen money. Locked inside and hunted, the secret that binds them will be what tears them apart.

“This town is haunted. Not by ghosts. By ghost stories.”

The Mill Killers (originally reviewed as Scopophobia) is an absolute rollercoaster of a film, with tension aplenty. Friends Rhiannon, Mia, Sam and Erin return home to their small Valleys town, haunted by their past. A secret keeps their friendship going, but resentment bubbles under the surface.

I really enjoyed this movie, which will definitely need a rewatch as it’s fast-paced and exciting and my slow goblin brain probably missed loads. It’s a stunning film, with giallo-inspired use of colour and really lovely cinematography.

The cast were fantastic and were a real, believable group of friends. I loved that the main characters are all women and the film captured how toxic friendships can implode. Flawed characters are always really interesting and the performances made it feel like these girls really have gone through a lot together.

The chemistry between lead actress Catrin Jones and writer/director/producer/casting director and actor (impressive!) Aled Owen was palpable. Rhiannon suffers with Scopophobia, the fear of being stared at, and the anxiety and panic attacks were incredibly stressful and tense. As someone who has had panic attacks most of their life, I thought Catrin Jones did a brilliant job of portraying someone in the clutches of a panic attack and I still feel very stressed now!

There is some excellent SFX work and much more blood and gore than I expected. Always a nice surprise! The soundtrack is also great, with original songs from Welsh singer/songwriter GG Fearn. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Aled does next and what Welsh horror has in store for us.