Programmer Darcie Faccio introduces this year's edition of Horrorthon, the Irish Film Institute's annual celebration of the finest (and scariest) in horror cinema from across the globe.
The most wonderful time of the year for Irish horror fans returns to the hallowed halls of the Irish Film Institute. Now in its third decade, this year's programme celebrates the festival's ongoing evolution with a mix of meticulously handpicked premiere screenings, International films, classic restorations and immersive events.
Opening the festival on October 23rd is the Irish premiere of 2025's most anticipated horror release — Shelby Oaks. The landmark debut from YouTuber-turned-director Chris Stuckmann and executive producer Mike Flanagan weaves a sinister tapestry of grief, memory, and folklore set against a backdrop of visually arresting imagery. As the highest-funded horror feature in Kickstarter history, its success showcases the growing audience appetite for original genre storytelling, which echoes Horrorthon’s own festival ethos.
Also on opening night, be the first to experience the 20th anniversary screening of The Descent, in a stunning new 4K restoration. Neil Marshall expertly utilises an all-female cast, masterful lighting and dynamic camerawork to deliver a complex, claustrophobic interrogation of friendship dynamics, trauma, and primal instinct. The result is one of the most truly frightening and compelling horror films of the 21st century.
Following last year's successful debut, our dedicated In Focus strand returns for 2025. Conceived to engage a new generation of horror enthusiasts, it invites newcomers (and seasoned cinephiles) to discover defining movements of the genre, while offering the opportunity to experience lesser-screened titles on the big screen. This year will explore the transgressive filmmaking of the New French Extremity. Seen as a cinematic response to the cultural, social, and political alienation of post-millennial Europe, or argued as simply a celebration and exploitation of human cruelty, these boundary-pushing films merge the beauty of arthouse cinematography and formal experimentation with disturbing and oftentimes brutal subject matter. Titles on offer include Gaspar Noé’s acclaimed Irréversible and Pascal Laugier's Martyrs.
Across the weekend, we will also be showcasing the best in new international horror cinema. This year’s lineup includes Attack 13 from Thailand; New Zealand’s We Bury the Dead; and Flush from French director Grégory Morin. This year, Horrorthon is proud to partner with District Film Club for a one-off Vampire's Ball event. In a packed venue takeover, IFI's screens will play host to three classic films: Let The Right One In, Blade, and Lord of Illusions, all culminating in an after-party in the IFI foyer featuring District DJs. Fancy dress is strongly encouraged.
Horrorthon favourites returning include our Friday late-night double feature, with three screenings to choose from, including Re-Animator and Demons; the Surprise Film (not to be missed!); the Secret Classic; and, following its sold-out success last year, our Horror Table Quiz is back. The festival will close with Bryan Fuller's Dust Bunny, a visually ravishing tale of a young girl who hires a hitman to take care of the monster under her bed, starring Mads Mikkelsen.
As always, Horrorthon continues to champion the significance of horror cinema in all its forms while building a community of genre fans, newcomers and regulars alike, to join us in celebrating this yearly cinematic rite.
Horrorthon 2025 is at the Irish Film Institute, Dublin from October 23rd - 27th - find out more here
