THE INDEPENDENT HORROR SOCIETY

The Independent Horror Society has been dedicated to supporting grassroots horror cinema for over 10 years, and we’re so proud to have 2,100+ committed horror fans and filmmakers in our ranks.

We have launched the Indie Film Showcase to do what we love best — bringing incredible short genre films from hugely talented filmmakers, to the wonderful UK horror community. And in June we hosted a brand-new line up of short films in London, showcasing a superb range of projects from all over the globe.

But with so much passion and hard work having gone into each and every film on the line up, we want as many folk as possible to see them. Which is why we’re delighted to be able to take them out on the road — and our next stop will be the glorious city of Brighton!

What’s more, 20% of all profit made on ticket sales will go straight into our Creators Fund — so by coming along, you’re actively helping creators fund their next projects!

So join us at the Caroline of Brunswick on Ditchling Road for a night of fun, meeting new friends, networking, and of course — over 2 solid hours of incredible short horror films.

Doors open at 6:30pm, with films starting at 6:45pm. There will also be a short break between blocks.
Tickets £13
(Please note: standard IHS Members can get tickets for £11, and IHS Pro members get them for just £6. Please see our member hubs for the codes!)

Here’s a quick preview of what’s in store:

A Drive at Dawn
Dir: Joe D’Ovidio, UK
Three men drive into the desert at night to wrestle with an unspeakable evil.

A Hand to Hold
Dir: Philip Clyde-Smith, UK
Moira, an elderly Irish woman, finds herself literally attached to her deceased husband Patrick. When his hand refuses to let go after death, it leads to increasingly grotesque events. Everyone in the couple’s orbit, from their daughter to the local doctor, a farmer, a priest, and a Satanist, all try to intervene with horrific consequences. ‘A Hand to Hold’ blends horror with pitch-black Irish comedy, exploring themes of grief and toxic relationships.

Beauty Sleep
Dir: Jasmine De Silva, UK
Beauty Sleep is a retro futuristic short film about beauty, identity, and the dangerous pursuit of perfection.

In the Beauty Sleep world, cosmetic enhancement is more extreme than our own. New boobs, butts and faces can be purchased, sewn on and bedazzled to your choosing.

And the latest trend? A living embalmnment, where teenage girls, for their Sweet 16, emerge from a sparkling coffin instead of a giant cake.

But when an eccentric mortician, trapped under the patriarchal thumb of her controlling boss, accidentally kills a client, she sees a twisted chance to escape. As the clock ticks, she plots her way out by stealing “the face” from the client, but not before giving the dead girl the most bizarrely beautiful makeover of her afterlife. Beauty Sleep is a dark, satirical dive into perfection, creativity, and control.

God Forbid
Dir: Aaran McKenzie, UK
What begins as a quiet reunion between mother and daughter slowly unravels into a reckoning no prayer could soften.

I Beg Your Pardon
Dir: John W. Lustig, USA
A man commits a terrible crime and the consequences are not what you’d expect.

Lupus
Dir: Alejandro Herrera, Spain
In the middle of the night, a boy is startled by the sound of breaking glass and the presence of a creature in his home. With a lamp in hand, he ventures into the hallway to discover what lurks in the darkness.

Nightfall
Dir: Zac Villanueva, USA
On a stormy night a guilt-ridden teen visits a grieving mother, looking for some kind of connection. As buried grief resurfaces he’s drawn into a psychological reckoning that blurs reality – a final act of shocking vengeance completes the cycle.

Rough Cut
Dir: Chris Mitchell & Tom Woffenden, UK
A late night video editor finds herself terrorised by a malevolent presence hiding within the footage she is cutting together.

Scratch
Dir: Shay Kuehlmann & Kate Roxburgh, UK
After hearing strange noises in the attic, Damon makes a chilling discovery that spirals into a waking nightmare. As his fixation on the attic grows, his flatmate Annie watches in fear as his mind—and their friendship—begins to break.

Spanked by a Ghost
Dir: Katelyn Douglass, USA
Alone in her home, a woman is spanked by an unseen entity, awakening a force she cannot control.

Surprise!
Dir: Dave Gardner, UK
A working class mum discovers a terrifying secret at the surprise party from hell!

The Devil’s Lair
Dir: James Bushe, UK
A Police Firearms Unit enter an abandoned bunker in search of a wanted extremist leader, only to find something more sinister waiting for them deep within the claustrophobic tunnels.

The Night Within
Dir: Mark Lammerding, USA
A social worker’s obsession with a case plunges him into a fight for survival against malevolent forces.

The Woman in the Bed
Dir: Victor Mellors, UK
An elderly woman awakes to discover she is unable to speak or move. Trapped in her bed, she soon realises that she is not alone.

Vowels
Dir: Rafael De Leon, USA
Ava needs to record a self-tape but her speech impediment keeps getting in the way.

Weeds
Dir: Stefano Toniatti, Canada
A seemingly ordinary gardening job turns into an epic show down when a gardener battles monstrous weeds in a lady’s backyard, fighting them with flair and over-the-top bravado. While the lady peacefully sips juice on the porch, unaware of the chaos, the gardener wages a cinematic war against the weed monsters who threaten the existence of our world.

Long live indie horror!