WELCOME TO IFI HORRORTHON 2025!
IFI Horrorthon, our annual festival of things that go bump in the night, returns with a selection of films that will truly get the heart racing. This year’s titles come to us from across the continents and garlanded by international film festivals. Among the highlights in what we feel is an exceptionally strong programme is a focus on the New French Extremity movement. Taking place at the turn of the millennium, the films and filmmakers involved saw horror pushed in a new direction, with its violence grounded in recognisable reality. Elsewhere in the programme: under-appreciated entries in two of horror’s biggest franchises receive their due with fine new documentaries; found footage films continue to find new ways to terrify; New Zealand horror-comedies have a moment in the sun; an unfortunate man finds himself stuck in a nightclub toilet; and a little girl comes up with a novel way of protecting herself from what’s hiding under her bed. This year, our Saturday night event sees us collaborate with District Film Club to present a night based on the romantic, terrible figure of the vampire, while our table quiz, a highlight of last year, will return. IFI Horrorthon once again offers horror audiences five days of frights, whether as a hardcore devotee or someone simply looking to share in the fun of this unique festival.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23RD
SHELBY OAKS
(18.30)
CHRIS STUCKMANN 91 mins
One of the year’s most anticipated horror films makes its Irish debut as our festival opener. A woman searching for her long-lost sister realises that not all of her sibling’s childhood fears were imagined.
THE DESCENT (20.45)
NEIL MARSHALL 99 mins
We are pleased to present the first Irish screening of a new 4K restoration of Neil Marshall’s terrifying exploration of Appalachian caves, this year celebrating its twentieth anniversary.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 24TH
NIGHT OF THE JUGGLER (12.00)
ROBERT BUTLER 101 mins
Long unavailable in any format, this new restoration sees ex-cop James Brolin on the hunt for his daughter and her kidnapper in this gritty slice of late-‘70s New York seediness.
INSIDE (14.15)
ALEXANDRE BUSTILLO, 82 mins
JULIEN MAURY
The first of our New French Extremity films sees Béatrice Dalle tormenting a heavily pregnant woman, determined to prise her baby away by any means necessary in this disturbing shocker.
ATTACK 13 (16.10)
TAWEEWAT WANTHA 105 mins
A group of high school girls discovers that their bully’s behaviour only grows worse after her death in this chiller from Thailand’s famed 13 Studio.
REDUX REDUX (18.25)
THE MCMANUS BROTHERS 108 mins
A woman travelling across multiple universes with the sole purpose of murdering every iteration of her daughter’s killer is faced with a dilemma when she rescues his next intended victim.
FLUSH
(20.45)
GRÉGORY MORIN 70 mins
When luckless Luc, middle-aged, divorced, and with a cocaine habit, gets his head stuck in a nightclub toilet, his bad night is only beginning in this clever, inventive, and very funny film.
DOUBLE BILL: (22.10) BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL / EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC
DAVID KITTREDGE / JOHN BOORMAN 236 mins
David Kittredge’s engrossing documentary on the troubled production history and disastrous reception of John Boorman’s Exorcist sequel is followed by a rare screening of the unfairly-maligned film in its premiere cut.
DOUBLE BILL: (22.15) HEARTS OF DARKNESS: THE MAKING OF THE FINAL FRIDAY / JASON GOES TO HELL: THE FINAL FRIDAY
MICHAEL FELSHER / ADAM MARCUS 201 mins
The history of Adam Marcus’s divisive entry in one of horror’s most enduring and successful franchises is followed by a screening of the Director’s Cut of the film under discussion.
DOUBLE BILL: (22.25) RE-ANIMATOR / DEMONS
STUART GORDON / LAMBERTO BAVA 172 mins
This tantalising classic double bill celebrates the fortieth anniversaries of both Stuart Gordon’s timeless horror-comedy H.P. Lovecraft adaptation and Lamberto Bava’s tale of gruesome mayhem at, appropriately, a late-night cinema screening.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 25TH
PORTAL TO HELL (12.00)
WOODY BESS 93 mins
A meek and mild debt collector is offered a chance to save neighbour Keith David from hell when a portal to the netherworld opens in his local laundrette.
SECRET CLASSIC (14.00)
??? ??? mins
This slot offers the audience the opportunity to see on the big screen, almost certainly for the first time, a film overlooked on release whose stature has grown over the years.
MAN FINDS TAPE (16.20)
PAUL GANDERSMAN, PETER S. HALL 84 mins
A woman returning to the hometown she fled in order to help her brother, who has found a series of mysterious videotapes, discovers a cosmic, Lovecraftian horror beneath the small-town surface.
IRRÉVERSIBLE (18.20)
GASPAR NOÉ 97 mins
One of the most notorious and confrontational filmmakers associated with the New French Extreme movement, Noé’s film is a by turns brutal and tender account of a relationship sundered by a horrific rape.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 26TH
THE LAST SACRIFICE (12.00)
RUPERT RUSSELL 94 mins
The roots of British folk horror cinema in a ritualistic murder of the 1940s and the rise of witchcraft in the 1960s are explored in Rupert Russell’s fascinating, brilliantly constructed documentary.
MARTYRS (14.10)
PASCAL LAUGIER 99 mins
Arguably the key film of the New French Extreme movement, Laugier’s film sees a young woman seeking revenge on those who tormented her as a child caught up in something much worse
SURPRISE FILM (18.45)
??? ??? mins
All we can say about this year’s Surprise Film is that we’ve seen it, and you won’t want to miss it.
DEATHGASM 2:
GOREMAGEDDON (16.25)
JASON HOWDEN 106 mins
In this sequel to one of the hits of the 2015 festival, washed-up metal head Brodie once again plays the Black Hymn, resurrecting his former band mates to compete in a local Battle of the Bands.
DEATHSTALKER (20.50)
STEVEN KOSTANSKI 103 mins
This remake of the notorious ‘80s swords-and-sorcery film is like nothing so much as Peter Jackson’s Lord of The Rings , but in the style of his early, low-budget splatterfests.
MONDAY OCTOBER 27TH
HIGH TENSION (12.00)
ALEXANDRE AJA 91 mins
The last of our New French Extremity screenings sees Marie (Cécile de France) and Alex (Maïwenn) terrorised by Gaspar Noé regular Philippe Nahon after he kills Marie’s family.
WE BURY THE DEAD (14.10)
ZAK HILDITCH 94 mins
Daisy Ridley stars as a grieving member of a clean-up crew who volunteers to clear Tasmania after an experimental weapon kills all life on the island. However, not everyone stays dead.
THE WEED EATERS (16.15)
CALLUM DEVLIN 80 mins
The latest in a long, proud lineage of New Zealand horror-comedies sees a group of friends celebrating New Year’s get a homicidal case of the munchies after smoking some strange herb.
DREAM EATER
(18.10)
JAY DRAKULIC, ALEX LEE WILLIAMS, MALLORY DRUMM 90 mins
A couple who hope that some quiet time in an isolated cabin will help with a sleepwalking problem find instead that something unexpected, something evil has followed them there.
DUST BUNNY
(20.15)
BRYAN FULLER 106 mins
Mads Mikkelsen reunites with Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller in this visually ravishing tale of a young girl who hires a hitman to take care of the monster under her bed.
SPECIAL EVENTS
HORROR TABLE QUIZ
FRIDAY 24TH, FROM 21.30
Last year’s inaugural horror-themed table quiz in the IFI Café Bar brought out the competitive streak in attendees. Will last year’s winners return to defend their title? What will catch host Derek O’Connor’s eye and be awarded a spot prize? Join us for one of the weekend’s most fun events and find out.
€20 for a table of 4
THE VAMPIRE’S BALL
SATURDAY 25TH, FROM 20.15
IFI Horrorthon, in collaboration with District Film Club, presents our first Vampire’s Ball, celebrating the most popular and iconic of all mythical creatures, and one whose most famous representative sprang from the mind of an Irishman, the vampire. Our cinemas will host screenings of Tomas Alfredson’s chilly Let The Right One In (2001) and Wesley Snipes’s enduring Blade (1998) . For those for whom the vampire is not a favourite, a screening of Clive Barker’s Lord Of Illusions (1995), which this year celebrates its thirtieth anniversary, will be preceded by a talk from Dr. Sorcha Ní Fhlainn of Manchester Metropolitan University on the work of its director and creator, Clive Barker. The night will culminate with a party in the IFI foyer orchestrated by District.
Dr. Sorcha Ní Fhlainn introduces: Lord Of Illusions
20.15
Blade
€18.00 (IFI Members) / €20.00 (Non-Members)
20.30 €18.00 (IFI Members) / €20.00 (Non-Members)
Let The Right One In
20.45 €18.00 (IFI Members) / €20.00 (Non-Members)
Entry to all events includes admission to the afterparty.
MORE INFORMATION
Visit www.ifi.ie/horrorthon to see the full programme and book tickets.
IFI, 6 Eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Bookings: 01 679 3477
@irishfilminstitute.bsky.social
@IrishFilmInstitute
@IFI_Dublin
IFI MEMBERSHIP
Become an IFI Member and get discounts on tickets, double loyalty points, and more! Your membership also helps support the IFI’s work in preserving and restoring Ireland’s film heritage. Only €40.00 (€25.00 concession).
BOOKING INFO
All screenings are €15.00 (unless otherwise indicated).
(IFI Membership is required for all films. If you are not an IFI Member then a membership fee of €1.50 will be added to each IFI Horrorthon ticket price, and a Festival Membership fee of €5.00 will be added to each IFI Horrorthon ticket bundle).
Suitable for 18s & over
TICKET BUNDLES*
Full Festival Pass (All 5 Days)**
€160.00 (IFI Member) / €165.00 (Non-Member)
10-Film Deal:
€100.00 (IFI Member) / €105.00 (Non-Member)
5-Film Deal:
€60.00 (IFI Member) / €65.00 (Non-Member)
*Ticket bundles are not applicable for DISTRICT’S VAMPIRE’S BALL events.
**The Festival pass will cover all films except in instances where film times clash, so you must choose which title you want to see. These passes can only be booked in-person or by calling the IFI Box Office on 01 679 3477
FRIGHTFUL DELIGHTS AT THE IFI CAFÉ BAR!
RESTAURANT: MON-SUN 12.30-21.30
BA R: MON-SUN UNTIL LATE
Frank-N-Fu rter
F.X. Buckley Sausage, Brioche Bun, Crispy Onions (veggie option available)
Something to sink your teeth into!
Count Dracola
Stillgarden Berrissimo, Stillgarden Glas 55, Cola
A fruity, boo-zy cola!
€7.00
€14.50