Sheffield’s horror film festival, Celluloid Screams, has revealed its exciting line-up for its eighth edition, taking place 21-23 October at the Showroom Cinema.

The festival this year kicks off with a gala screening of Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie’s eagerly anticipated creature feature, The Void. The Void’s directors require very little introduction. As two fifths of Canadian genre heroes Astron-6, they have been jointly responsible for CS favourites Manborg, Father’s Day and The Editor, but their latest film is altogether more serious in tone, with subtle stylistic nods to early John Carpenter and phenomenal practical effects.

Antibirth is the first feature of Danny Perez, whose background in experimental film and video has helped him create an unpredictable and hallucinatory nightmare that will take you on a journey into the unknown.

This year’s festival plays host to the UK premiere of Cat Sick Blues, David Jackson’s feature version of his demented short of the same name which played Celluloid Screams in 2013. But if you thought seeing that earlier incarnation might mentally prepare you for the feature version… think again…

Celluloid Screams has showcased some of the finest new horror films from Europe in previous years and this edition is no different, Bo Mikkelson’s What We Become being a case in point. This tense pandemic thriller places an ordinary Danish family in the middle of a dystopian nightmare where nothing is certain and no one can be trusted.

Six years after exploding onto the international horror scene with his debut feature The Loved Ones, Director Sean Byrne returns with The Devil’s Candy, a heavy metal-infused tale that combines possession, haunted house shocks and serial killer chills.

Returning to the genre that made him a cult favourite over the last two decades, director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Pulse, Cure) is back with Creepy, a masterclass of slow-burn dread and psychological chills.

In Yoga Hosers, the second film in his planned True North trilogy, director Kevin Smith reunites cast members from walrus shocker Tusk for a tale of teenage angst and a battle with sinister pork products.

In Billy O’Brien’s adaptation of Dan Wells’s cult novel, I am Not a Serial Killer, a Midwestern town is plagued by a series of murders and a young amateur sleuth is determined to unmask the killer.

Proof if it was ever needed that low-budget ingenuity beats bombastic jump scares and identikit plotting hands down, Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton’s We Go On is a fascinating exploration of the supernatural that never fails to enthral and terrify from beginning to end.

The films of Richard Bates Jr. have been a regular fixture at Celluloid Screams and with Trash Fire we see him deliver his most accomplished film to date: a jet-black horror comedy with venomous dialogue and jaw-dropping shock moments that will jolt even the most jaded viewer into submission.

Director Mattie Do is Laos’ only female filmmaker, and is also the country’s only horror filmmaker. Add to this that Dearest Sister is only the 13th film to have ever been made in Laos, where film production infrastructure is non-existent, and a unique picture begins to emerge. Such accolades are already noteworthy, but the fact that Mattie’s unique cinematic voice is evident in all aspects of this, her second feature, cements her status as a significant filmmaking talent to watch.

Carlos Torrens’ Pet throws its audience into a series of twists and turns in a plot that is both a compelling exploration of loneliness and relationships as well being a darker-than-dark romantic comedy (of sorts) that sets it apart from your average psychological thriller.

After witnessing the shockwaves caused by Julia Ducournau’s phenomenal debut feature at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, there was only one film that could close Celluloid Screams 2016. Brace yourselves for RAW: a ferocious, gruesome coming-of-age tale and THE breakout horror film of the year.

Plus: once again, the annual Celluloid Screams Secret Film waits to reveal itself to you – you’ll only find out what it is as it’s about to begin…

With 21 short films supporting the features, a VAMPIRES vs WEREWOLVES ALLNIGHTER on the Saturday, and special guests to be announced, this year’s Celluloid Screams is set to be the best yet.

Festival passes are now on sale with the Ultimate weekend pass (including  horror allnighter)  at £95 / £85 concessions, the Standard weekend pass (excluding horror allnighter) at £80 /  £70 concessions and the ‘vampires vs werewolves’ allnighter tickets at £26 / £21 concessions.

For further information and passes please visit www.celluloidscreams.co.uk.