Grimmfest 2026 Unveils Poster and First Films, Signaling a Bold Return to Manchester
- Horror Movies Uncut
- Apr 3
- 2 min read
Grimmfest isn’t easing into 2026—it’s setting the tone early, and it’s doing it the way it always has: with something bold, a little strange, and very intentional.
The Manchester-based genre festival has unveiled its official 2026 poster ahead of its October return to Odeon Great Northern (October 8–11), and the artwork immediately locks into that classic horror lineage while pushing it forward. Created once again by longtime collaborator Ilan Sheady of Uncle Frank Productions, the design riffs on the iconic “Girl and Monster” imagery that runs through Frankenstein, The Mummy, and Creature from the Black Lagoon, but reworks it with a sharper, more modern edge.
It’s familiar, but it’s not nostalgic. It feels updated. Reframed.
And that’s pretty much Grimmfest’s lane.
Alongside the poster reveal, the festival also dropped its first two selections for 2026, giving an early look at where the programming is headed. The short The Bones Exist, directed by Kelsey Bollig and Matthew DuVall, leans into western-horror territory, following gold prospectors who uncover something far worse than fortune in the woods. The setup taps into that Treasure of the Sierra Madre paranoia—greed, isolation, and distrust—layered with a more overt, gothic sense of dread.
On the feature side, Grimmfest confirmed the UK premiere of Damien Fannon’s Ivan, marking his return after making an impression with shorts like The Keeper and Cry Baby. This time, he expands into a full-length story that blends domestic unease with science-driven horror, pulling from that early Cronenberg space—controlled environments, psychological pressure, and technology pushing past where it should be. The focus on AI and its creeping presence adds a contemporary edge without losing that classic slow-burn tension.
That combination—one foot in tradition, one in something more current—is exactly what Grimmfest tends to build around.
The festival has always carved out its identity in that independent, risk-taking corner of genre cinema. Not chasing trends, not playing to the safest crowd, but curating films that push tone, structure, and subject matter in ways that stick with you a little longer than expected.
Earlybird Day Passes are now available alongside Full Festival Passes, with more programming expected to roll out in the coming months.
Grimmfest returns October 8 through 11. If this first look is anything to go off, it’s not dialing anything back.
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