Glowflare Horror Film Festival
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 | |
| Location | Yorkshire, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2024 |
| Founded by | Daniel Smales |
| Awards | 20 |
| Hosted by | Parkway Cinemas |
| Language | English |
| Website | www.glowflarehorrorfestival.com |
Glowflare Horror Film Festival is an independent horror film festival founded in 2024 by Daniel Smales, is produced and presented by Glowflare. The festival celebrates the art of filmmaking in horror genres, offering a platform for independent filmmakers from the UK and internationally to showcase their work.[1] The festival took place in Beverley, United Kingdom.[2] The event has been hosted since 2025 at Parkway Cinemas an independent cinema known for its modern facilities and support for independent film events.[3][4]
The festival welcomes short and feature length films of horror genre and sub genres.[5] Submissions are managed through FilmFreeway, a platform that simplifies the process for filmmakers to submit their works to festivals.[1]
Founded in 2024, submissions for the inaugural event were opened exclusively through FilmFreeway on 11 August 2024.[1] The festival was announced publicly by Daniel Smales, the festival director, in April 2025.[6] The festival accepted both short (under 40 minutes) and feature-length films, with submissions categorised under animation, comedy, folk horror, found footage, gore/extreme, monster/creature, psychological, science fiction/fantasy, slasher, supernatural, and zombie.[4][7][8][9] Tickets for the first festival were made available through the Parkway Cinemas website on 4 April 2025.[10][11][12] Final submissions was accepted until 18 April 2024.[13] Submissions included works from both local and international filmmakers, with entries from the United States, Canada, and Europe, highlighting the festival's openness to international participation.[14]
"All This Time," "The Reign of Queen Ginnarra," and "The Cellar" were announced as part of the first official selections for the 2025 Glowflare Horror Film Festival, as reported by the Yorkshire Times.[15][16] The official trailer for the 2025 Glowflare Horror Film Festival was released on 10 May 2025 on YouTube, offering a preview of the films and events scheduled for the festival's inaugural edition.[17] The final line-up was announced on 12 May 2025.[18] The 2025 programme featured films produced across a wide range of budgets, from no-budget shorts to feature films completed for up to $350,000 (approximately £280,000), reflecting the diversity of production scales in independent horror filmmaking.[19] Award nominations was announced on 13 May 2025.[20]
The short film "Sour Tooth" by Inverclyde-based filmmakers Scott McIntosh, Cameron McDonald, and Rachael McAlonan premiered at the 2025 Glowflare Horror Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Editing and Best Film Made for Under £1,000.[21][22] The festival concluded with an awards ceremony on 18 May, where All This Time won Best Feature Film, Best Director (Rob Worsey), Best Actor (Daniel De Bourg), and the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature. Other winners included Tears of Sorrow for Best Short Film, and Lost Angels for Best Screenplay and Best Editing.[23][24]
Submissions opened for its 2026 season on 1 May 2025, reflecting its intention to become a recurring event on the film festival calendar.[25]
Official Selection
The following is the list of films selected for the inaugural Glowflare Horror Film Festival in 2025:
| Project | Director(s) | Runtime | Type | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All This Time | Rob Worsey | 1:29:00 | Feature |  United Kingdom |
| Blood on the Bleachers | Chase Dudley | 13:40 | Feature |  United States |
| Candy | Giuseppe Marino | 16:03 | Short |  Italy |
| Chainsaws Were Singing | Sander Maran | 1:57:33 | Feature |  Estonia |
| Disease | Alex Masciotra-Milstein | 4:58 | Short |  Canada |
| Evil Dinner | Jose Murzia | 10:10 | Short |  Mexico |
| Firecrow | Markham Samuels | 19:55 | Short | Canada |
| Goodnight Sweetheart | Kathrin Told | 28:43 | Short | United Kingdom |
| Gretchen | Dean Addison | 18:20 | Short | United Kingdom |
| How To Kill Monsters | Stewart Sparke | 01:35:00 | Feature | United Kingdom |
| Karen | Dean Addison & Marc Zammit | 13:58 | Short | United Kingdom |
| Lady and the Tooth | Shaun Clark | 8:00 | Short | United Kingdom |
| Lost Angels | Peder Pedersen | 01:35:47 | Feature |  Denmark |
| Mother Mary | Warren Dudley | 17:15 | Short | United Kingdom |
| Rip Advisor | Ludovic Matthey | 9:48 | Short |  Switzerland |
| Sanitorium | Bruno Martínez | 14:00 | Short |  Spain |
| Shape in the Lake | Falko Jakobs | 22:00 | Short |  Germany |
| Tears of Sorrow | Jodie R. Tuccio | 7:47 | Short | United States |
| The Abyss | Orlando Del Maestro, Josh Flower | 5:51 | Short | United Kingdom |
| The Allure | Josh Wood | 13:30 | Short | Canada |
| The Birdwatcher | Ryan Mackfall | 13:40 | Short | United Kingdom |
| The Cellar | Jamie Langlands | 2:06 | Feature | United Kingdom |
| The Dead of Winter | Stephen Graves | 11:42 | Short | United Kingdom |
| The Five Stages of… | Glenn L Lisser | 06:00 | Short | United Kingdom |
| The Reign of Queen Ginnarra | Lawrie Brewster | 1:39:00 | Feature | United Kingdom |
| The Xmascist | Andy Winward | 06:58 | Short | United Kingdom |
| Uncanny Valley | Diego Pino | 9:00 | Short |  Venezuela |
