Dark Nights Film Fest: Vol. 2 Unleashes Horrific Thrills At The Ritz
Image: A still from Peter Jackson's Braindead (1992), returning in 4k at Dark Nights Film Fest 2025. Source: TMDB
Horror is a genre you never forget, whether it makes you laugh at its absurdity, tense with fear, or bond with friends through every jumpscare. Sydney cinema-goers can experience it all as Dark Nights Film Fest: Volume 2 kicks off spooky season with blood, suspense, and dark, immersive storytelling.
Running from 9-12 October, the festival returns featuring nine Australian premieres, a restored cult classic, twenty-two international shorts. With a slate of “horror adjacent” films that rarely reach local screens, it appeals to both horror fans and curious viewers.
Dark Nights Film Fest brings nail-biting tension and thrills to Ritz
A horror devotee since watching The Omen at age 12, festival director Bryn Tilly explains, “Dark genre filmmaking demands a big screen, a dark room, and an audience being pulled to the edge of their seat… Volume 2 has all the nightmare boxes ticked.”
The festival’s rapid rise is already being recognised internationally; it was recently named one of Dread Central’s “90 Best Genre Film Festivals on Earth,” a major nod for a homegrown event in only its second year.
Among Tilly’s picks is opening night’s screening of Stephen Cognetti’s Hell House LLC: Lineage, a stand-alone in the cult series, in Australian cinemas for the first and only time.
Balancing new voices with cinema history, Peter Jackson’s Braindead returns in 4K after three decades, its chaotic mix of gore, zombies, and slapstick a low-budget horror masterclass.
Other highlights include the controversial Stephen Biro’s A Serbian Documentary, proving horror can always provoke as much as it entertains.
Denmark contributes the world-premiere anthology of Adorable Humans, transforming four macabre Hans Christian Andersen tales into chilling shorts. Tilly observes: “Adorable Humans shows how horror can intersect with literature, turning familiar stories into something thrillingly unsettling.”
Tilly says this year’s finale might hit hardest. “Closing Night is the astonishing debut of Todd Wiseman Jr‘s THE SCHOOL DUEL, a harrowing future-is-now thriller on the influence of gun culture on the younger generation,” he says.
Local filmmakers feature in The Aussie Shorts Showcase, where audiences vote for their favourite among nine new Australian shorts, alongside twelve international works spotlighting emerging talent.
Tilly emphasises the festival’s role in supporting creators: “It’s increasingly harder for emerging filmmakers to have their films seen properly, and festivals like Dark Nights give them that platform.”
Why horror is best shared on the big screen
Tilly encourages newcomers too. “Dark Nights Film Fest is designed to appeal to both dedicated horrorphiles and reach out to those who enjoy dark genres adjacent to horror… Watching them in a cinema with a like-minded crowd is the thrill,” he says.
Between screenings, festival-goers (and physical media lovers) can browse the fest boutique, offering rare Blu-rays, DVDs, VHS, and collectibles, or attend a casual Filmmakers Discussion Panel, where four local directors share insights on micro-budget filmmaking.
Reflecting on the genre’s lasting appeal, Tilly concludes: “Horror films in the hands of talented filmmakers are some of the most exciting experiences you can have… Thrills and spills from the safety of your cinema seat. It’s a roller-coaster ride, without the danger of hurting yourself—although you may find it hard to go to sleep later, but that’s part of the fun.”
Whether you’re hiding behind your hands or glued to the screen, Dark Nights promises an experience of rarely seen thrills, and goosebumps that linger long after the credits roll.
Dark Nights Film Festival: Volume 2 is running from 9-12 October at Ritz Cinemas.
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