Fear Screen

☎️ 31 DAYS OF HORROR | DAY 8/31 🩸

🎬 THE BLACK PHONE (2021)
🎥 Directed by Scott Derrickson

Sometimes, the scariest calls are the ones you can’t ignore.

For Day 8 of Fear Screen’s 31 Days of Horror, we’re picking up The Black Phone (2021), a chilling supernatural thriller that combines psychological horror, disturbing performances and a sinister mystery.

Set in 1978, the story follows Finney Blake, a shy 13-year-old boy who is kidnapped by a sadistic serial killer known as The Grabber. Locked inside a soundproof basement, Finney discovers a disconnected black telephone hanging on the wall. Despite having no working connection, the phone begins to ring, allowing him to hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims.

As the voices guide him towards a possible escape, Finney must find the courage to outsmart his captor before he becomes the next victim.

Featuring a truly unsettling performance from Ethan Hawke, alongside a gripping story and an eerie supernatural atmosphere, The Black Phone is a tense and haunting watch that explores fear, survival and the power of resilience.

☎️ If a disconnected phone started ringing, would you answer it?

We’re watching and recommending a different horror film every day this October, celebrating everything we love about the genre, from supernatural nightmares to psychological thrillers and hidden gems.

🎃 31 DAYS. 31 FILMS. PURE HORROR.

Follow Fear Screen and watch along with us!

🎃 FEAR SCREEN KIDS IS COMING THIS HALLOWEEN! 👻

Looking for something spooky, fun and family-friendly to do during October half-term?

Fear Screen Kids: Halloween Mini Film Festival is taking over Middlesbrough on 30th & 31st October, with two sessions each day!

And there are still tickets available, but our cinema screening tickets are severely limited.

🎬 SCREENING TICKETS FROM £7

Our screening ticket gives your child the full Fear Screen Kids experience:

🎃 Halloween activities and crafts
👻 Spooky family-friendly fun
🎬 A child-friendly Halloween film at Roxy Movies
🏆 The chance to get involved in our Halloween activities and surprises

Screening tickets start from just £7 and are strictly limited due to cinema capacity, so don’t leave it too late!

🎨 ACTIVITIES-ONLY TICKETS FROM £5

Don’t want to see the film? No problem!

You can still join us for the Halloween activities with tickets from just £5 per child.

And because adults aren’t taking a seat in the cinema for this option, adults go FREE!

Perfect if you just want to bring the kids along for some Halloween fun.

📍 TWO LOCATIONS, ONE SPOOKY EXPERIENCE

Halloween activities:
📍 12 Captain Cook Square, TS1 5UB
The old TJ Maxx building, next door to The Entertainer and YMCA.

Film screening:
🎬 Roxy Movies Middlesbrough
Just across the road from the activities!

So you’ll be able to get stuck into the Halloween fun before heading across the road to the cinema for the film if you’ve booked a screening ticket.

📅 30th & 31st October 2026
⏰ Two sessions each day
🎟️ Screening tickets from £7
🎨 Activities-only tickets from £5 per child
👨‍👩‍👧 Adults go FREE with activities-only tickets

🎟️ Tickets are still available:
👉 fearscreen.com/kids

Get the costumes ready, gather the little monsters and come and celebrate Halloween with Fear Screen Kids!

But be quick… the screening tickets are severely limited. 👀

kids | Fear Screen | Where Nightmares becomes Cinema Fear Screen is a spine-chilling film festival celebrating horror, thrillers, and the strange. Featuring indie and student filmmakers, live events, and blood-curdling premieres—dare to watch?

🩸 31 DAYS OF HORROR | DAY 7/31 🏚️

🎬 BARBARIAN (2022)
🎥 Directed by Zach Cregger

Never judge a book by its cover, and certainly never trust a stranger just because they seem friendly.

For Day 7 of Fear Screen’s 31 Days of Horror, we’re checking into Barbarian (2022), a twisted, unpredictable horror that proves sometimes the biggest mistake you can make is opening the wrong door.

When Tess arrives at her rental accommodation in Detroit, she discovers that the property has been double-booked and is already occupied by a stranger named Keith. Despite her initial reservations, she reluctantly agrees to share the house for the night.

But as the evening unfolds, Tess discovers that the property holds a far more sinister secret than she could ever have imagined. What lies beneath the house is something truly horrifying, and escaping it may be far more difficult than she thinks.

With unexpected twists, disturbing revelations and a story that constantly keeps you guessing, Barbarian is a brilliantly unpredictable addition to modern horror. It’s best experienced knowing as little as possible before pressing play.

🏚️ Would you have stayed the night, or walked straight back out the door?

We’re watching and recommending a different horror film every day this October, celebrating everything we love about the genre, from hidden gems to modern horror favourites.

🎃 31 DAYS. 31 FILMS. PURE HORROR.

Follow Fear Screen and watch along with us!

🎬 DIRECTORS… THIS ONE’S FOR YOU.

We’re bloody excited to announce that Giles Alderson is coming to Fear Screen on 11 November for a very special Directing Masterclass. 👀

Giles is an award-winning director, producer and screenwriter whose credits include The Dare, The Stranger in Our Bed, Wolves of War, Arthur & Merlin: Knights of Camelot and Sessions — as well as a whole host of other feature films, TV, documentary and commercial work.

And yes… THE Giles Alderson who directed The Dare. 😈

He’s joining us at Fear Screen to get properly under the skin of what it means to be a director, from developing your creative voice and breaking down a script, to working with actors, collaborating with your cinematographer and crew, directing horror, making decisions under pressure and actually getting the bloody thing made.

No fluffy theory.

No “just believe in yourself” bo****ks (although that’s part of the process)

Real world filmmaking experience, practical advice and an honest conversation about directing. 🎥

And because we know how much our festival audience loves getting stuck into the craft…

THERE WILL BE TWO SESSIONS:

🕙 MORNING — 10:00am–12:00pm
🕐 AFTERNOON — 1:00pm–3:00pm

So whether you’re an aspiring director, already working in the industry, making your first short, developing a feature, studying film, working behind the camera or simply want to know what the person shouting “ACTION!” is actually supposed to be doing…

Come and learn from someone who’s been doing it.

And here’s the best bit…

🎟️ THE GILES ALDERSON DIRECTING MASTERCLASS IS INCLUDED FREE WITH A FEAR SCREEN VIP PASS.

That’s right.

Your VIP pass gets you access to this session as part of your festival experience.

Giles also hosts The Filmmakers’ Podcast, where he’s spent years talking to some of the industry’s biggest names about the craft and reality of making films. Now we’re bringing that conversation to Middlesbrough.

11 NOVEMBER.

GILES ALDERSON.

THE ART OF DIRECTING.

FEAR SCREEN. 🩸🎬

If you’re serious about making films, you’ll want to be in the room.

🌲 31 DAYS OF HORROR | DAY 6/31 🩸

🎬 THE RITUAL (2017)
🎥 Directed by David Bruckner

Some things are better left undisturbed…

For Day 6 of Fear Screen’s 31 Days of Horror, we’re heading deep into the Scandinavian wilderness with The Ritual (2017), a chilling folk horror that proves the greatest horrors aren’t always human.

Following the tragic death of their friend, four university mates embark on a hiking trip through the Swedish wilderness in his memory. But when they take a shortcut through an ancient forest, they soon find themselves lost, pursued by something lurking amongst the trees.

As strange occurrences begin to unfold and the group encounters disturbing symbols and unsettling rituals, their journey becomes a desperate fight for survival. With tensions rising and dark secrets coming to light, the friends soon realise that something far more sinister is watching them.

Combining atmospheric folk horror, ancient mythology and genuinely nightmarish creature design, The Ritual delivers an unsettling experience that will make you think twice about venturing into the woods.

Sometimes, the forest doesn’t want you to leave. 🌲

👁️ Would you survive a night in those woods?

We’re watching and recommending a different horror film every day this October, celebrating everything we love about the genre, from hidden gems to modern horror favourites.

🎃 31 DAYS. 31 FILMS. PURE HORROR.

Follow Fear Screen and watch along with us!

🩸 CAPTAIN COOK SQUARE IS SLOWLY BECOMING OURS… 👀

It’s actually happening.

After months of planning, plotting and probably far too many conversations about horror, the Fear Screen takeover of Captain Cook Square is slowly coming to life.

From 30 October to 13 November, we’re bringing our very first Fear Screen Horror Film Festival to Middlesbrough, with screenings, workshops, special events, filmmaker activities, family events, alternative culture and plenty more still hiding up our sleeves. 👀

There are still loads of tickets available, and we’ve got more events to announce very soon, including more traders for our Alternative Market, which is going to bring some wonderfully weird, wonderfully dark and wonderfully alternative traders, artists and creators into the Square.

And if you’re wandering around Roxy’s and spot one of our banners…

GIVE US A SHOUT, EH? 😂

We want to know who’s already spotted us slowly taking over.

Because, quite frankly…

we’re only just getting started.

🩸 FEAR SCREEN 2026
📍 Captain Cook Square & Roxy Movies, Middlesbrough
📅 30 October – 13 November 2026

Welcome to the takeover.

🩸 31 DAYS OF HORROR | DAY 5/31 👁️

📽️ TALK TO ME (2022)
🎬 Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou

What if you could speak to the dead? And what if you couldn’t control what came back?

For Day 5 of Fear Screen’s 31 Days of Horror, we’re diving into Talk to Me (2022), a chilling supernatural horror that puts a terrifyingly modern spin on communicating with the other side.

When a group of friends discover an embalmed hand that allows them to conjure spirits, they can’t resist the temptation to give it a go. What starts as an exciting party trick quickly spirals into something much darker when Mia, still struggling with the loss of her mother, becomes dangerously obsessed with the experience.

With its disturbing imagery, intense performances and genuinely unsettling atmosphere, Talk to Me explores grief, peer pressure and the consequences of opening doors that were never meant to be opened.

It’s a brutal reminder that some connections are better left unmade, and that curiosity can come at a terrifying cost.

👁️ Would you dare to hold the hand?

We’re watching and recommending a different horror film every day this October, celebrating everything we love about the genre, from supernatural nightmares to psychological terrors and hidden gems.

🎃 31 DAYS. 31 FILMS. PURE HORROR.

Follow Fear Screen and watch along with us!

🎃 31 DAYS OF HORROR | DAYS 3 & 4/31 🩸

We’ve got a double dose of horror for you today! We missed yesterday’s recommendation, so we’re making up for it by bringing you two films that every horror fan should have on their watchlist.

🩸 DAY 3: THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE (2016)
🎬 Directed by André Øvredal

What starts as a seemingly routine autopsy quickly descends into something far more sinister.

When a father and son, both coroners, are tasked with examining the unidentified body of a young woman, they begin uncovering increasingly disturbing clues that defy any logical explanation.

With an increasingly claustrophobic atmosphere, chilling supernatural elements and a mystery that keeps you guessing, The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a masterclass in building tension and dread.

It’s the kind of film that makes you question just how much you really want to know about the dead. And trust us, some things are better left unexplained.

⛏️ DAY 4: THE DESCENT (2005)
🎬 Directed by Neil Marshall

Six friends head deep into an unexplored cave system for what should be an unforgettable adventure. But when disaster strikes and they become trapped underground, their expedition turns into a fight for survival.

As darkness closes in, tensions rise, friendships are tested and the group soon discovers that they’re not alone down there.

Combining suffocating claustrophobia, relentless suspense and some truly terrifying moments, The Descent is an absolute must-watch for any horror enthusiast.

Whether it’s the fear of being trapped underground or the terrifying creatures lurking in the darkness, this is one film that will leave you holding your breath.

🩸 TWO FILMS. TWO NIGHTMARES. ONE HORROR-FILLED OCTOBER.

We’re watching and recommending a horror film every day throughout October as part of Fear Screen’s 31 Days of Horror 2026.

Have you seen either of these films? Which one do you find more terrifying? Let us know in the comments!

🎃 31 DAYS. 31 FILMS. PURE HORROR.

Follow Fear Screen and watch along with us!

👁️ 31 DAYS OF HORROR | DAY 2/31 🩸

🎬 ODDITY (2024)

For Day 2 of Fear Screen’s 31 Days of Horror, we’re diving into Oddity (2024), written and directed by Damian McCarthy.

If you’re a fan of unsettling atmospheres, creepy mysteries and horror that gets under your skin, this one deserves a spot on your watchlist. 🕯️

When a woman is brutally murdered in her own home, her blind twin sister, a psychic medium, sets out to uncover the truth behind her death. Armed with a collection of strange curiosities and an unsettling wooden mannequin, she begins to unravel a mystery that is far more disturbing than it first appears.

With its eerie atmosphere, sinister storytelling and genuinely unsettling moments, Oddity is a reminder that sometimes the things we can’t see are the ones we should fear the most.

👁️ Have you seen Oddity? What did you think?

We’re watching and recommending a different horror film every day this October, celebrating everything we love about the genre, from hidden gems to modern horror favourites.

🎃 31 DAYS. 31 FILMS. PURE HORROR.

Follow Fear Screen and watch along with us!