It’s here! Our bewitching key art for our 15th edition courtesy of Sydney-based artist Matt Palmer.

For his third year as key artist Matt has utilised his wonderful talent as a painter. Taking inspiration from the same famous work by Andrew Wyeth that inspired Tobe Hooper to create The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and a stark change from the two previous years, the painting captures a dark, desolate beauty, and exudes a haunting, enigmatic quality.

The festival’s 15th edition takes place at Dendy Cinemas Newtown from Thursday, September 28th until Sunday, October 1st. It’s a Long Weekend, so make sure you’ve got your calendar blocked out especially. You don’t want to miss what we’ve got in store for you!

The 2023 program launch and ticketing are set for Thursday, August 31st.

This year’s program, while smaller than previous years, is no less impactful, and promises a sophisticated, elegant, and brooding selection of some of the best new horror and dark genre films from Australia and abroad, staying true to the festival’s dedication to independent and emerging filmmakers.

On the launch date the program will go live here, with links to respective sessions on the Dendy Cinemas site, and will also be available in a more detailed digital flipbook version, which is both downloadable and printable for those who prefer a keepsake hardcopy. Festival postcards with a QR code (taking you to the program page on the festival site) will be available at Dendy Newtown, and will be distributed around Sydney.

Festival Director, Bryn Tilly, will host a Facebook Live Video event via the festival Fb Page, on the morning of the launch (AEST tba), taking viewers through the program and all its nightmarish delights.