Plot: John Quincy Archibald takes a hospital emergency room hostage when his insurance won’t cover his son’s heart transplant.
Runtime: 1 Hour 56 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: John Q starts when John Quincy’s (Washington) son Mike has a heart attack. He believes his insurance will cover a heart transplant, but they refuse. The hospital director, Rebecca Payne (Heche) refuses to allow Mike to be placed on the donor list.
John tries everything to raise the money, but it left with no other option. He decides he has no choice but to hold Dr Turner (Woods) and the emergency room hostage until he gets what he needs. Frank Grimes (Duvall) tries to talk John down, but he refuses to budge when it comes to saving his son.
Verdict on John Q
Recap
The movie follows a desperate father who runs out of options when it comes to saving his son. He holds an emergency room hostage, demanding the hospital put his son on the transplant list.
Best Parts
The movie shines in watching how much John will do to save his son. It gives us a hostage situation where we support the person in control and want to see him get what they need. Denzel Washington is fantastic, and the supporting cast brings the cold-hearted characters to life. This keeps you on edge, and you want to see where things will go.
Worst Parts
Watching a movie that shows how corrupt the insurance and American health care system is. The cheerful delight people in places of power show about their jobs while others suffer is horrifying.
Final Thoughts –John Q is a great, tense thriller.
First Reaction –Forever Mia has a tense story which keeps you on edge.
Director: Katherine Diaz Gonzalez
Writer: David Bohorquez (Screenplay)
Cast
KateLynn E Newberry
Morgan Middlebrook
Eli Cottle
Plot: When a successful business owner is abducted by her troubled high school ex-boyfriend and forced to play along with his delusional version of the life they were “meant” to have, she’ll have to use all her wits to outsmart him and escape.
Runtime: 1 Hour 27 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Forever Mia starts when Mia (Newberry) discovers her estranged high school boyfriend Noah (Middlebrook) has returned to town. She tries to shake it off as she is preparing her next step in life. However, Noah decides to make a drastic step which causes him to abduct Mia.
Mia is forced to live the perfect relationship Noah believes they have. However, she is trapped in this until she can escape. It becomes a battles to win the trust before his truly dark side come to light.
Verdict on Forever Mia
Recap
The movie follows a successful business owner who gets abducted by her estranged ex-boyfriend. She must play along with his fantasy in an attempt to stay alive. However, he has plans for nearly everything she could come up with.
Best Parts
The tension behind Noah’s determination to make a relationship happen is disturbing. We get good performances throughout and leads to a series of sequences that show how easily someone can lose their control.
Worst Parts
The friends trying to investigate takes us away from the more intense story and the lack of interest from the police is uncomfortable.
Where to Watch
Forever Mia (8/18/26 TVOD Release)
Final Thoughts –Forever Mia has an unsettling tone throughout.
First Reaction –Harbinger has an interesting mystery, without hitting the highest level of suspense.
Director: James Crow
Writer: Harry Bowley, Simon Cluett (Screenplay)
Cast
Peter Woodward
Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott
Nick Nevern
Gary Webster
Carole Ann Ford
Plot: Julia, sole survivor of late serial killer Decker, is lured back to the house she shared with him for a ghost hunting TV show. The crew discover the ‘Harbinger’ – a fairground fortune telling machine that reveals their fates one by one.
Runtime: 1 Hour 22 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Harbinger starts when Julia (Sothcott) is the soul survivor of serial killer Henry Decker (Woodward). She tries to continue her life, but is haunted by the events of the night. Mike (Webster) hosts a supernatural show and wants to draw Julia into the latest series of his show.
Julia agrees to take in the show, which takes Mike’s team back to the location of the crime. It doesn’t take long before the strange events happen again, and the connection to the evil within the house again.
Verdict on Harbinger
Recap
The movie follows the sole survivor of a serial killer who reluctantly returns to the scene of the crime. She is joined by a film crew wanting to make an episode about what happened. However, they are not prepared for what they discover in the home from the evil which took over.
Best Parts
The concept is interesting and makes for a solid idea for a horror film. We are in a world where we love to investigate crime, and this works to create everything we need.
Worst Parts
The idea is interesting, but the horror doesn’t seem to hit the highest levels. It ends up having the same ideas many others have and leaves us without getting too many shocking moments. You can work out the order people will get picked off with ease, leaving us without too much suspense.
Where to Watch
Harbinger is on UK digital 10 August and US digital 11 August from Miracle Media.
Final Thoughts –Harbinger is an easy-watch horror with a nice mystery.
First Reaction – Before Never struggles to use the characters from the classic tale.
Director: Kipp Tribble, Derik Wingo
Writer: Kipp Tribble (Screenplay)
Cast
Kenny Yates
Kipp Tribble
Derik Wingo
Joanne Wilson
Elisa Nixon
Plot: When Wendy Darling escapes an attempted abduction, her family employs James and Smee to identify the attacker with the help of the only eyewitness: Peter Pan.
Runtime: 1 Hour 58 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Before Never starts when Wendy (Wilson) tries to remember what happened in her abduction. James (Tribble) and Smee (Wingo) are recruited to protect her and the only witness Peter (Yates) has been struggling with him memories.
However, the mystery behind the attack draws lines between everyone involved. It leads down a disturbing path to uncover the truth that could expose the residents in Neverland.
Verdict on Before Never
Recap
We follow the mystery behind a woman’s escape from an abduction. It follows the men recruited to protect her and the witness which could have answers behind the event. However, the truth is a lot more difficult to relive.
Best Parts
This movie does present a strange mystery, which does keep you guessing behind the larger truth.
Worst Parts
This feels strange with the idea of using the J.M. Barrie characters to a mystery. It feels like it is using them to tell a basic story without any big connection to the bigger story. Elsewhere, the references are not subtle and hope to use the fairytale characters over the traditional terms.
Where to Watch
Before Never (8/4/26 TVOD Release)
Final Thoughts –Before Never uses famous characters for a lacklustre story.
First Reaction –Alien Storm struggles to standout in a genre with many other similar stories.
Director: Adam Werth
Writer: Michael Mahal, Sonny Mahal, Adam Werth (Screenplay)
Cast
Kevin Sorbo
Tom Arnold
Glenn Plummer
Dawna Lee Heising
Jeremy Warner
Plot: A businessman’s grand Las Vegas party is halted by a mysterious fog, driving him and his guests into his secret bunker as a sinister presence threatens them.
Runtime: 1 Hour 14 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Alien Storm starts when an unknown event begins happening. President Nolan (Sorbo) discovers the world is in danger and must make difficult decisions. Elsewhere, a Las Vegas party is halted by the fog, leading the guests to a secret bunker.
Newly appointed Mayor Walker (Arnold) leads the calm between the partygoers, and the mystery about what is in the fog takes over. As the fog continues to spread, the panic to survive the unknown takes over the guests as they battle to survive.
Verdict on Alien Storm
Recap
The movie follows a group of party guests who come under attack from a mysterious fog. They must find a secure location to see out the storm. However, what is within the fog creates the bigger battle to survive the situation.
Best Parts
The mix of ideas is interesting to watch unfold. We get a mystery set in a fog that is consuming areas; this offers some early suspense.
Worst Parts
The final reveal is underwhelming and feels like it is just taking the best parts of most alien movies and dumping them into a mishmash. It is also filled with a host of poor decisions which lead to the characters needing to suffer through something. Elsewhere, the performances are not the strongest.
Final Thoughts –Alien Storm is a mishmash of many better sci-fi movies.
First Reaction –Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer is one of the most interesting documentaries about a musician.
Director: Wes Orshoski
Plot: A gripping documentary chronicling Paul Di’Anno’s life and explosive tenure with Iron Maiden. By Wes Orshoski, best known for co-directing the 2010 cult classic Lemmy.
Runtime: 1 Hour 37 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict on Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer
Recap
The documentary follows Paul Di’Anno, one of Iron Maiden’s original members, whose life took a different direction. He has been suffering greatly from medical problems and an opportunity for a comeback with former members of the band. However, his medical problems force him to turn to drastic changes, and we follow the race to hopefully save his dreams.
Best Parts
The movie explores the pain anyone suffering from a disability goes through. It shows the rise in people’s fame, but the aftermath of greater fame once it has dropped. This is amazing to see the different lifestyles and the modern era of forgetting members of the iconic bands. Overall, this has the most important thing about showing taking time to remember people and their importance in music’s history.
Worst Parts
One side of the movie focuses heavily on criticising the health care system, and it doesn’t seem to tell the full story.
Where to Watch
Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer, arriving 27 July, courtesy of Miracle Media.
Final Thoughts –Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer is a fascinating documentary for all music fans.
First Reaction – Fathers keeps us guessing throughout the movie.
Director: Harley Wallen
Writer: Harley Wallen (Screenplay)
Cast
Kaiti Wallen
Harley Wallen
Jerry Hayes
Deon Hunt
Yancey Fuqua
Plot: A young girl (Natalie) is kidnapped but it’s not long until we realize things are much more complex as her captor presents a completely different picture. Natalie must figure out what is actually true and what isn’t before it’s too late.
Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Fathers starts when Natalie (Kaiti Wallen) is found after 15 years missing. Detective Parker (Hunt) leads the investigation to where she has been for years. Meanwhile, we see Bobby Nash (Harley Wallen) abduct her as a child, believing he has a long-lost relationship with Natalie.
As the investigation unfolds, stranger events become clear and the truth is even more disturbing. However, can Natalie understand the truth and understand why she is the victim in her life.
Verdict on Fathers
Recap
The movie follows a young woman who has escaped her captivity for years. However, the mystery about who took her consumes her and takes over what happened. Meanwhile, the truth becomes more disturbing as it comes out.
Best Parts
The movie thrives on the bigger mystery about what is happening. It keeps us guessing throughout the movie, and the performances keep us engaged in the bigger story. This surprises with everything and doesn’t follow a more traditional concept.
Worst Parts
There are some weaker effects used for certain moments. Elsewhere, it can be jarring with the jump between the time involved.
Final Thoughts –Fathers is an intense mystery, with plenty of twists and turns.
Biggest presentation of films in the festival’s history
Abner Pastoll’s NERVOUS and Marion Le Corroller’s SPECIES to open and close 27th edition
Be prepared for a terrifying, record-breaking selection of World, International, and UK premieres as Tubi FrightFest 2026, the UK’s No.1 horror & fantasy film festival, returns to the Odeon LUXE Leicester Square and the ODEON Luxe West End for its annual five-day celebration of nerve-jangling eeriness, hair-raising shock, and epic scares. This year’s line-up highlights the genre’s transforming landscape and reflects the amazing span of progressive global genre filmmaking.
Running from Thursday August 27 – Monday 31 August, Tubi FrightFest will showcase a record-breaking eighty-two features across five screens, including the popular ‘First Blood’, Documentary, and Retrospective strands. This year there are twenty-four world premieres, with sixteen countries represented, spanning four continents.
Ko Asung & Sarah Bolger star in NERVOUS
The opening night of the festival has a distinctive Asian flavour with the World premiere of NERVOUS, Abner Pastoll’s subversive, cross-cultural tale of psychological alienation and dangerous obsession. Shot entirely in South Korea, the film’s narrative is specifically rooted in the disorientating cultural and physical terrain of the Korean countryside and reunites Pastoll with his A Good Woman Is Hard To Find star Sarah Bolger, who plays a woman losing her ability to hear men’s voices. As her grip on reality starts to fracture, paranoia, hallucinations, and dangerous desires spiral out of control. The director and cast will be attending.
This is followed byCannes sensation COLONY, the highly anticipated zombie shocker sensation from Yeon Sang-ho, director of SEOUL STATION and TRAIN TO BUSAN – both of which will also be screened – the latter to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the zombie shocker that became an instant cult classic.
The Asian line-up also includes 2026 Berlin Film Festivalfavourite GHOSTS IN THE CELL, where Indonesian genre wizard Joko Anwar crafts a gleefully grotesque horror-comedy, SALMOKJI: WHISPERING WATER, which has just become the highest-grossing Korean horror film of all time, and cult Japanese masterpieces CRAZY LIPS and GORE FROM OUTER SPACE, now remastered from original negatives.
SPECIES
The closing night film is the UK premiere of SPECIES, an exhilarating Gen Z shocker. French writer-director Marion Le Corroller’s debut feature is a darkly comic sci-fi body-horror with a deeper allegorical message about workplace burn-out. Its unique body-mutation sequences are created by special make-up effects designer Pierre-Olivier Persin, who won an Oscar for The Substance.
GATOR FACE
The twenty-five tales of terror, trauma and torment in the main screen sees the return of a lot of familiar talent, including The Adams family, with their deeply affecting apocalyptic fable THE GLORIOUSDEAD, Spider One with subversive dark comedy BIG BABY, produced by Cher, Holy Shit! director Lukas Rinker with his seat-edged survival thriller FROSTBITE, Cheat directors Kevin Ignatius and Nick Psinakis with their stylish crime thriller VALLEY VIEW MOTEL, Italian horror maestro Federico Zampaglione, with supernatural chiller THE NAMELESS BALLAD, and Ryuhei Kitamura (The Midnight Meat Train) with LABYRINTH, a game-changing shocker in the Saw tradition.
SPIDER ISLAND
Tubi FrightFest also welcome back Christopher Smith, with the World premiere of his eight-legged satirical horror, SPIDER ISLAND, Padraig Reynolds with his teeth-snapping homage to 1970s creature feature exploitation, GATOR FACE,and James Nunn with survival thriller HUNGRY, where Louisiana bayou tourists are stalked by a ravenous, territorial hippopotamus.
Hammer also returns with ITHAQUA, a gripping period survival horror, directed by Casey Walker, who becomes the first director to have two films screening at the same festival, the other being HOME BODIES, a Christmas movie unlike any you’ve seen before.
Plus, there is the unique anthology THE PITCHFORK RETREAT, from the producers of the Terrifier franchise, which features the last appearance of Candyman star Tony Todd, twisted horror comedy DRAG, co-produced by Danny DeVito and starring his daughter Lucy DeVito. Brea Grant, Chelsea Stardust and Ed Dougherty bring us GRIND, a horror satire anthology about the modern gig economy, and actress Lulu Wilson is back as our favourite lethal anti-hero in Jenn Wexler’s THE LAST TEMPTATION OF BECKY, the biggest, bloodiest and most unhinged instalment yet.
HUNGRY
Other Main Screen titles include ODDITIES, a twisty dark tale of antiques and aliens, starring genre royalty Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog,Escape From New York), YOU ARE THE FILM, an interactive, fourth-wall-breaking experimental feature, HYENA,a brutal, fast-paced serial killer thriller, Stewart Sparke’s DEAD RESET, a video game inspired twist on the time travel genre, tense paranoia thriller IMPOSTERS, and fresh from its sensational Tribeca Festival launch comes PONDEROSA, a hilarious, creepy and surreal Bunuelian nightmare.
GRIND
This year’s four Discovery strands continue to demonstrate Tubi FrightFest’s established ethos for promoting new talent, original content and experimental formats, and this is no more evident than in the ‘First Blood’ strand.
The five World premieres this year are: Annabella Rich’s THE DEATH OF US,where grief and supernatural forces collide to devastating effect, Paul Stainthorpe’s THE BROOK,in which a search for historical answers spirals intoa serial-killer mystery, William Brooke’s THE ALICE PARADOX,which offers a thought-provokingnew perspective on the time-travel genre, as does Conscian Morgan’s BINDING EVA,where a man on the run is trapped in a terrifying time loop. Finally, there is Ashley Nashville‘s HERALDRY PARANORMAL,a boisterous unique take on the classic paranormal investigation horror which also stands as a vivid representation for queer voices, featuring many characters from LGTBQ+ backgrounds.
MyAnna Buring in ZIP WIRE
Besides the ‘First Blood’ entries, the UK is represented by many talents, both established and new, and include the World premieres of Lawrence Fowler’s demonic board game horror GRIN, Dan Schaffer’s erotically-charged ELECTRIC MEAT, which co-stars Emily Booth and Sylvia Soska, Justin Hardy’s WRATH OF THE GODS, the definitive conclusion to the “Wicker Man trilogy”, and you’ll need to hang on tight for Howard Ford’s latest nerve-jangler ZIP WIRE, starring MyAnna Buring. Other UK titles include eerie B-movie homage THE PERIL AT PINCER POINT, WELCOME TO G-TOWN, aGlaswegiansplatter-comedy from upstart twins Nathan and Ben McQuaid, and Chris Green’s music and murder mix SYNTHESIZED.
Emily Booth in ELECTRIC MEAT
Other Discovery Screen One highlights include FACES OF DEATH, the meta slasher retooling of the cult 1978 mondo classic, starring Charli XCX, the heart-felt gross-out shocker BOWELS OF HELL, unusual thriller TERRESTRIAL from Hot Tub Time Machine director Steve Pink, razor sharp, gory satire STARSUCKERS, Larry Fessenden’s graveyard monster mash TRAUMA OR, MONSTERS ALL, intense, psychological found-footage horror INFIRMARY, DRACULA: THE NIGHT AROUND US, a tale of flesh, fangs, forgiveness and funerals, dark web crime thriller COMPLIANCE, and SNAPSHOT, the first found-footage film which uses a unique pinhole camera aesthetic.
FACES OF DEATH
Discovery screens 2, 3 & 4 play host to a global menu of genre delights. From North America comes Kyra Elise Gardner’s horror dramedy SLAY, Cameron Francis’ psychological horror thriller BLOOD SECRET, Andy Chen’s much-anticipated ANOTHER, starring Heather Langenkamp and Doug Jones, Justin M. Seaman’s blood-spattered end to his creature feature trilogy THE BARN PART III, Henry Chaisson’s ghostly RECLUSE, starring Toby Poser, Codey S. Wilson’s brutal home invasion nightmare LESIONS, Casper Kelly’s trippy BUDDY, Nick Lyon’s demonic DO YOU WANT TO PLAY?, Robert J. Steinmiller and Chris Lightbody’s cursed BAD KARAOKE, Stefan Colson’s possessed BLOOM, Carson McKinnon’semotionally-driven shocker MOTHER AND ME and from Josh Lobo, the rising star director of I Trapped The Devil, comes J-Horror inspired sci-fi shocker NIGHT AFTER NIGHT. Finally, Frogman is back as director Anthony Cousins returns to Loveland with his even wackier cryptid sequel FROGMAN RETURNS. Fans will also be able to catch a retrospective screening of FROGMAN, with Cousins in attendance.
Larry Fessenden in TRAUMA OR, MONSTERS ALL
South America is represented by directorPatricio Valladares’ Chilean sequel to Invoking Yell, INVOKING SCREAM, from Brazil we have Ian SBF’s sinister psychological thriller THE FLESH ITSELF, plus REMANENCE,Kapel Furman’shigh voltage cosmic drama and from Uruguay comes SWEET VIOLENCE, the feature debut of Jeremias Segovia, one of the most exciting talents in South America.
BAD KARAOKE
Audiences can also sample devilish delights from down-under including OUR EFFED UP WORLD, the latest mindbender from transgender director Alice Maio Mackay, first-person found-footage horror DEAD EYES, haunting chiller THE LATCHER, and BUNNY RABBIT, the apocalyptic genre breakout of the year.
From Canada, Sam Scott brings the axe-shredding punk-rock tribute TURN IT UP!, while Daniel Turres delivers the wild, blood-soaked survival horror FRESH MEAT. Rounding out the line-up is the even meatier MEAT KILLS, from Dutch director Martijn Smits.
TURN IT UP!
Tubi FrightFest has always explored industry movers and shapers in its documentary strand and this year is no exception with the world premiere of Sarah Appleton’s FULL MOON RISING: THE CHARLES BAND STORY, a new feature documentary about the truly incredible life and career of Charles Band, prolific producer/director of such genre classics as Re-Animator, From Beyond, Trancers, and Castle Freak. Charles will be attending the festival.
RUBBERHEAD: THE LIFE & TIMES OF STEVE JOHNSON
There is also the European premiere of RUBBERHEAD: THE LIFE & TIMES OF STEVE JOHNSON, a humorous and heartfelt portrait of one of Hollywood’s most prolific special effects makeup artists. Plus, there is the UK premiere of THE FRIGHT STUFF, Mike Meyer’s all-access documentary that takes the viewer behind the scenes of the haunted house industry in America.
This year, Tubi FrightFest presents 4K restorations of both GHOSTKEEPER, Jim Makichuk’s Canuxploitation supernatural slasher classic, and Val Guest’s timeless THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN. This is a World premiere presentation from Hammer Films and is a restored version of the original UK cut complete with original title sequence.
Co-director Alan Jones comments: “Tubi FrightFest knows what creates resonance with its audience: that there has to be space for depth of exciting storytelling and that what is important in the ultimate scheme of festival priorities is to interact, scream, laugh and debate in a safe space, with a like-minded community”.
Full Festival Passes on sale from Sat 18 July, noon
Day Passes and Single tickets on sale from Sat 25 July, noon
The festival guest line-up, the Short Film Showcases and other events will be revealed soon.
In the Company of Wolves: An American Journey – Movie Review
First Reaction – In the Company of Wolves: An American Journey is an interesting journey through human connection with nature.
Director: Susan Kucera
Plot: Academy-Award winner Jeff Bridges narrates the stunning journey of wolves and other animals through American history, reflecting a deeper story of who we are as a nation.
Runtime: 1 Hour 23 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict on In the Company of Wolves: An American Journey
Recap
The documentary explores the human connection to wolves over generations in history. It shows how they once lived side by side and how growth in certain worlds created a tension.
Best Parts
The different glimpses in history are fascinating, from the journey in England, to the open plains of America. It shows how much gets caught up in the middle of the bigger picture and create the bigger problems each decision. The calming voice of Jeff Bridges keeps us enjoying the stories from different people in history. Overall, this is interesting to learn more about the connection through life.
Where to Watch
In The Company Of Wolves: An American Journey (7/17/26 VOD Release)
Final Thoughts –In the Company of Wolves: An American Journey is an interesting journey of discovery.
