London FrightFest
London FrightFest is a UK private film festival company producing three annual ticketed horror and fantasy events (London, Glasgow, Halloween), serving 15,000+ attendees with curated premieres across seven ODEON and GFT screens and monetising through ticket sales, sponsorships, and distributor partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What London FrightFest does
London FrightFest is the UK's longest-running dedicated horror, fantasy, science-fiction, and thriller film festival, operating continuously since 2000 under the trademarked brand "FrightFest — The Dark Heart of Cinema." The festival is produced by London FrightFest Limited, a privately held UK company led by co-directors Alan Jones and Ian Rattray, with a core team of approximately six employees supported by a volunteer crew during events. Its product surface comprises three annual live events—the flagship five-day FrightFest London in August at ODEON Luxe Leicester Square (taking over seven screens), a two/three-day strand within the Glasgow Film Festival each March, and a two-day FrightFest Halloween event at ODEON Luxe West End in late October/early November—plus a monthly digital screening series, "FrightFest Saturday Scares with Alan Jones," distributed via the NYX UK streaming platform since January 2024. Programming is organised into Main Screen Premieres, the Discovery Screen strand (three sub-screens), the First Blood strand for debut directors, and a Short Film Showcase running since 2004; the 2025 London event showcased 69 features with 19 world premieres from 14 countries across four continents.
The business model is fundamentally a ticketed live-events and content-curation operation with three revenue streams: (1) ticket sales ranging from £14.99–£15 for individual film screenings, £39 for day passes, £80 for the Halloween two-day pass, £88 for the Glasgow weekend pass, and £225–£250 for full five-day London festival passes; (2) film competition and brand sponsorship packages sold to companies seeking access to the concentrated genre audience (15,000+ annual London attendees); and (3) value derived from distributor partnerships (Signature Entertainment, 101 Films, Brick Lane Entertainment, Paramount Pictures UK) that supply premiere content. Online ticketing is operated through the third-party Eventive platform, with physical box offices at ODEON and Glasgow Film Theatre; PR and marketing are handled by Clout Communications. There is no proprietary technology platform, no AI/ML capabilities, no disclosed funding rounds, no subsidiaries, and no parent company—the entity is founder-controlled and operates independently within the UK cultural-events sector.
London FrightFest firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- London FrightFest
- Legal name
- London FrightFest Limited
- Website
- https://frightfest.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- London FrightFest is a UK private film festival company producing three annual ticketed horror and fantasy events (London, Glasgow, Halloween), serving 15,000+ attendees with curated premieres across seven ODEON and GFT screens and monetising through ticket sales, sponsorships, and distributor partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
London FrightFest industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Film Festival Events
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Special Event Screenings & Pop-up Cinemas (MPADAKAE)
Keywords
Where London FrightFest is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
London FrightFest business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Festival and Day Pass Ticket Sales: The primary revenue stream is the sale of festival passes (multi-day) and single-day tickets for the August London event, October/November Halloween event, and March Glasgow event. Passes range from £225–250 for full festival access, day passes from £39, and single tickets from £14.99–£15.
- Single Film Ticket Sales: Individual film screening tickets sold to walk-up attendees and pass holders (for additional screenings beyond pass entitlements). Single tickets are priced at £14.99–£15 per film.
- Film Competitions and Sponsorship: Revenue derived from film competitions and sponsorship arrangements. The festival offers sponsorship packages for brands seeking access to the genre film audience.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Festival Pass - Royal Circle/Stalls |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Festival Pass - Rear Circle |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Day Pass |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single Film Ticket |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Glasgow Weekend Pass |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Halloween Two-Day Pass |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels11 records
London FrightFest product offering
Product offeringCore offering
London FrightFest is a ticketed film festival company that curates and presents multi-day horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and thriller film events across cinema venues in the UK. The festival runs three flagship annual events — FrightFest London (five days at ODEON Luxe Leicester Square in August), FrightFest Glasgow (at Glasgow Film Theatre in March), and FrightFest Halloween (two days at ODEON Luxe West End in October/November) — featuring world premieres, filmmaker Q&As, short film showcases, and Discovery Screen programming. It also produces the monthly 'FrightFest Saturday Scares' virtual screening series on the NYX UK platform.
Product overview
London FrightFest is a horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and thriller film festival offering multiple event products: the flagship five-day FrightFest London (August, ODEON Luxe Leicester Square with seven screens), FrightFest Glasgow (March, Glasgow Film Festival), and FrightFest Halloween (October, ODEON Luxe West End). The festival programs feature films across Main Screen Premieres and Discovery Screen strands, including the internationally recognized Short Film Showcase (since 2004) and First Blood strand for emerging directors. Additional offerings include film competitions, guest Q&As, and FrightFest Saturday Scares broadcast on NYX UK.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- FrightFest London
- FrightFest Glasgow (Pigeon Shrine FrightFest)
- FrightFest Halloween
- FrightFest Saturday Scares with Alan Jones
Quantifiable outcome
- Ranked in Top Ten of The World's Best Fantasy Festivals list
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use London FrightFest
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
London FrightFest technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
London FrightFest partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Signature EntertainmentminorFilm distribution partner providing content for FrightFest screenings. Signature Entertainment distributed THE HOME (opening film for FrightFest London 2025) and COYOTES for the Halloween 2025 event.
- Paramount Pictures UKminorParamount Pictures UK partnered with FrightFest for a SCARY MOVIE competition giveaway, offering prize bundles to UK and Ireland residents in connection with the film's June 2026 UK cinema release.
- ODEON Cinemas (Luxe Leicester Square & Luxe West End)coreODEON Cinemas hosts FrightFest's annual five-day London event across seven screens at the ODEON Luxe Leicester Square and ODEON Luxe West End. This is FrightFest's primary venue partnership, having hosted the event since 2024 (and continuing in 2025 and 2026). The venue has been described as the festival's 'new home' following the move from Cineworld Leicester Square.
- Glasgow Film Festival (GFT)coreFrightFest has been a resident strand of the Glasgow Film Festival since 2005, returning annually for its 20th year in 2025. The Glasgow event showcases genre films as an integrated part of the wider film festival programme at the Glasgow Film Theatre.
- NYX UKminorNYX UK streaming platform partners with FrightFest to deliver the 'FrightFest Saturday Scares with Alan Jones' monthly virtual screening series, extending the brand between live events. The series launched January 2024 and features genre film introductions and screenings.
- Clout CommunicationscoreClout Communications handles FrightFest's PR and marketing campaigns, generating national and international press coverage across all media areas for the festival.
- Graham HumphreyscoreGraham Humphreys is the festival's long-standing official poster artist, designing the iconic annual festival poster. His work is described as the festival's visual identity, with posters for notable films including The Evil Dead and A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
London FrightFest competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF): Swiss genre festival covering horror, fantasy, and sci-fi with a strong international programming slate. Comparable to FrightFest in curatorial depth, filmmaker Q&As, and discovery-focused branding.
- Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF): Long-running Belgian genre festival dedicated to horror, fantasy, and sci-fi. Similar to FrightFest in its multi-day curated format, European fan base, and strong international filmmaker draw.
- Sitges Film Festival: Spain's premier international fantastic film festival, often regarded as the world's leading genre festival. Comparable to FrightFest in scale, international premiere focus, and dedicated horror/fantasy audience.
- Grimmfest: Manchester-based UK genre film festival focused on horror, fantasy, and cult cinema. A domestic UK peer that competes for overlapping British genre audiences and filmmakers.
- Razor Reel Flanders: Belgian genre film festival dedicated to horror and fantasy. Comparable to FrightFest in niche positioning, European footprint, and curated multi-screen premiere format.
- Fantastic Fest: Austin-based annual genre film festival focused on horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and action. The most direct US/global comparable to FrightFest in audience, programming model, and curation of world premieres within the genre niche.
- Beyond Fest: Los Angeles-based genre film festival featuring horror, sci-fi, and fantasy premieres. Closely comparable to FrightFest in its premiere-driven programming model and dedicated genre fan community.
- Screamfest Horror Film Festival: LA-based horror film festival that screens features and shorts. Comparable to FrightFest in its genre focus, mix of established and debut filmmakers, and short film showcase programming.
Regional players
- Monster Fest: Australian genre film festival focused on horror and cult cinema. Comparable programming model to FrightFest but operating in the Asia-Pacific region, where FrightFest draws world-premiere filmmakers from.
Broad incumbents
- Glasgow Film Festival: Annual multi-genre film festival in Glasgow that hosts FrightFest as a resident strand. Comparable as a broader film festival operator that FrightFest partners with and partially competes against for film-festival audiences in the UK.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
London FrightFest social profiles
Digital presenceLondon FrightFest financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
London FrightFest leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
London FrightFest funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
London FrightFest M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about London FrightFest
What does London FrightFest do?
London FrightFest is a ticketed film festival company that curates and presents multi-day horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and thriller film events across cinema venues in the UK. The festival runs three flagship annual events — FrightFest London (five days at ODEON Luxe Leicester Square in August), FrightFest Glasgow (at Glasgow Film Theatre in March), and FrightFest Halloween (two days at ODEON Luxe West End in October/November) — featuring world premieres, filmmaker Q&As, short film showcases, and Discovery Screen programming. It also produces the monthly 'FrightFest Saturday Scares' virtual screening series on the NYX UK platform.
Is London FrightFest a public or private company?
London FrightFest is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was London FrightFest founded?
London FrightFest was founded in 2000. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is London FrightFest based?
London FrightFest is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does London FrightFest make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Festival and Day Pass Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are single Film Ticket Sales and film Competitions and Sponsorship.
Who are London FrightFest's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF), Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF), Sitges Film Festival, Grimmfest, Razor Reel Flanders, Fantastic Fest, Beyond Fest and Screamfest Horror Film Festival. Monster Fest is listed as a regional player. Glasgow Film Festival is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does London FrightFest have an API?
No public API is recorded for London FrightFest.
What industry is London FrightFest in?
London FrightFest's product category is Film Festival Events. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAKAD, Film Festivals & Festival Organizers, with a secondary code of MPADAKAE, Special Event Screenings & Pop-up Cinemas. Its NAICS code is 71131 and its SIC code is 7830.