Fanomenon Day of the Dead 5

For LIFF25, Day of the Dead returns to the old-school glory of the newly reopened City Varieties. The darker twin sister of Night of the Dead showcases three UK premieres and the true variety to be found in horror, as zombies slouch on screen from as far afield as Cuba (Juan of the Dead) and as far back in time as the American Civil War (Exit Humanity). The true breadth of Eurohorror can be experienced as giallo gets a German make over (Masks), and Sweden hones the subtlety of Japanese horror styling (Marianne). Sandwiched in-between this jam-packed programme, we present some very special guests and some of the best short horror films from around the world.
The Germans go all giallo with extravagant Argento homage Masks, our Day of the Dead opener where the dance school of Suspiria is wonderfully mimicked as theatre school with truly horrific methods. The first of three UK premieres follows with Marianne, which, like last year’s Méliès d’Argent winner The Last Employee, takes Japanese horror conventions head on in the story of a guilt-ridden man driven to the edge of his sanity by a vengeful ghostly woman. We didn’t know the American Civil War was followed by another battle, this time with the undead, but Exit Humanity clashes period drama with classic zombie horror in this genre epic. Day of the Dead closes with the UK premiere of one of the most anticipated and hyped horror films of the year: Cuba’s Juan of the Dead, and LIFF25 is proud to be welcoming Juan’s filmmakers to the UK to share the laughs and splatter.