IFI Horrorthon 2025 unleashes five nights of frightening film in Dublin

The IFI brings back its Horrorthon for 2025 from blood-soaked premieres to cult classics and a vampire-themed party takeover.

screen grab from an IFI Horrorthon 2025 film

The Irish Film Institute (IFI) has unveiled the full programme for IFI Horrorthon 2025, the most chilling event in Ireland’s film calendar. Running from Thursday, October 23 to Monday, October 27, this year’s festival promises an electrifying mix of new releases, restorations, cult favourites, and special events designed to thrill horror fans of every persuasion.

Kicking off the festival is the Irish premiere of Shelby Oaks, the much-anticipated feature debut from YouTube critic-turned-director Chris Stuckmann. Starring Camille Sullivan and Brendan Sexton III, and executive produced by Mike Flanagan, it sets the tone for a terrifying five days. The festival will close with Bryan Fuller’s Dust Bunny, a visually sumptuous tale featuring Hannibal collaborators Fuller and Mads Mikkelsen, alongside Sigourney Weaver and Sheila Atim.

A major highlight of this year’s programme is the Vampire’s Ball, a special collaboration with District Film Club on Saturday, October 25. The IFI will host screenings of Let the Right One In, Blade and Lord of Illusions, followed by a talk from horror scholar Dr Sorcha Ní Fhlainn. The evening will culminate in a late-night party in the IFI foyer, complete with DJs, drinks, spot prizes, and undead glamour.

Horror fans can also look forward to the return of the ever-popular Horror Table Quiz on Friday evening, and the Surprise Film on Sunday night, both perennial favourites that sell out quickly.

This year’s retrospective strand focuses, showcasing four groundbreaking and transgressive titles: Inside, Irréversible, Martyrs, and High Tension. For lovers of behind-the-scenes cinema, Friday’s double bills pair documentaries like Boorman and the Devil and Hearts of Darkness: The Making of the Final Friday with their respective cult classics.

Other festival highlights include the first Irish screening of a new 4K restoration of Neil Marshall’s The Descent, plus a wealth of new international features from Thailand, France, New Zealand, and North America, including We Bury the Dead starring Daisy Ridley.

Tickets are on sale now via this link, at the IFI Box Office, or by phone on 01 679 3477. With five days of cinematic nightmares awaiting, IFI Horrorthon 2025 promises to be an unforgettable celebration of horror in all its glorious, gory forms.

© 2025 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.

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