Dundee horror festival Dundead returns

Get set for some sleepless nights, Dundonians, because horror festival Dundead is returning with a lineup of mint-fresh horrors as well as some classic scary movies. 

The eclectic programme kicks off Thu 27 Apr with heavy metal horror The Devil’s Candy, which sees a struggling artist forced to do the devil’s bidding. That’s followed on Fri 28 Apr by Egomaniac, a twisted story of a filmmaker who will do anything to see her vision become reality, and The Void, about a terrifying, otherworldly threat from the makers of Manborg.

On Saturday, the scares continue with morgue mystery The Autopsy of Jane Doe, starring acclaimed Dundonian actor Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch, where an autopsy throws up frightening revelations, and The Chamber, a dark and atmospheric thriller set within the confines of a submarine.

The final day of the festival sees screenings of The Eyes of My Mother, in which the daughter of a surgeon finds her unhinged curiosity getting the better of her, and Always Shine, Sophia Takal’s unsettling psychological thriller about obsession, fame and femininity.

A great-looking retrospective of Stephen King adaptations is also peppered throughout the weekend. There are a trio of matinee screenings: first up is Firestarter, which was a huge influence on Stranger Things; the 1984 film stars a young Drew Barrymore as a pint-sized pyrotechnic. The following day there's Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, featuring an axe-wielding Jack Nicholson runing amok in a snowbound hotel, and for those after a lighter fright there’s coming-of-age classic Stand by Me.  

For the late crowd, there are some late-night King screenings: on Thursday there's The Mist – the black and white version! – which sees creatures from another dimension terrorise a small town. The next night it's the theatrical cut of vampire fright-fest Salem’s Lot, screening from 35mm, while on Saturday Creepshow pops up with a mix of five gory and blackly humourous short tales, one of which features King himself. Reanimated animal horror Pet Sematary rounds off the festival on Sunday night.