The ABCs of Death, Byzantium among UK premieres at Film4 FrightFest

Ambitious horror anthology The ABCs of Death and Neil Jordan’s Byzantium [pictured] will receive their UK premieres as part of this year’s Film4 FrightFest programme at Glasgow Film Festival.

They are among nine UK premieres taking place during this year’s eighth edition, which runs Feb 22-23. Also premiering are Nicolás López’s Aftershock (co-written and starring Eli Roth), Barry Levinson’s The Bay and Rob Zombie’s The Lords of Salem.

Guests this year include Roth, alongside López and co-star Lorenza Izzo, as well as Jordan and stars Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan. Three of the directors of The ABCs of Death will also be among those in attendance: Simon Rumley, Lee Hardcastle and Jake West.

This year’s programme will also host the UK premiere of seven-part Norwegian TV series Hellfjord, written and produced by Dead Snow’s Tommy Wirkola, with five episodes showing before screenings of FrightFest films and a double bill rounding off this year’s programme on Feb 23.

A newly restored edition of Mario Bava’s horror anthology Black Sabbath will also receive a retrospective premiere, screening for the first time in English.

Alan Jones, FrightFest co-director, commented: “Film4 FrightFest is thrilled to be part of Glasgow Film Festival for its eighth straight year, defining horror fantasy for our lovely neighbours north of the border. 2013 sees Team FrightFest building on the massive support our Scottish fans have consistently given us to make this shock-around-the-clock event the must-see brightest and best ever. And our 2013 edition is no exception to that heady mix of mirth, menace, monsters and mayhem that has now come to characterize the exhilarating and exciting Film4 FrightFest Glasgow experience”.

Full line-up is as follows:

The ABCs of Death – UK premiere
Aftershock – UK premiere
The American Scream – UK premiere
The Bay – UK premiere
Black Sabbath – retrospective premiere
Bring Me the Head of the Machine Gun Woman – UK premiere
Byzantium – UK premiere
Detention of the Dead – UK premiere
Hellfjord – UK premiere
The Lords of Salem – UK premiere
Sawney: Flesh of Man – Scottish premiere

For more information on Glasgow Film Festival, see separate story here.