Japanese horror ‘Never After Dark’ heads Grimmfest 2026 winners with four prizes including best film

Japanese horror Never After Dark from US filmmaker Dave Boyle was awarded in four categories by UK genre event Grimmfest, winning best feature film.

The film, which sees a travelling psychic investigate the origins of a powerful entity at a remote house, also jointly won best scare with The Whisper; was second runner-up in the audience award; and received a special mention in the best editing category.

• Scroll down for the full list of winners

It is a sixth feature for Boyle, and launched at SXSW before playing genre festivals including Brussels and Bucheon.

Graham Guit’s crime thriller Stronger Than The Devil was awarded in the most categories with seven, including wins in best ensemble cast, best screenplay, and best supporting actress for Asia Argento, shared with Adrienne Barbeau for Oddities. It sees a broke man on the fringes of society reconnect with his adult son, only for the man’s past to start to catch up with him.

Other multiple winners or recognised titles included Taratoa Stappard’s Marama , set in Victorian Yorkshire as a visiting young Maori woman becomes trapped in a manor filled with supernatural visions. The film won best actress for Ariana Osborne, shared with Margarita Zachariou for Motherwitch; best supporting actor for former Die Another Day James Bond villain Toby Stephens; and a special mention in the best feature film category.

The lifetime achievement award went to US actress Barbeau, whose film credits include The Thing, Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island and Argo.

The awards were selected by a jury consisting of filmmaker-actor Jennifer Trudrung, production and marketing executive Tim Scaping of Trinity Content Partners, academic and author Xavier Aldana Reyes, and genre cinema journalist Tom Atkinson.

The festival, with the full name Grimmfest: Manchester’s International Festival Of Fantastic Film, ran from October 8-11 in Manchester, UK.

“An incredible line-up of wonderful new genre movies graced our screens, and we are so proud to offer the jury’s carefully considered selection of awards,” said Grimmfest director Simeon Halligan. “So many truly original, independently made movies hailing from all corners of the globe.”

Grimmfest 2026 winners

Best scare award – Never After Dark; The Whisper
Special mentions – Crawlers; Under Your Feet

Best SFX award – The Glorious Dead; Box Cutter
Special mentions – The Ones Who Grieve; Sicko

Best creature design – The Room Below
Special mentions – The Glorious Dead; Grind

Best VFX – Crawlers

Best short – Harvest
Special mention – Imprint

Best European short – Qui Insieme
Special mention – The Hiring Protocol

Debut feature award – They Always Come At Night

Special achievement award – Jacob Santana for Evil Dress and Reversion

Special achievement award – Boxcutter

Achievement in production award – The Glorious Dead; Ithaqua

Legacy Award – Steve Pink

Best comedy – Grind
Special mention – Stronger Than The Devil

Best ensemble cast – Stronger Than The Devil
Special mentions – Terrestrial; Ithaqua

Best art direction – Marama
Special mention – Ithaqua

Best cinematography – Antoine Carpentier for The Ones Who Grieve
Special mentions – Jack McDonald for Motherwitch; Bryn McCashin for Ithaqua

Best score – Alberto Torres for Disforia
Special mentions – Sicko, Crawlers, Stronger Than The Devil

Best editing – Ben Allan, Damien Fannon for Ivan
Special mentions – Crawlers; Never After Dark

Best screenplay – Graham Guit for Stronger Than The Devil
Special mentions – Grind; Oddities; Sicko

Best child performance – Sofia Otero, Ibai Atanes in Under Your Feet
Special mentions – Gilbert Bradman, Alistair Bradman in The Room Below; Marcelo Michinaux in The Whisper

Best supporting actor – Toby Stephens in Marama
Special mention – Nahuel Perez Biscayart for Stronger Than The Devil

Best supporting actress – Adrienne Barbeau for Oddities; Asia Argento for Stronger Than The Devil
Special mention – Claudia Salas for Disforia

Best actress – Adriana Osborne for Marama; Margarita Zachariou for Motherwitch
Special mentions – Toby Poser for The Glorious Dead; Alyssa Sutherland for The Room Below

Best actor – Thierry Fremont for The Ones Who Grieve
Special mentions – Ayan Utepburgen in Sicko; Melvil Poupaud in Stronger Than The Devil

Best director – Aitore Zholdaskai for Sicko
Special mention – Taratoa Stappard for Marama

Best feature film – Never After Dark
Special mention – Marama

Audience award – Crawlers; with Marama in first-runner up and Never After Dark in third

Lifetime achievement award - Adrienne Barbeau

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