Dead Northern - Horror & Fantasy Film Festival

18/10/2026

SHORT FILM SUNDAY: THE BLOKE IN THE BOOT

Our 2024 Fresh Meat Award winner for Best Student Film is back, and it’s FREE to watch on YouTube from 11am today!

Somewhere in Northern England, Mogg accidentally murders his driving examiner. With his best mate Gaps in tow, the pair head to Wales to get rid of one rather bloody problem in the boot.

Written and directed by Yorkshire-born filmmaker Taylor Caddick, this dark comedy is a love letter to the North, packed with questionable decisions, tested friendships and the kind of trouble you really don’t want to explain to the police.

🏆 Dead Northern Fresh Meat Award winner, 2024
🎬 Written and directed by Taylor Caddick
🩸 Northern dark comedy
▶️ FREE TO WATCH ON YOUTUBE FROM 11AM

Huge congratulations to Taylor and the whole team behind the film. We’re proud to give our Fresh Meat winners a second life and introduce their work to a whole new audience.

Got a short film looking for a final home? Drop us a DM.
Put the kettle on, keep your mates close, and whatever you do… don’t hide your bodies int’ boot.

06/10/2026

THANK YOU 🖤

It’s been a week since we wrapped on Dead Northern 2026.

Three days of horror, brilliant films, filmmakers, Q&As, live events, questionable decisions and one hell of a weekend in York.

Before we put our feet up, we wanted to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who made it happen.

To every filmmaker who trusted us with their work, every fan who bought a ticket and every person who walked through the doors and embraced the madness: thank you. Dead Northern genuinely wouldn’t exist without you.

Huge thanks to our headline partner Dead by Daylight , Arrow Video for some killer swag, Bloody Drinks for a fantastic spirits with spirits - hosted by the brilliant Dorian Deathly , The Independent Horror Society for hosting the most difficult aliens quiz we’ve ever seen & hosting some great Q&As, Love Horror for all the incredible coverage , Horror Con Scotland for terrifying us all with the DBD immersive experience , Indicator & Dead Ink Books for helping us spend all our cash supporting physical media, and the absolutely brilliant team at Picturehouse City Screen York.

And a massive thank you to Monika (Photography • Content Creation • Videography | Harrogate ) for capturing the weekend so brilliantly. These photos say it better than we ever could.

Massive congratulations to every winner, and to everyone who made a film and brought it to Dead Northern this year. We’ll be publishing a full list of winners later this week!

Dead Northern returns 24–26 September 2027.
Submissions are open!

But before then…. Join us for a Halloween all nighter City Screen, York (details in bio) 🎃

06/10/2026

01/10/2026

MARROW - NOW LIVE ON YT 📺

Our 2025 Fresh Meat Award winner is now available to watch completely free on the Dead Northern YouTube channel.

A rookie paramedic answers a 999 call. What follows takes a dark, surreal turn.

MARROW is a psychological horror short from writer/director Jay T Grimes, produced by Megan Teo, exploring death, ageing and the existential dread that sits beneath one of our most basic human fears.

Made as a student film at the University of the Arts London, MARROW took home the Fresh Meat Award for Best Student Film at Dead Northern 2025.

🎬 10 minutes
🏆 Fresh Meat Award winner
🩸 Psychological horror
▶️ FREE TO WATCH NOW

Huge congratulations to Jay, Megan and the whole MARROW team.

Turn the lights down and answer the call.

Want to find a final home for your short film? Drop us a DM.
Watch MARROW now on the Dead Northern YouTube channel.
——
Cast:
Lola Cranleigh

Paddy Glynn
Thomas-Jan Johnston
Alisa Dali
Maddison Allard
Sarah Michael Marks

Writer, Director: Jay Grimes
Producer: Megan Teo • Writer-Producer
DOP:
Production Designer: Sean Marsh
Sound Designer:
Editor, DIT: Ben Wood

1st AD: .gaiso
2nd AD: Shubh Gaharwar
Fight Coordinator: Gareth Henry
Production Coordinator: jasminemiller
Production Assistant: Isabella Fox
Script Supervisor:

1st AC:
Gaffer: Ethan Smith
2nd ACs: Áron Csiszárik, Matyas Wyatt
Spark & Additional Focus Puller: Aaron Kokolay
Boom Op:
Foley Artist: Gab
Additional ADR:
Additional Foley: mia
Make Up Artist: .arts
Costume Design: Lee Howe-li-rocchi
Art Director: Cait
Art Assistant: elisa
Art Assistant/graphic Designer: Ash Reynolds
Art Assistant/graphic Designer: Tasha/Santiago
Art Assistant: Sam Hawkins
Colorist: Hyias Ching
BTS And Stills Photographer: Andy
Social Media:
And a special thanks to klp

PsychologicalHorror