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Today at Grimmfest, the much-anticipated Northern UK Premiere of Traumatika is set to leave audiences breathless. Directed by Pierre Tsigaridis and starring Rebekah Kennedy, this chilling film isn’t for the faint of heart—it’s a psychological deep dive into trauma, possession, and the kind of familial horror that leaves scars across generations. Crafted with a love for the horror genre’s darkest aspects, Traumatika melds elements of slasher, giallo, and true crime with a sharp twist on found footage, creating an experience that is unsettling, brutal, yet profoundly captivating.

Having previously stunned audiences with Two Witches, Tsigaridis once again collaborates with producer Maxime Rancon to deliver a terrifying spectacle. Traumatika stands out as a visceral love letter to horror in all its forms, mixing found footage, first-person storytelling, and Satanic Panic vibes with an all-star cast. Employing multiple points of view and exploring cursed artifacts, demonic possession, and a harrowing true crime narrative,...

Stars: Susan Gayle-Watts, Ranen Navat, Aj Bowen, Sean O’Bryan, Emily Goss, Rebekah Kennedy | Written and Directed by Pierre Tsigaridis

From the off, Pierre Tsigaridis’ sophomore film, Traumatika, promises its audience an exploration of the various sub-types of childhood trauma, focusing on emotional, physical, and sexual abuse alongside a gratuitous amount of violence.

The story is told non-linearly, starting in present-day L.A. We are introduced to Jennifer Novac’s (Susan Gayle-Watts) highly exploitative – verging on evil – true crime show intent on exploring a spate of child murders that occurred in 2003 in Pasadena, California. But, before we get there, the audience is transported back further in time to the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, when a lone wanderer buries a mysterious artefact only to then commit suicide after being plagued by visions of his child’s death at the hands of the demon Volpaazu.

93 years later, and we shift to a young Mikey’s (Ranen Navat) bedroom.

Grimmfest, one of the UK’s premier genre film festivals, returns this October with an exciting and star-studded lineup of guests. Filmmakers and actors from around the globe are set to descend on Manchester to present their films, engage with fans, and take part in exclusive Q&a sessions, making this year’s edition the most interactive and talent-packed event yet.

Running from 3rd to 6th October at the Odeon Great Northern, Grimmfest offers a chance to see world premieres, UK debuts, and international hits before they hit wider release. Attendees will not only get to watch these films but also meet the creators and stars behind them in an intimate, fan-focused setting.

Grimmfest prides itself on not having a “Them and Us” atmosphere at their events. Instead, filmmakers and performers are encouraged to mingle, socialise, often sharing a drink at the bar with audience members. Here are just a...

Grimmfest, Manchester’s premier horror and genre film festival, is set to return to the Odeon Great Northern in Deansgate from 3rd to 6th October 2024. Celebrating its 16th edition, this year’s festival promises four days of intense thrills and unforgettable scares, showcasing the very best in contemporary genre cinema with a diverse line-up that includes world premieres, UK debuts, and a special focus on vehicle-based horror with the “Fear on Four Wheels” strand.

Grimmfest feature film premieres

The festival kicks off on Thursday, 3rd October, with the World Premiere of Tales from the Void, followed by the UK premiere of the claustrophobic psycho-thriller Black Cab, directed by Bruce Goodison and starring Nick Frost. As the evening unfolds, the darkly comedic horror Beezel and the eerie Strange Harvest will further set the tone for what promises to be a chilling weekend.

Friday, 4th October, offers a full day of terrifying treats,...

Traumatika is the latest film from Pierre Tsigaridis and Maxime Rancon, the creators of 2021’s well received Two Witches. Its premiere at this years FrightFest has garnered a good buzz, especially with what the creators have done before so it is with much anticipation that this film arrives.

The trauma that is indicated in the film’s title is the beating heart of this horrific tale of possession and murder. The drama unfolds over multiple timelines and is a thrilling watch, with a decent amount of unsettling tension throughout the movie’s duration.

The film begins, after a bit of important backstory, with the ordeal of a young boy named Mikey, who is in the thrall of his demonically possessed mother. This leads into a whole host of murder, mayhem and unravelling secrets as the film moves on at a rapid pace. This fast pace amplifies the traumatic horror tremendously,...

As Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024 continues to thrill and terrify, one of the standout screenings from yesterday was the world premiere of Traumatika. Directed by Pierre Tsigaridis, this film has already made waves with its intense and visceral storytelling, blending elements of possession, true crime, and slasher horror.

We had the chance to catch up with Maxime Rancon, CEO of The Rancon Company, and Rebekah Kennedy, one of the film’s lead actresses, to discuss the making of Traumatika, their inspirations, and what they hope audiences take away from this terrifying experience.

Maxime Rancon, CEO and Rebekah Kennedy, actress 1. Tell us about your film

Maxime Rancon: Traumatika is a relentless, fast-paced descent into the dark world of possession, blending elements of true crime, body horror, and slasher genres. This film is an intense and gripping experience, offering a visceral exploration of fear and terror that pays homage to our favorite kind of horror.

A curious palimpsest of a film, scattered across different media and through time, Pierre Tsigaridis’ Traumatika is one of the stranger contributions to 2024’s Frightfest. It’s framed within the context of an exploitative true crime TV show – a convenient justification for all kinds of sins – but an immediate leap back in time to a prequel set in 1910, which sees a man stagger out into the Sinai desert to bury a curious green idol in the sand, assures us that something more unusual is going on. We are, we are told, about to learn about the Pasadena murders, and we find ourselves in 2003, where an eight-year-old boy named Mikey (Ranen Navat) is hiding under a table whilst making a call to the emergency services. “Mommy is a monster,” he says, and based on what we see next, he may well be right.

Using demonological themes as a...

From the creative minds behind Two Witches comes Traumatika, a haunting new horror film that explores the dark intersections of demonic possession and slasher terror. Directed by Pierre Tsigaridis, Traumatika plunges audiences into the terrifying experiences of Mikey, a young boy whose life is shattered by his mother’s descent into madness. The film employs multiple first-person point-of-view shots to capture the raw fear and confusion of Mikey’s childhood, turning his night terrors into a gruesome reality that will haunt him—and those around him—for generations.

As Pigeon Shrine FrightFrightFest kicks off this Thursday, Traumatika is set to make its mark on the horror landscape, screening it’s world premiere on Saturday the 24th. The film’s premise is both chilling and thought-provoking: What if the evil we fear most isn’t born but created through trauma? As Mikey witnesses his mother’s terrifying transformation, the question of...