Here is your ultimate guide to Dundead 2026
- Andrew Batchelor
- May 5
- 4 min read
Dundee’s cult film festival Dundead returns for its 14th edition, bringing four days of horror, cult cinema and bold storytelling to Dundee Contemporary Arts from 7 May to 10 May.
This year’s programme features 12 films, including two UK premieres and four Scottish premieres, curated by Dundead programmer Michael Coull.
Alongside the contemporary line-up, a special retrospective strand titled “She’s a Maneater! Cannibalism, Consumption and Carnal Appetites” has been created in collaboration with feminist film collective Invisible Women.
Here’s your full guide to every film and event at Dundead 2026
Thursday 7 May
Camp (UK premiere)
19:00
Opening Dundead, Camp introduces a hazy, emotionally-driven take on horror. Directed by Avalon Fast, it follows a young woman starting work at a summer camp while dealing with personal loss.
As she settles in, strong bonds begin to form among the group, but there’s an underlying sense that something isn’t quite right. The film blends themes of grief, friendship and identity with a subtle, almost dreamlike tone, marking it out as a different kind of horror experience.
Dumplings
20:30
Dumplings centres on a former actress struggling with the realities of ageing and fading relevance. In a bid to regain her youth, she turns to a mysterious woman known for producing unusual dumplings with supposed rejuvenating effects.
What follows is a dark and increasingly unsettling story that explores beauty standards, obsession and the pressures placed on women. It mixes sharp satire with moments designed to shock, creating a film that is both uncomfortable and thought-provoking.
Friday 8 May
Dundead Film Quiz
18:00
Test your knowledge in the Dundead Film Quiz.
Theater Is Dead (Scottish premiere)
20:00
This horror-comedy follows a university student who unexpectedly finds herself auditioning for a theatre production, despite having no real acting background. As she becomes more involved, strange events begin to unfold around the cast.
The film leans into awkward humour and exaggerated personalities, while also poking fun at performance culture and ambition. It’s a lighter entry in tone, but still carries an edge beneath the surface.
Blood Diner
22:00
Blood Diner throws subtlety out the window in favour of full-on chaos. The story follows two brothers running a restaurant with a disturbing secret, while working towards a bizarre and violent goal.
The film is deliberately outrageous, packed with exaggerated gore and absurd humour. Beneath all the madness, it also plays with horror conventions and satirises excess, making it as much a parody as it is a horror.
Saturday 9 May
Roqia (Scottish premiere)
12.45
Roqia offers a much more serious and grounded take on horror. Set in Algeria, it combines a story of demonic possession with the real-life backdrop of political violence. The film moves between different time periods, linking personal stories with wider unrest.
Rather than relying on jump scares, it builds a sense of unease through atmosphere and context, using horror as a way to explore trauma and conflict.
Santo vs. Frankenstein’s Daughter
15:00
This cult favourite brings together wrestling, horror and classic pulp storytelling. It follows masked hero El Santo as he faces a scientist determined to extend her life by any means necessary.
While it delivers action and spectacle, the film also flips some expectations, giving its female characters more control and agency than is typical for the genre. It’s energetic, strange and very much of its era.
Buffet Infinity (UK premiere)
20:15
Buffet Infinity stands out as one of the most unconventional films in the line-up. Presented as a sequence of fictional TV segments, adverts and clips, it slowly reveals a larger story beneath the surface.
The format mirrors the way people consume media today, constantly switching between content. It’s unpredictable, often surreal, and designed more as an experience than a traditional narrative.
Raw - 10th Anniversary
20:45
Returning to the big screen ten years after its release, Raw follows a student whose strict vegetarian upbringing is challenged when she’s pushed into trying meat for the first time. That moment triggers a powerful and disturbing change.
The film blends body horror with a coming-of-age story, exploring identity, desire and control in a way that is both intense and emotionally engaging.
Sunday 10 May
Trouble Every Day
12.45
Trouble Every Day leans into slow, unsettling storytelling rather than traditional horror structure. It follows a man searching for a woman tied to his past, uncovering a disturbing condition that blurs the line between desire and violence.
The film explores obsession and human instinct in a way that feels deliberately uncomfortable, focusing more on mood and atmosphere than clear answers.
Silencio (Scottish premiere)
15:15
Silencio is a visually bold take on vampire mythology, spanning different eras and timelines. The film moves between historical moments and imagined futures, using striking imagery and stylised performances to tell its story.
It explores themes around identity, queerness and survival, all while reworking familiar vampire ideas into something more unconventional.
Her Will Be Done (Scottish premiere)
18:15
Set in a rural farming community, this film follows a young woman living under strict expectations within her family. As she begins to question her surroundings, strange events linked to a spreading illness start to emerge.
The story blends realism with elements of folk horror, building a tense atmosphere while exploring control, repression and personal change.
The Velvet Vampire
20:30
Closing the festival, The Velvet Vampire offers a stylised and slightly surreal take on the genre. A couple are invited to stay with a mysterious woman in a remote desert home, where reality begins to blur.
The film mixes horror with themes of attraction and power, all wrapped in a distinctly 1970s aesthetic. Over time, it has gained a reputation as a cult favourite, particularly for its perspective and visual style.
Festival passes are available for those looking to experience the full programme, with options to attend all 12 films or select a smaller number.
With its mix of premieres, cult classics and thought-provoking themes, Dundead 2026 promises another standout year for horror fans in Dundee.
