Odeon West End, London, 23-27 August

FrightFest has become the horribly hip alternative to mainstream August Bank Holiday shenanigans. And it’s easy to see why, when you consider that as well as providing a staggering 26 sneak previews and premieres from around the globe, the happening also plays host to some of the movies’ directors and stars, who will be present to introduce their creations and press the flesh with fear-hungry fans. This year’s attendees include Day Watch director Timur Bekmambetov, Waz stars Stellan Skarsgård and Selma Blair, Black Sheep director Jonathan King and Seed director Uwe Boll.

The event is one of the world’s greatest festivals of fantasy and horror cinema, and this year’s bloodlust menu looks set to be the most hideous yet. Sponsored for the first time by Film4, here are some of the highlights…

THE ORPHANAGE: Produced by Pan’s Labyrinth’s Guillermo del Toro and directed by his buddy Juan Antonio Bayona, this is the haunting yet nerve-shredding tale of a mother’s search for her missing HIV-positive son.

THE GIRL NEXT DOOR: Gregory Wilson’s adaptation of the book by thrill-kill novelist Jack Ketchum, whose The Lost was a huge hit at last year’s FrightFest, The Girl Next Door is a disturbing fictionalisation of the brutal murder and torture of Sylvia Likens in 1965.

WAZ: Director Tom Shankland’s serial-killer chiller promises to be something special with its grisly twist on the film-noir genre.

P2: Directed by Alexandre Aja – the dude behind the delirious Switchblade Romance and The Hills Have Eyes remake – this is a taut and visceral Yuletide tale of terror.

DAY WATCH: Timur Bekmambetov’s highly anticipated sequel to his innovative, slick vampire flick Night Watch. If it’s only fractionally as brilliant as its predecessor, it’ll be cooler than most bloodsucking fare of the last decade.

Also showing: Scandinavian director Roar Uthaug’s stalker shocker Cold Prey; Irish helmer Paddy Breathnach’s tripped-out slasher Shrooms; and Hatchet director Adam Green returns with the Joel Moore-co-directed Hitchcockian psychodrama Spiral; of course, this is just a selection of the delicacies on offer, and the festival offers many more celluloid nightmares.

FrightFest runs from Friday 24 to Monday 27 August, with a special Antipodean sneak-preview night featuring Jonathan King’s bloody hilarious Black Sheep, plus David Nerlich and Andrew Traucki’s killer-croc chiller Black Water, on Thursday 23 August. For all further details go to Frightfest.co.uk