The Alicante Film Festival in Manises continues a strong partnership with the International Fantasy Film Festival circuit, bringing together fans of dark fantasy and horror for a shared celebration. This year, the festival teams up again with Maniac Film Festival to mark Halloween with a curated program of six horror shorts. The aim is to connect audiences who have already enjoyed Valencia’s festival atmosphere and extend that thrill into the broader Mediterranean and Iberian cinema scene.
What began as a single-day event has grown into a multi-city celebration. From Friday, October 27 through November 1, screenings start at 20:00 and take place at Kinépolis venues in the Plaza Mar 2 Shopping Center in Alicante, with additional Kinépolis sites in Madrid, Valencia, Granada, and Barcelona. An admission fee of 5€ applies, and the program runs for about 90 minutes, delivering a compact night of suspense and frights for cinema lovers across Spain and beyond.
The lineup opens with Sleep Time, a story about a single mother who fights to protect her child. When bruises appear on the boy, worry grows into fear as she wonders who is causing the harm and what steps must be taken to keep him safe. This tense short sets the mood for the evening, inviting viewers to consider what it means to shield loved ones from unseen danger.
Next, Send Morten Mary follows a chilling thread about Mary and her mother, who run a post-mortem photography business in 1840s Australia. The film examines the moral complexity of documenting grief and memory, guiding the audience through a historical moment when photography itself was a rite of passage and a doorway to preserving the last image of a child.
Amazing Personality presents a contemporary mystery centered on Anna, who discovers a bag containing a letter that clearly does not belong to her. Driven to uncover the truth, she pursues the rightful owners in hopes of securing financial restitution. The story blends personal intrigue with a rumor-filled quest, questioning what one owes to strangers and what it costs to uncover a hidden past.
The Spanish short Face transports viewers to 1692 Spain, a time when the Holy Inquisition is wavering while its agents grow more ruthless. An investigator has hunted for years for a device that could capture the purest face of pain and reveal the consequences of serving the devil. Elena, the inventor’s daughter, refuses to be a passive participant, challenging the brutal machinery of fear with courage and a steadfast sense of justice.
Shortly after, Creepy Transfer arrives with a provocative premise: in a prison where nothing is as it seems, a serial killer’s daughter visits, exposing the unsettling truth behind long-held beliefs. The film explores themes of fate, identity, and the delicate line between punishment and kinship, leaving viewers with a lingering sense of dread.
Closing the session is You Are Dead Hélène, a haunting tale in which Maxime, a young man seeking stability, is haunted by the ghost of his recently deceased ex-girlfriend. In an attempt to ease the supernatural pressure, Maxime considers ending the relationship, only to find that closure may not come so easily when a past romance refuses to fade away.
As part of Cinematic Halloween, the Manises-Alicante collaboration continues to shine. Organizers celebrate this cross-programming approach and the ongoing partnership with the Maniatic Film Festival, a collaboration that has earned strong support from horror fans and industry partners alike. The event is presented in conjunction with Madrid’s Nocturna festival, underscoring a shared regional enthusiasm for genre cinema and community-driven showcases.
Officials from the Maniatic Film Festival express pride in the collaboration, noting how Alicante’s festival provides a crucial platform for expanding the reach of independent horror across Valencia, Madrid, and beyond. The festival, now in its seventh edition, plans to run from November 20 to 25 with screenings at a newly established venue in ABC Park in Valencia. This expansion signals continued growth and a firm commitment to presenting bold, provocative cinema to diverse audiences .