Knives at the ready, because Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) have unveiled their twelfth instalment of horror film festival, Dundead, with a slicin' and dicin' celebration of slasher movies. Taking place from Thursday 16–Sunday 19 May, tickets and passes for Dundead go on sale at 10am on Friday 5 April, with DCA Members and 18-25 Members receiving early access from 10am on Wednesday 3 April. 

The stab-centric retrospective strand will start in the 1960s and 70s with special anniversary screenings of stylish Italian slasher Blood And Black Lace from horror master Mario Bava and a 4K restoration of Tobe Hooper’s still-terrifying The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Slumber Party Massacre and its sequel Slumber Massacre II (two examples of slashers written and directed by women, Amy Holden Jones and Deborah Brock respectively) will also be screened in a double bill, as well as Bernard Rose’s socially conscious Candyman, Wes Craven’s postmodern masterpiece Scream, and Skinned Deep, a little-known 2004 horror being screened in a UK cinema for the first time to mark its two decades haunting this earth. 

The rest of the weekend will play host to a Scottish premiere of Red Rooms, a stylish thriller that takes a deep dive into the dark web; Booger, a body horror with Gen X indie undertones; She Is Conann, queer feminist subversion of everyone’s favourite musclebound barbarian; Falling Stars, a supernatural chiller set in the American West; and Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, a witty reframing of the traditional vampire yarn. 

Festival programmer Michael Coull said, ‘We have such a great programme lined up for horror fans. This year all our vintage films are arranged around the theme of slashers. While this subgenre of horror has faced robust discourse over the years, our programme really shows the depth and breadth of what the slasher can be. Our programme also includes premieres and previews of some of the boldest new films in the horror/cult world. And then there’s our opening film, which we’re keeping a mystery for now but can’t wait to share more about soon – we do enjoy building tension! We also have three incredible short films screening alongside the features this year. 

'As always, I can’t wait to welcome our Dundead audience to the cinema for a weekend full of horror treats.’

Tickets and passes for Dundead go on sale at 10am on Friday 5 April