‘Horror is one of those things I wasn't allowed to see when growing up, so of course I was totally drawn to it. It's like a magic trick, you can experience this feeling of being scared despite being in a totally safe environment,' explains Ti West the writer/director of a series of wonderfully understated slow-burn horror movies including The House of the Devil and The Innkeepers. He's also guest of honour at the Glasgow Film Festival's annual horror spectacular FrightFest.

West will be appearing in conversation with one of FrightFest's founders, Alan Jones, alongside the Scottish premiere of his latest film, The Sacrament. 'I've always been fascinated with cults in general and particularly the Peoples Temple and what happened at Jonestown.' Famously, over 900 cult members committed mass suicide in 1978 under the direction of charismatic leader Jim Jones. 'A lot of the issues that drew people to the Peoples Temple in the 70s are still very relevant today. It's a polarising movie and it's very grim.'

This year's celebration of screen terror also features Wolf Creek 2, Almost Human, Killers, Proxy, Torment and Mindscape. 'The genre is the star: you don't need big name actors, people are coming to see the horror,' adds West. 'There's always been something counter culture about it: if people like something subversive they always seem to really embrace it.’

Ti West in Conversation, GFT, Glasgow, Thu 27 Feb; FrightFest, GFT, Glasgow, Fri 28 Feb & Sat 1 Mar (plus bonus repeat screenings at Cineworld, Glasgow, Sun 2 Mar).