The festival was founded in 2005 by filmmakers Steven Sheil and Chris Cooke and screens the best in contemporary horror, science-fiction and cult cinema and television from around the world. Featuring premieres, previews, masterclasses, international special guest filmmakers, and unique live cinema events, the festival has developed a reputation as one of the strongest and most innovative genre festivals in the country. 

The annual celebration of horror returns in 2021 to Nottingham, launching with the story of Alien On Stage – about a group of Dorset bus drivers taking their DIY stage production of Alien to the West End. It will also feature a preview of Valdimar Jóhannsson’s unsettling debut feature Lamb, about an Icelandic family who discover an unnatural new-born in their sheep barn.

And tickets for Mayhem 2021 are now available to book online and with seating for this year's festival being allocated, you'll need to pick your seats when booking for each film. And if the full line-up looks too good to miss then a very limited number of full weekend passes are available via Broadway's Box Office only - please call 0115 952 6600 or drop in in person to book.

7PM: Alien on Stage (2020) UK 83mins Dirs: Danielle Kummer, Lucy Harvey

A group of DIY, Dorset-based bus drivers remake Alien for the stage, all on a shoestring budget, and triumphantly take to the West End stage. This behind-the-scenes documentary catalogues the journey from rehearsals to the first night and will leave you grinning from ear to ear and cheering the underdogs on to victory.

9.30PM: The Deep House (2021) France/Belgium 85mins Dirs: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury, Camille Rowe, James Jagger.

An underwater ghost story! Reminiscent of the legendary opening scene from Dario Argento's Inferno, the directors of the envelope-pushing Inside plunge you into the depths of a submerged haunted house to create a literally immersive horror experience.

2.45PM: The Queen of Spades (1949) UK 96mins Dir: Thorold Dickerson Anton Walbrook, Edith Evans

Up from the vaults, the archive at Mayhem opens its doors to present one of the least seen British horror films of yesteryear – and one in need of resurrection – a dark gem of British Gothic cinema. A gambler becomes obsessed with an old lady, said to have sold her soul to the devil in order to win at cards.

4:45PM: The Show (2020) UK 115mins Dir: Mitch Jenkins / Tom Burke, Ellie Bamber

A noir-fantasy set in Northampton, written by comics legend Alan Moore. Tom Burke (Only God Forgives, Mank) plays the mysterious Fletcher Dennis, newly arrived in town to find a missing man called Mitchum, but encountering much more in the way of offbeat characters and magical intrigues. Trippy, multi-layered and shot through with droll humour, The Show is an idiosyncratic delight.

8PM: Night Drive (2019) USA 82mins Dirs: Brad Burah, Meghan Leon AJ Bowen, Sophie Dalah

Bowen (House Of The Devil) plays a ride-share driver whose life begins to fall apart when he picks up his last passenger and accidentally hits a pedestrian. Quirky, smart and a genuinely surprising sci-fi black-comedy indie that hits all the right notes and deserves a life on the big screen.

10PM: Midnight (2021) S Korea 103mins. With English subtitles Dir: Oh-Seung Kwon / Jin Ki-joo, Park Hoon, Wi Ha-joon

A psychopath is interrupted in his latest crime by a young woman - and so begins a non-stop, all night, life or death chase. Director Kwon adds unique detail to this cat-and-mouse thriller – a deaf protagonist unable to find anyone who will help her, a serial killer who hides behind respectable identities, all the while ratcheting up the tension and twists.

12PM: The Spine of Night (2021) USA 93mins Dirs: Philip Gelat, Morgan Galen King / Richard E Grant, Lucy Lawless, Patton Oswalt

All-animated dark fantasy horror - offering a psychedelic, hallucinogenic, over-the-top epic narrative of outrageous violence, ancient gods and courageous heroes, set in a land of magic and mysticism. Though drawing on the works of Frank Frazetta (Conan) and Ralph Bakshi (Fire & Ice), The Spine of Night is unlike anything we've ever screened.

2.15PM: Knocking (2021) Sweden 78mins. With English subtitles. Dir: Freda Kempff Cecilia Milocco, Krister Kern

A woman leaves a psychiatric ward after a breakdown and finds herself placed alone in a new apartment where she begins to hear mysterious knocking sounds. Knocking is a stylish, haunting and intense psychological portrait that deserves to be seen on the big screen.

4.15PM: Mayhem Short Film Showcase International 120mins. Partly subtitled. Dirs: Various

A selection of the scary, weird and wonderful from around the world and closer to home… showcasing the best up and coming talent. Mayhem Film Festival started out as a short film event and keeps its roots fed on the blood of new filmmakers.

7.30PM: Spiritwalker [UK Premiere] (2021) S Korea 108mins. With English subtitles. Dir: Jae-Keun Yoon / Kye-Sang Yoon, Yong-Woo Park, Ji-Yeon Lim

Genre-bending, high-octane sci-fi thriller that never lets up for the entire running time. From the producers of The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil comes a new experience in action – a man wakes up in a different body every 12 hours, each time forced to discover who he is - all the while being pursued by a secret organisation. He must find his way back into his real body before it's too late!

10PM: Phantom of the Paradise (1974) USA 91mins Dir: Brian De Palma / William Finley, Jessica Harper

Our Mayhem Midnight Movie is a genuine cult-classic mixing the plots of The Phantom of the Opera and Faust, adding a great score, cool songs (and Suspiria's Jessica Harper belting out the best of them) and De Palma (Carrie, Blow Out) at his most stylish and stylised – a genuine midnight movie masterpiece.

12PM: Get the Hell Out (2020) Taiwan 95mins. With English subtitles. Dir: I.-Fan Wang / Megan Lai, Bruce Hung

Taiwan's parliament becomes a deadly battleground when a virus transforms politicians into bloodthirsty mutant zombies in this hilariously hyperactive, frenetic satire - and the blistering pace and surreal pop-culture references never let up for a single martial-arts moment of mayhem.

2.15PM: Hellbender USA 82mins Dirs:John Adams, Zelda Adams, Toby Poser / Zelda Adams, Lulu Adams

There's hell to pay when a lonely teenager discovers her family's connections to witchcraft. A ground-breaking new feature from the incredibly creative Adams family – behind the cult movie The Deeper You Dig - occult coming-of-age story Hellbender premiered internationally at Fantasia recently, where it won rave reviews.

4.15PM: The Night Shift [European Premiere] S Korea 106mins. With English subtitles Dir: Ba-Reun Jo / Jun Sung, Hong-Pa Kim.

Looking for inspiration an artist visits a run-down housing estate and interviews the building's caretaker, who has many strange and uncanny tales to tell… but the more he hears, the more his obsession grows… Stylish, funny, dark, and grizzly, this anthology zips from one grim story to the next, weaving them together into a sinister trap.

7PM: Lamb Sweden 106mins With English subtitles Dir: Valdimar Jóhannsson / Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Guðnason

A childless couple discover a mysterious newborn on their remote farm in Iceland. Soon they are experiencing the joy of family – but soon family will tear them apart. Strange and daring cinema from Jóhannsson, previously known for his stunning special effects work, here delivering a startling, assured feature debut that builds dread not unlike The Witch to tell a unique folktale rooted in a haunting landscape.

9.30PM: Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes Japan 70mins. With English subtiles. Dir: Junta Yamaguchi / Kozunori Tosa, Aki Asakura

"I am the future me. Two minutes into the future." Returning to his flat from work, Kato is surprised by a message from his future self on his TV screen… but soon this strange phenomenon gets chaotically out of hand. Praised by the creator of One Cut of the Dead for its inventiveness, this is a must-see one-take sci-fi comedy and a demonstration of a unique filmmaking process.