Horror Channel’s FrightFest launches ‘New Blood’ initiative

The Horror Channel’s FrightFest has teamed up with MPI Media Group, Dark Sky Films, and Screen International to create New Blood, an initiative aimed at budding screenwriters. New Blood seeks to find new genre writers and nurture their projects from script to screen, with MPI and Dark Sky Films committing a budget of up to $1 million per film. Those chosen will go on to be developed into feature films for the international market. The successful applicants will be shortlisted and given the opportunity to explore their ideas under the mentorship of industry professionals, including Travis Stevens (We Are Still Here), Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator), Dominic Brunt (Inbred), and Giles Edwards, MPI Media’s head of acquisitions & development. “We are looking for original scripts or treatments for feature films which would appeal both critically and commercially to a global audience hungry for bold, diverse new voices in the realm of daring, thrilling, fiercely entertaining genre cinema”, reads a statement from New Blood. This is certainly an exciting initiative for fresh talent in the world of screenwriting, with MPI and Dark Sky Films having a successful track record in producing and distributing such independent flicks as Ti West’s The Innkeepers, Jim Mickle’s Stake Land, and Colin Minihan’s It Stains The Sands Red. “We want to unearth the UK's Julie Ducournau or Ti West, Jennifer Kent or Simon Barrett, Jordan Peele, Ana Lily Amirpour, or David Robert Mitchell. We know you're out there, so don’t hold back. If you think your idea is original the chances are we will too. Suckerpunch us with your brilliance”, commented Edwards. This year’s FrightFest runs from August 24th to August 28th, 2017, boasting a lineup that includes the world premiere of Don Mancini’s Cult of Chucky and Netflix’s Death Note, directed by Adam Wingard (You’re Next). New Blood’s inaugural event is set to take place on August 23 at the Radisson Hampshire Hotel. Interested in applying? Head on over to FrightFest.

Initiative Overview and Goals

New Blood operates as a recurring search for new UK writing talent on the official FrightFest site. The program keeps its original focus on developing original scripts and treatments into finished features for worldwide distribution. Budget commitments from MPI Media Group and Dark Sky Films remain at the stated level of up to one million dollars per project. The stated goal continues to center on bold, diverse voices that can succeed both with critics and with commercial audiences hungry for fresh genre material.

Mentorship and Partners

The original roster of mentors included Travis Stevens, Barbara Crampton, Dominic Brunt, and Giles Edwards. Later editions have kept Giles Edwards of Queensbury Pictures and MPI involved in the selection and development process. The same partner companies—MPI Media Group, Dark Sky Films, and Screen International—have stayed attached to the initiative across multiple years. Their combined track record in independent horror continues to give selected writers a direct path from script to international release.

Application and Event Details

The first New Blood event took place on August 23, 2017, ahead of that year’s FrightFest. Subsequent cycles have used shorter application windows and different submission formats. In 2022 the program reopened for a focused ten-day period that asked writers to submit 400-word proposals rather than full scripts. The streamlined process still funnels selected writers toward mentorship and eventual feature development with the same production partners.

Program Longevity and Subsequent Editions

New Blood reached its sixth year by 2023 and has continued to issue annual calls for horror writers. The 2022 reopening already showed the program’s willingness to adjust timing and requirements while keeping the core structure intact. Giles Edwards and FrightFest have remained consistent partners across these later rounds, which has given emerging writers repeated chances to enter the pipeline. The repeated cycles demonstrate that the original 2017 launch was the start of an ongoing platform rather than a single event.

Recent FrightFest Context

The 2025 edition of FrightFest ran from August 21 to 25 and screened 69 features from around the world. The 2026 London dates are set for August 27 through 31 at ODEON cinemas in Leicester Square and the West End. These larger, multi-day programs continue to provide the festival backdrop where New Blood events and announcements occur. The expanded scale gives selected writers greater visibility within an established international horror audience.

MPI Media Group and Dark Sky Films Current Status

Dark Sky Films continues to release genre titles and develop projects with emerging talent into 2025 and 2026. MPI Media Group maintains its acquisitions and development activities through Queensbury Pictures and Giles Edwards. Both companies keep the original commitment to independent horror features that can travel internationally. Their ongoing output supplies the production and distribution muscle that New Blood writers are promised from the start.

Impact on Emerging UK Horror Talent

The program has always targeted UK-based writers and has run multiple editions that explicitly seek bold new voices. Each cycle gives shortlisted applicants direct access to established mentors and a clear route to feature financing. While individual success stories vary, the repeated calls show that the industry partners treat New Blood as a steady source of fresh material rather than a one-off publicity exercise. The structure rewards writers who can deliver original genre ideas that still fit the commercial and critical standards MPI and Dark Sky have set.

New Blood has moved from a 2017 launch announcement to a sustained development track that keeps offering UK genre writers a practical path forward. The same production partners, the same budget range, and the same mentorship model remain in place across later editions. FrightFest continues to host the program inside a larger festival that grows in scale each year. For writers ready to submit, the opportunity stays open through the official FrightFest channels.