The 2023 Terror-Fi Film festival kicks off

This year's Terror-Fi Film festival returns to the three main centres again over the coming weeks with audiences getting the chance to see films unlikely to get a general release.

Leading the pack and opening the festival is the highly-anticipated Five Nights at Freddy's based on the popular gaming series.

Josh Hutcherson's security guard sets out to cast an eye over  Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria at night but finds he has bitten off more than he can chew thanks to spooky tales about the animatronic critters lurking within.

The festival will close off with one of the films destined not to be played on New Zealand big screens, but one which has a New Zealand connection - Cobweb.

Starring The Boys star and Kiwi Antony Starr, it's the story of eight-year-old Peter who is plagued by a mysterious, constant tap, tap from inside his bedroom wall – a tapping that his parents insist is all in his imagination... but may not be.

Also of interest during the festival's run is the winner of Best Picture at the 2023 Fantasia Festival Red Rooms, which gets its NZ premiere and promises a tale about a serial killer, which is "unique and gripping thriller draws you in with incredible performances and keeps you guessing right to the very end."

Coming highly recommended from TIFF 2023, Demian Rugna's film When Evil Lurks will probably be one to put the willies up people looking for a few scares in the fright night period.

When brothers Pedro and Jimmy discover that a demonic infection has been festering in a nearby farmhouse. They attempt to evict the victim from their land - but as you can probably guess, it doesn't quite go to plan - and chaos reigns in their rural community.

Also notable are Heather Graham's Suitable Flesh, Jon Hamm and Tina Fey in double murder tale Maggie Moore(s), and there's plenty of buzz around indie thriller The Artifice Girl.

But the festival's not just about the current and the quirky.

There are also screenings of cult movie Killer Klowns from Outer Space, a 1988 slice of silly that's hoping to attract an audience willing to dress up.

Less silly is the Kurt Russell starring sci-fi Stargate, which kicked off a small screen franchise - and there's also a chance to see a range of genre short films in Wellington and Auckland for free.

But perhaps the film aiming for the cult audience and one best to see with a load of mates is the NZ premiere of Hundreds of Beavers that Slashfilm says "exists at the crossroads of Looney Tunes, Benny Hill, Cannibal: The Musical, Blazing Saddles, and Adult Swim."

You can find more about the Terror-Fi Film Fest at https://terrorfifest.com/films/ and it all kicks off on Wednesday October 25 in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.