The Beast of Riverside Hollow - 2025 Festival Review

Sinking its teeth into the land of fun-filled creature features is The Beast of Riverside Hollow, a twisted, outlandish tale brimming with impressive cameos, roguish humour and a solid dose of brutal practical effects. This playful yet sharp feature comes from the mind of writer and director John Williams, whose celebrated works include the Bram Stoker International Film Festival winner, 'The Slayers' (2015), followed by 'Tales of the Creeping Death' (2022), whose accolades include the 'Best Feature Movie' and 'Best Director' awards at the Fortean Film Festival. Williams' award-honed comedic instincts, tied with his flair for making independent horror come to life, is precisely why The Beasts of Riverside Hollow is set to be a thrilling must-watch for fans of contemporary British indie horror.  

Riverside Hollow appears as a fairly monotonous village in the still surroundings of the Northern Moorlands; however, amidst the everyday lies a deadly, blood-hungry beast hellbent on destroying whoever gets in its path. Enter the unlikely heroes here to save the day, the local punk rock band 'Slugs', who pool their efforts with the rest of the village's misfits to defeat the beast of Riverside Hollow.  

In the film's successful Kickstarter campaign, Williams expresses his admiration for 1980s horror, where ferocious creatures would rule B-movie features. These films had an untouchable whimsy to them, where absurdity and eccentricity would combine with themes of terror to create one-of-a-kind films that would go on to define an entire subgenre of cinema. It is evident that the mad, spooky hilarity of these films are what fuelled the inspiration behind The Beast of Riverside Hollow, with Williams affirming that he wanted to put his own slant on the chief monster of them all - the almighty werewolf.  

The Beast of Riverside Hollow does not simply show a werewolf and expect fear and laughter to follow; instead, the film actively works at implementing the monster as a crucial part of the film's spectacle, and oftentimes the punchline to many, genuinely hilarious jokes. The specificities of the creature design is best observed unspoiled, but what can be attested to is the film's effects, which offer a generous smorgasbord of gory mayhem to feast upon. The idea of monstrousness infesting an overtly British setting, with characters beaming with that signature Blighty touch, is reminiscent of films such as 'Dog Soldiers' (2002), 'Doghouse' (2009), 'Attack the Block' (2011), 'Love Bite' (2012) and 'Zomblogalypse' (2022). But rather than recycle the gags and gore from this array of preexisting tales from the dark, The Beast of Riverside Hollow paves its own path, joining the long list of staple British creature features.  

Joining copious moments of frightful lycanthropic mischievousness is the film's stellar portrayal of the ordinary in extraordinary circumstances. The Beast of Riverside Hollow nails deadpan humour like no other. It is the amalgamation of tone-juggling and timing that propels the film to the next level. For instance, whilst werewolf massacres are taking place, the camera cuts to two bog-standard blokes in gimp masks tied up in a makeshift BDSM dungeon of sorts, which context wise is a laugh-out-loud moment in itself; however, what tips the viewer over the edge is their joint moaning over the ridiculousness of the local roadworks and potholes - a conversation we have all been privy to.  

Amplifying the film's quintessential horror comedy undertones are the performances, namely James Whitehurst as Slug's drummer Bogie, whose relentless pursuit of Riverside Hollow's beastly happenings opens up a world of monstrous trouble. Following is Billy Cook as Sneege, whose casualness is hysterical, along with Charlene Aldridge as Miss Whippy, the feisty neighbourhood dominatrix. And saving the best for last is the star-studded inclusion of famed television icons Johnny Vegas and Ross Noble, with the addition of Shaun Ryder and Bez from none other than Happy Mondays.  

This film is a rip-roaring, absurdly gory and side-splittingly amusing tale of werewolf carnage. The Beast of Riverside Hollow is living proof that independent cinema made with clear passion and an embrace towards the madness of the horror genre can be a wild crowd-pleaser.  

The Beast of Riverside Hollow plays Saturday 27th September 2025 - for festival tickets scroll down below...

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