GRIN

***

Directed by Lawrence Fowler

Starring Gareth Tidball, Simon Davies, Lucas Edwards, Virginia Gilchrist.

Horror, UK, 2026, 81 Mins

Reviewed as part of Tubi FrightFest 2026 - World Premiere

Welsh-born writer and director Lawrence Fowler has created an engaging slasher, shot in his homeland, which wears its heart on its bloodstained sleeve. GRIN tells the story of the Finch family, consisting of estranged siblings Eva (Gareth Tidball), Joe and Ben, and their mother. When they meet for the first time their slightly creepy stepfather Lucien (Simon Davies), he forces his new family to play a gory board game called “Grin”. Of course the game is cursed, and a sinister jester-like figure with the titular expression carved across its face, sadistically toys with and hunts Eva and her brothers, making them face up to an unforgivable sin from their past.

As you might expect from a slasher, the dialogue can be hackneyed; the warring siblings’ mother warns: “Promise me you won’t cut through those woods at night” right before they cut through those woods at night. However, Tidball and Davies give impressive performances in their heroic final girl and wicked stepfather roles respectively. Special mention should also go to  MUA’s Ellie Baldwin and Geoff Fowler, who create both impressive death wounds and the jester’s memorably creepy mask. 

Wales hasn’t looked as atmospheric since DARKLANDS (1996), all overcast beaches, bloodstained forest glades, and misty cottages invaded by a masked killer. Fowler works with his limited budget to create an effective slasher with a memorably hard edged ending that suggests a follow-up. If so, GRIN could put Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan right next to the fictitious Woodsboro, CA on the horror map.

Nina Romain