'Fresh Meat' Review: A Gory Horror with Enough Meat for Gorehounds - FrightFest 2026
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Becca Johnson - August 31, 2026
Director Daniel Turres is back with another blood-soaked scare fest, following up his previous feature Here for Blood, which also premiered at FrightFest. This time around, Turres thrusts audiences into an abandoned prison alongside a group of internet influencers looking for their next viral hit, who inadvertently unleash a ravenous inmate. Trapped inside and fighting for survival, the group soon find themselves capturing something far more terrifying than they ever imagined.
Although the gnarly kills and grimy prison setting are bound to satiate horror fans’ need for bloodshed, an unlikeable cast of characters, poor dialogue and lengthy runtime leave much to be desired.
For the FrightFest crowd, Fresh Meat delivers where it matters most: blood, gore and a steady supply of gruesome kills. The violence is well spaced throughout, with practical effects making each encounter suitably gnarly and occasionally rather inventive, particularly one nasty sequence involving a set of prison bars. The inmate hunting the group may be constructed from the bones of countless on-screen killers before him, but his sheer brutality makes him an imposing threat, while his familiar appearance remains visually frightening despite offering little new to the genre. The abandoned prison proves the perfect playground for his rampage, its dingy corridors and grimy surroundings adding another layer of unpleasantness to an already filthy watch. It may lack originality in its villain, but when Fresh Meat gets down to the bloody business, Turres knows exactly how to satisfy a gore-hungry audience.
Putting a group of internet influencers front and centre is always a risky move, and Fresh Meat unfortunately does little to challenge their more irritating stereotypes. Turres packs the dialogue with influencer jargon in an attempt to capture the way these characters communicate, but much of it comes across as corny rather than current or relatable. Their constant fixation on getting the perfect shot or capturing content, even when those around them are in danger, hardly helps matters, leaving only a select few who prioritise friendship particularly easy to root for. The performances are similarly mixed, although Joelle Farrow (Level 16) rises above the material with an impressive turn as the film’s leading lady. Admittedly, there is one benefit to spending time with such an unlikeable bunch: when the inmate comes calling, watching them meet increasingly grisly ends becomes considerably easier to cheer on.
The screenplay’s shortcomings extend beyond its dialogue, with the limited prison setting and simplistic ‘villain kills teens’ set-up eventually leaving Fresh Meat with nowhere particularly interesting to go. Repetition inevitably creeps in, while the increasingly predictable structure makes the lengthy runtime difficult to justify; shaving 15 or 20 minutes off proceedings could have resulted in a much tighter experience. Turres wisely saves some of his nastiest violence for the climax, initially giving the third act a welcome burst of energy, but even this begins to lose its impact as the film repeatedly passes up opportunities to wrap things up. A premise this simple is practically begging for a lean and mean approach, yet Fresh Meat continues piling on additional beats until the thrills become diluted rather than heightened.
Fresh Meat lands firmly in middle-of-the-road territory, delivering gruesome practical effects, inventive flashes of violence and a suitably grimy setting without providing much substance beyond the carnage. Farrow impresses and the bloodshed delivers, but unlikeable characters, clunky dialogue and an overstretched final act prevent the film from making the impact it could have. There’s enough meat on these bones to satisfy gorehounds, but not quite enough to leave them hungry for seconds.
'Fresh Meat' had its International premiere at FrightFest London 2026.
Want more FrightFest film reviews? Dive into more reviews, rankings, and film conversations on our site. Explore Film Focus Online now!
