Filmmaker and actress Megan Tremethick has won Best Directorial Debut at the Romford Horror Festival for her feature debut Spoiling You, while composer Corwin Deckard received the festival’s Best Score award for the film’s main electronic J-pop inspired theme.
The double win follows a wave of online attention that positioned the film as one of the most talked-about premieres of the festival. The teaser trailer, which debuted via Bloody Disgusting, generated significant viral buzz, with the outlet’s post on X surpassing one million views within 48 hours. The response signalled strong interest in the film’s unusual ASMR premise and intense psychological focus.
In addition to its wins, Spoiling You also received nominations for Best Actress for Megan Tremethick, and Best Actor nominations for co-stars Stephen Kerr and Laurence R. Harvey, known internationally for The Human Centipede films.
A New Kind of Psychological Horror
Written and directed by Megan Tremethick and co-written with Lawrie Brewster, Spoiling You explores the darker side of digital intimacy and parasocial relationships.
The film follows Drew, a lonely insomniac portrayed by Stephen Kerr, who becomes obsessed with Miss Mutter, an ASMR creator whose videos promise intimacy and comfort. When he is given the opportunity to meet her in person, the fantasy he has constructed begins to unravel in increasingly disturbing ways.
Rather than relying on traditional shock tactics, the film uses the familiar world of online content and ASMR culture to craft a slow-burn psychological chiller that examines the fragile boundary between comfort and control.
A Striking Festival Premiere
The film made its world premiere at the Romford Horror Festival, screening to a packed audience and drawing strong reactions from both fans and industry attendees.
Tremethick opened the screening with a theatrical performance, appearing in a striking red latex bodysuit as she silently stalked the auditorium before the film began. The moment set an unsettling tone for the screening and reinforced the film’s fusion of live performance and psychological tension.
The festival jury awarded Tremethick Best Directorial Debut, recognising her confident transition from performer to filmmaker. She was also nominated for Best Actress, ultimately losing the award to horror icon Lin Shaye for her performance in House of Abraham.
A Milestone for British Independent Horror
The Romford Horror Festival has quickly become an important platform for emerging horror voices, championing independent filmmakers and innovative genre storytelling.
The success of Spoiling You marks a significant milestone for Megan Tremethick and signals the arrival of a bold new directorial voice in British horror.
Prior to her directing debut, Tremethick achieved notable success by leading what was, at the time, the highest-funded horror Kickstarter campaign by a female filmmaker. She is also the recipient of the 2025 British Horror Studio Best Actress Award.
Most recently, she was described as “the Vivien Leigh of indie horror” by The Dark Side Magazine issue 275, which praised her performance as Nurse Charlotte in Amicus Productions’ In the Grip of Terror.
With festival momentum building and industry attention growing, Spoiling You represents both a breakthrough debut and the beginning of a promising directing career.
Cover photograph by Chris Harvey