CategoryFilm Festivals
Horror film festivals worldwide — lineups, awards and the titles that break out of the festival circuit.
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If you thought the scariest thing about a newborn was the 3:00 AM diaper changes, think again. Breaking Glass Pictures has announced the North American release of Nesting, a haunting psychological thriller from director Chloé Cinq-Mars that gives “sleep training” a terrifying new meaning. Home (Un)Sweet Home Nesting (French with English subtitles) follows Pénélope (Rose-Marie Perreault), a new mother who is dealing with the standard “bundle of joy” package: postpartum depression, crushing sleep deprivation, and the lingering trauma of her sister’s death. As the boundary between dreams and reality begins to dissolve—as it tends to do when you haven’t slept since the mid-2020s—Pénélope falls into a paranoid spiral. It’s an intimate, suffocating look at identity and mental health that suggests the most dangerous thing in the house isn’t the unanchored bookshelf, but the fragility of the human mind. Award-Winning Pedigree This isn’t just another jump-scare flick; it’s a critically acclaimed slow-burn. After making its World Premiere at the Fantasia Film
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Film FestivalsForeignMoviesParanormalReviews
Earth to Colby (Canada, 2026) Official Synopsis An aspiring vlogger discovers a notebook detailing hidden portals in her hometown, leading her on a journey to discover the city’s supernatural history. After paranormal vlogger Colby vanishes, a documentary crew digs through her content and recovered footage to uncover the truth. What they find is her growing obsession with a strange coil-bound book and the escalating hauntings that followed. As Colby searches for a sign from her late father, friends and family reveal the chilling descent that led to her disappearance. Review Director/cowriter/cinematographer/editor Rino Mioc serves up an intriguing high strangeness faux documentary with Earth to Colby. Saylor McPherson gives a thoroughly engaging star performance as Colby, a young woman so fascinated with the paranormal that she centers her life around her vlog on the topic, despite the skepticism of her best friend Derrick (Casey Coston) and her mother Denise (Anne Hawthorne, McPherson’s real-life mother). Mioc, who cowrote the screenplay with Stephanie
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesNews
The Horror Collective has officially acquired the worldwide rights to the Canadian slasher Fresh Meat. Directed and written by Daniel Turres, this high-energy horror flick is set to launch international sales at the Cannes Film Market later this month. Don’t Forget to Like and Sub-Scream Fresh Meat follows a group of internet influencers who break into an abandoned prison for viral content. Unfortunately, they accidentally release a ravenous inmate who is tired of his current diet. The group finds themselves trapped in a claustrophobic nightmare, fighting to survive while live-streaming their own demise. Safety Tip: If a prison is “abandoned,” it’s usually for a reason. The Bloodiest in the Room The film recently dominated the Blood in the Snow Film Festival, winning Best Special Effects by the legendary Butchershop FX Studio. An interesting fact: Festival Director Kelly Michael Stewart called it the most violent film they’ve ever played. Cast & Production The film features a strong ensemble of rising stars.
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DocumentariesFilm FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Feels Like Home (Hungary, 2026) Official Synopsis Kidnapped by a family convinced she is their missing daughter, a woman must assume another identity to survive as she seeks a way out of this nightmare. Rita, an ordinary, but lonely woman is kidnapped. Her captors are the Árpáds; they claim she is not called Rita but Szilvi, a runaway from their family. Rita eventually understands that the only way out is in – to escape she must impersonate Szilvi. The more she becomes the lost girl the more she finds out about the family, and understands that her life is on the line. Review Director Gábor Holtai’s Hungarian feature Feels Like Home is a dynamic blend of thriller, mystery, and drama with horror elements, as well. The acting throughout is a master class, led by Rozi Lovas’s bravura performance as Rita, a woman who is kidnapped mere minutes after losing her job at a shoe store. One of the kidnappers claims
Continue reading →
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Dead Bloom (U.S., 2026) Official Synopsis A struggling Black family settles on the poisoned land. Decay, madness, and violence follow. Years later, a new family inherits the property, awakening horrors long dormant. Blending parasitic flora, multi-generational trauma with corporate greed perpetuates the dehumanizing of people of color creating a chilling story of rebirth and reckoning, where the past is never dead, only buried. Review Socially charged horror films, including environmentally focused fear fare, can sometimes err on the side of being too on the nose, hammering home a message so hard that it distracts from its genre elements. Dead Bloom cowriters/codirectors Damien Paris and Domonic Paris make no such mistake. The father and son directing team balance the social commentary with the shocks marvelously, with the result being a suspenseful, gore-soaked slice of cinema. Dead Bloom’s look, production values, and special effects belie the microbudget on which it was made. Gorehounds will revel in the highly impressive practical effects, but
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Official Synopsis Haunted by nightmares and visions, an artist chases the ghost of her father to the remote coast of Newfoundland. Abandoning all that she knows of her life in Iceland, Vera settles in a remote Canadian fishing village looking for answers. She finds herself drawn to Jack, a seal hunter leaving town with his failing boat and superstitious crew. With a curious romance blossoming, Vera sneaks aboard his fledgling longliner destined for ice floes full of seals. The vessel is choked in a thick fog and there is no bounty on the water. Jack’s scrappy crew is led by Patrick – desperate and plagued by superstition, he blames the mysterious weather on the stowaway. Violence erupts, hurling Jack and Vera into a fit of survival. HANGASHORE is a hypnotic vision of romance glowing in frozen Newfoundland landscapes. Review Because Calgary Underground Film Festival’s official description above sets up the story so well, I’ll dive right into review specifics. Writer/director
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
Official Synopsis Out-of-work television ghost hunters discover the key to getting their jobs back — and proving ghosts are real — is by working with the last group of people anyone would expect: Social Media Stars. Review Director Alexander Boyd Watson delivers the latest in the fear-fare subgenre of influencer horror comedies with Demonetize (U.S., 2026). Horror films about social media personalities are a decidedly mixed bag, especially if viewers are already biased against their often grating personalities and when bickering relationships are part of the proceedings. Thankfully, Watson, who cowrote the screenplay with Janine Hogan, crafts one of the better recent offerings in the influencer-focused chills-and-chuckles department. One reason for Demonetize rising above the influencer horror comedy pack is that its characters, although deliberately not entirely likable, are at least more interesting than the norm. Yes, we have the expected obnoxious anything-for-clicks jerk in Paul Cory (Cherdleys AKA Chad Lebaron) and self-obsessed glamor gal in Tara Ahlquist (Lexi Collins),
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesShort Films
Screenland Armour and Downright Creepy present Panic Fest 2026, which kicks off March 9–13, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. With nearly 150 features, long form shorts, and short films on tap, there is plenty to choose from. I have had an early peek at the following shorts and can recommend that fright-fare aficionados put them on their need-to-see lists. Following are the official Panic Fest descriptions for the shorts. Click the links for more information, including tickets. The Scene (director Daniel Meyers) With the hope of discovering a new lead, a detective revisits the scene of his partner’s brutal murder. Yet, the longer he stays, the harrowing truth begins to reveal itself . . . Link below includes a trailer. Our featured image for this article is from The Scene. https://panicfest.eventive.org/films/69ab1fb0d0cabe43751e0592 Hell’s Half-Acre: Sojourn (director Nicholas Nicastro) Hell’s Half-Acre is a true-crime Western inspired by the haunting case of the Bloody Benders — America’s first family of serial killers. Set
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Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Creature feature devotees, we have reviews of two monsterrific films for you from Panic Fest’s virtual version: Creature of the Pines and The Burning of Broken Beak. Creature of the Pines (U.S., 2026) Official Synopsis A documentary investigation into Pine Hollow disappearances reveals a presence lurking deep within the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Review With Creature of the Pines, cowriters/codirectors Chris Ruppert and Tyler Transue craft a faux documentary/found footage hybrid that cryptozoology devotees should find quite intriguing. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that what lurks in the woods in this feature isn’t the usual hirsute, large-footed suspect, which should make this film even more tempting in the curiosity department. Talking heads interview footage is interspersed between “found” footage of hikers who disappeared in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The experts and others portrayed as interview subjects largely do a solid job of seeming natural in their portrayals, a style that is not
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
Imposters (U.S., 2026) Official Synopsis After a couple’s baby boy is taken, the desperate mother learns of a way to bring him back. However, her husband begins to suspect that what she returned with isn’t their son. Review Writer/director Caleb Phillips combines changeling folklore with “The Monkey’s Paw” elements and science fiction doppelganger twists in his feature film Imposters. Paul (Charlie Barnett) and Marie (genre-film favorite Jessica Rothe) are having marital problems, and things get decidedly worse when their baby disappears during a party the couple is throwing in their new countryside home. Mysterious neighbor Orson (Bates Wilder), tells a willing Marie and a highly skeptical Paul about an enigmatic cave in which they might find their son. I won’t go into more plot detail than that, as Phillips has plenty of twists and surprises in store for viewers. Sharing equal time with the fear-fare elements is the marital drama between Paul and Marie, which heightens the proceedings and stakes
Continue reading →
More from Film Festivals
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesNewsTrailers
If you thought the scariest thing about a newborn was the 3:00 AM diaper changes, think again. Breaking Glass Pictures has announced the North American release of Nesting, a haunting psychological thriller from director Chloé Cinq-Mars that gives “sleep training” a terrifying new meaning. Home (Un)Sweet Home Nesting (French with English subtitles) follows Pénélope (Rose-Marie Perreault), a new mother who is dealing with the standard “bundle of joy” package: postpartum depression, crushing sleep deprivation, and the lingering trauma of her sister’s death. As the boundary between dreams and reality begins to dissolve—as it tends to do when you haven’t slept since the mid-2020s—Pénélope falls into a paranoid spiral. It’s an intimate, suffocating look at identity and mental health that suggests the most dangerous thing in the house isn’t the unanchored bookshelf, but the fragility of the human mind. Award-Winning Pedigree This isn’t just another jump-scare flick; it’s a critically acclaimed slow-burn. After making its World Premiere at the Fantasia Film
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesParanormalReviews
Earth to Colby (Canada, 2026) Official Synopsis An aspiring vlogger discovers a notebook detailing hidden portals in her hometown, leading her on a journey to discover the city’s supernatural history. After paranormal vlogger Colby vanishes, a documentary crew digs through her content and recovered footage to uncover the truth. What they find is her growing obsession with a strange coil-bound book and the escalating hauntings that followed. As Colby searches for a sign from her late father, friends and family reveal the chilling descent that led to her disappearance. Review Director/cowriter/cinematographer/editor Rino Mioc serves up an intriguing high strangeness faux documentary with Earth to Colby. Saylor McPherson gives a thoroughly engaging star performance as Colby, a young woman so fascinated with the paranormal that she centers her life around her vlog on the topic, despite the skepticism of her best friend Derrick (Casey Coston) and her mother Denise (Anne Hawthorne, McPherson’s real-life mother). Mioc, who cowrote the screenplay with Stephanie
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesNews
The Horror Collective has officially acquired the worldwide rights to the Canadian slasher Fresh Meat. Directed and written by Daniel Turres, this high-energy horror flick is set to launch international sales at the Cannes Film Market later this month. Don’t Forget to Like and Sub-Scream Fresh Meat follows a group of internet influencers who break into an abandoned prison for viral content. Unfortunately, they accidentally release a ravenous inmate who is tired of his current diet. The group finds themselves trapped in a claustrophobic nightmare, fighting to survive while live-streaming their own demise. Safety Tip: If a prison is “abandoned,” it’s usually for a reason. The Bloodiest in the Room The film recently dominated the Blood in the Snow Film Festival, winning Best Special Effects by the legendary Butchershop FX Studio. An interesting fact: Festival Director Kelly Michael Stewart called it the most violent film they’ve ever played. Cast & Production The film features a strong ensemble of rising stars.
Continue reading →
DocumentariesFilm FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Feels Like Home (Hungary, 2026) Official Synopsis Kidnapped by a family convinced she is their missing daughter, a woman must assume another identity to survive as she seeks a way out of this nightmare. Rita, an ordinary, but lonely woman is kidnapped. Her captors are the Árpáds; they claim she is not called Rita but Szilvi, a runaway from their family. Rita eventually understands that the only way out is in – to escape she must impersonate Szilvi. The more she becomes the lost girl the more she finds out about the family, and understands that her life is on the line. Review Director Gábor Holtai’s Hungarian feature Feels Like Home is a dynamic blend of thriller, mystery, and drama with horror elements, as well. The acting throughout is a master class, led by Rozi Lovas’s bravura performance as Rita, a woman who is kidnapped mere minutes after losing her job at a shoe store. One of the kidnappers claims
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Dead Bloom (U.S., 2026) Official Synopsis A struggling Black family settles on the poisoned land. Decay, madness, and violence follow. Years later, a new family inherits the property, awakening horrors long dormant. Blending parasitic flora, multi-generational trauma with corporate greed perpetuates the dehumanizing of people of color creating a chilling story of rebirth and reckoning, where the past is never dead, only buried. Review Socially charged horror films, including environmentally focused fear fare, can sometimes err on the side of being too on the nose, hammering home a message so hard that it distracts from its genre elements. Dead Bloom cowriters/codirectors Damien Paris and Domonic Paris make no such mistake. The father and son directing team balance the social commentary with the shocks marvelously, with the result being a suspenseful, gore-soaked slice of cinema. Dead Bloom’s look, production values, and special effects belie the microbudget on which it was made. Gorehounds will revel in the highly impressive practical effects, but
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Official Synopsis Haunted by nightmares and visions, an artist chases the ghost of her father to the remote coast of Newfoundland. Abandoning all that she knows of her life in Iceland, Vera settles in a remote Canadian fishing village looking for answers. She finds herself drawn to Jack, a seal hunter leaving town with his failing boat and superstitious crew. With a curious romance blossoming, Vera sneaks aboard his fledgling longliner destined for ice floes full of seals. The vessel is choked in a thick fog and there is no bounty on the water. Jack’s scrappy crew is led by Patrick – desperate and plagued by superstition, he blames the mysterious weather on the stowaway. Violence erupts, hurling Jack and Vera into a fit of survival. HANGASHORE is a hypnotic vision of romance glowing in frozen Newfoundland landscapes. Review Because Calgary Underground Film Festival’s official description above sets up the story so well, I’ll dive right into review specifics. Writer/director
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
Official Synopsis Out-of-work television ghost hunters discover the key to getting their jobs back — and proving ghosts are real — is by working with the last group of people anyone would expect: Social Media Stars. Review Director Alexander Boyd Watson delivers the latest in the fear-fare subgenre of influencer horror comedies with Demonetize (U.S., 2026). Horror films about social media personalities are a decidedly mixed bag, especially if viewers are already biased against their often grating personalities and when bickering relationships are part of the proceedings. Thankfully, Watson, who cowrote the screenplay with Janine Hogan, crafts one of the better recent offerings in the influencer-focused chills-and-chuckles department. One reason for Demonetize rising above the influencer horror comedy pack is that its characters, although deliberately not entirely likable, are at least more interesting than the norm. Yes, we have the expected obnoxious anything-for-clicks jerk in Paul Cory (Cherdleys AKA Chad Lebaron) and self-obsessed glamor gal in Tara Ahlquist (Lexi Collins),
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesShort Films
Screenland Armour and Downright Creepy present Panic Fest 2026, which kicks off March 9–13, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. With nearly 150 features, long form shorts, and short films on tap, there is plenty to choose from. I have had an early peek at the following shorts and can recommend that fright-fare aficionados put them on their need-to-see lists. Following are the official Panic Fest descriptions for the shorts. Click the links for more information, including tickets. The Scene (director Daniel Meyers) With the hope of discovering a new lead, a detective revisits the scene of his partner’s brutal murder. Yet, the longer he stays, the harrowing truth begins to reveal itself . . . Link below includes a trailer. Our featured image for this article is from The Scene. https://panicfest.eventive.org/films/69ab1fb0d0cabe43751e0592 Hell’s Half-Acre: Sojourn (director Nicholas Nicastro) Hell’s Half-Acre is a true-crime Western inspired by the haunting case of the Bloody Benders — America’s first family of serial killers. Set
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Creature feature devotees, we have reviews of two monsterrific films for you from Panic Fest’s virtual version: Creature of the Pines and The Burning of Broken Beak. Creature of the Pines (U.S., 2026) Official Synopsis A documentary investigation into Pine Hollow disappearances reveals a presence lurking deep within the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Review With Creature of the Pines, cowriters/codirectors Chris Ruppert and Tyler Transue craft a faux documentary/found footage hybrid that cryptozoology devotees should find quite intriguing. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that what lurks in the woods in this feature isn’t the usual hirsute, large-footed suspect, which should make this film even more tempting in the curiosity department. Talking heads interview footage is interspersed between “found” footage of hikers who disappeared in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The experts and others portrayed as interview subjects largely do a solid job of seeming natural in their portrayals, a style that is not
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
Imposters (U.S., 2026) Official Synopsis After a couple’s baby boy is taken, the desperate mother learns of a way to bring him back. However, her husband begins to suspect that what she returned with isn’t their son. Review Writer/director Caleb Phillips combines changeling folklore with “The Monkey’s Paw” elements and science fiction doppelganger twists in his feature film Imposters. Paul (Charlie Barnett) and Marie (genre-film favorite Jessica Rothe) are having marital problems, and things get decidedly worse when their baby disappears during a party the couple is throwing in their new countryside home. Mysterious neighbor Orson (Bates Wilder), tells a willing Marie and a highly skeptical Paul about an enigmatic cave in which they might find their son. I won’t go into more plot detail than that, as Phillips has plenty of twists and surprises in store for viewers. Sharing equal time with the fear-fare elements is the marital drama between Paul and Marie, which heightens the proceedings and stakes
Continue reading →
