Film Festivals

Horror film festivals worldwide — lineups, awards and the titles that break out of the festival circuit.

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Horror Without Barriers: Inside the Inclusive 2026 Access: Horror Film Festival

Access: Horror, the premier festival celebrating disability in genre cinema, launched its 2026 season with a successful in-person showcase at Alamo Drafthouse Winchester on September 25. Following the in-person kickoff, the festival is bringing its entire lineup to a global audience through a month-long virtual program. One that runs from October 4 through November 1, 2026. Founded by filmmaker and activist Ariel Baska, Access: Horror elevates disability advocacy by challenging traditional genre tropes. Named one of the nation’s most accessible film festivals by Forbes, the organization creates space for marginalized artists to tell honest, cathartic, and terrifying stories. Festival leadership emphasizes that accessibility is not a late addition to the event. It’s the foundation the festival is actually built on. Every film in the virtual program features open captions, and nearly half the streaming library includes full audio descriptions. So, there’s something for everyone. A Powerful Virtual Lineup Grounded in Real-World Terror The 2026 streaming program features 19 international titles. It

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Kelli Marchman McNeely

Oct 2, 2026

EventsFilm FestivalsForeignIndieMoviesNewsThriller

Tubi FrightFest Announces Fear-Filled Lineup for Halloween 2026

London’s TubiFrightFest Halloween has just revealed its 2026 lineup, and whether you prefer slashers, spiders, stalkers, or the supernatural, the festival has something for horror cinephiles of all stripes. Following is the official press announcement. Hot on the hellish heels of its spectacular 27th year August five-day event, the UK’s most vibrant genre film festival returns to the ODEON Luxe West End in Leicester Square to present its annual 2-day Halloween event. Taking over both screens on Friday 30th October and Saturday 31st October, the spine-chilling line-up heralds nine premieres from five countries, spanning Europe, North and South America and Australia/Oceania. Each film will be screened twice. So, hold on tight as Tubi Frightfest takes you on a spooky, carnage-crammed journey featuring powerful mutants, seasonal spooks, psychotic neighbours, venomous spiders, vengeful werewolves, and shocking Christmas tales where it’s not just the turkey that is carved up. Opening the gates to ‘Helloween’ is the UK premiere of FREAKS PART II, which

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Joseph Perry

Oct 1, 2026

Film FestivalsMoviesNewsTrailers

Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Sets World Premiere for Australian Slasher ‘The Only One’

The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival will host the World Premiere of The Only One this October. It will spotlight the deadly, stylized homage to the early-2000s slasher craze. Directed by Michael Schwarz, the Australian indie feature brings a distinct Down Under perspective to classic genre tropes. Written by Martyn Pedler and Marek Polgar, the film aims to fuse claustrophobic suspense with sharp, irreverent humor while capturing self-aware terror. A High-Stakes Homecoming Turn Deadly The premiere introduces audiences to Zoe, played by rising star Mel Jarnson (Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter). Ten years after moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, Zoe returns home empty-handed. However, things quickly go from bad to worse as her exes begin to drop dead one by one. As suspicion mounts, Zoe must team up with a group of old friends to clear her name. But that’s easier said than done. A Stellar Cast Headlining an Indie Cult Contender Featuring an ensemble cast that includes

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Kelli Marchman McNeely

Sep 29, 2026

Film FestivalsMoviesNewsTrailers

Award-Winning Indie Slasher ‘The Barn Part III’ Heads to Physical Media

Following a triumphant run across the international festival circuit, The Barn Part III is officially coming to physical media. Independent horror distributor Scream Team Releasing has now launched physical pre-orders on Blu-ray and classic VHS. The final chapter in the indie slasher trilogy wrapped up its theatrical run after high-profile stops at Fright Fest, Popcorn Frights, Panic Fest, Salem Horror Fest, Sitges, and Smodcastle Horror Fest. Along the way, the production also picked up a mountain of awards. It took home Best Feature Film honors at GenreBlast and Requiem Fear Fest. Justin M. Seaman won Best Feature Film. Also, Zane Hershberger won Best Cinematography at NJ Horror Con and Best Underground Horror Feature at Dead Walk Fest. Directed and created by Justin M. Seaman, The Barn Part III was brought to life through his banner, Nevermore Production Films, alongside P.J. Starks (New Fears Eve) and Blood Moon Pictures. The indie horror feature was also produced in partnership with Scream Team

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Kelli Marchman McNeely

Sep 29, 2026

Film FestivalsMoviesNewsTrailers

‘Where the Hell is Anna?’ Scores an Encore Screening Following its Win for Best Feature Film

Stormlight Pictures and Aradia Pictures’ Where the Hell is Anna? Shot entirely on location in Tennessee, the regional indie sensation premiered at the Nashville Film Festival. After taking home the festival’s prestigious Best Tennessee Feature Film trophy, organizers added an encore screening on September 28. Flower Crowns, Blood Sacrifices, and Sinister Sisterhood The story follows Derick. She’s a messy, heartbroken young woman who refuses to accept her best friend Anna’s sudden disappearance. Driven by desperation, Derick tracks Anna to a secretive, women-only woodland retreat and crashes the secluded commune. Once inside, she discovers a bizarre, sun-drenched environment. The residents are preparing Anna for a sacred ritual known as “Induction Day.” However, beneath the commune’s bright floral aesthetics and superficial sisterhood mantras lies a terrifying nightmare. One that involves sinister fertility experiments and gruesome blood sacrifices. It also promises ascension to a high-dimensional paradise called Summerland. ‘Midsommar’ Meets ‘Booksmart’ in a Darkly Comic Survival Tale Fusing visceral folk horror with sharp,

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Kelli Marchman McNeely

Sep 28, 2026

DocumentariesEventsFilm FestivalsForeignIndieMoviesNewsShort FilmsThriller

Columbus, Ohio’s Nightmares Film Festival Delivers the Fear with Its 2026 Lineup

Columbus, Ohio’s Nightmares Film Festival enters its second decade with a mouth-watering selection of fabulous fear fare from October 15–18, 2026. From occult terror to home invasion horror to intriguing documentaries and beyond, the fest has something for horror fans of all stripes. Following is the official press release. Nightmares Film Festival (Oct. 15 to 18) today revealed its 2026 program, opening its second decade with a celebration of the boldest, freshest and most surprising work keeping genre dangerous. “It’s our eleventh year, but we’re thinking of this as year one of a new decade of Nightmares,” said co-founders Jason Tostevin. “We’re celebrating the innovation, imagination and camaraderie that fuel the best of genre film.” Dubbed the “Cannes of horror” (iHorror), Nightmares is part summer camp for horror lovers, part annual reunion for some of the world’s top genre creators. Taking over the world-renowned Gateway Film Center, the festival will bring fans, filmmakers, screenwriters, press and industry reps together for

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Joseph Perry

Sep 28, 2026

Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews

Spoiler-Free Reviews: Welcome to Dolly’s House and Attack on Paradise (Fantastic Fest 2026)

Welcome to Dolly’s House (Taiwan, 2026) Official synopsis Maria stumbles into a surreal trap after she finds a video of a girl running from a mysterious woman and is drawn to an eerie, mind bending mansion. Fantasy-horror animation inspired by the classic literary anthology Taiping Guanji. Review Codirectors Rady Fu, Tree Muta, and Seven Ych have crafted an intriguing rotoscoped fear-fare animation feature in Welcome to Dolly’s House. The story follows young online influencer Maria as she and her deceitful boyfriend try to uncover the mystery of the woman named Dolly who appears in a video where a young girl suddenly vanishes into thin air. The animation is absolutely gorgeous and is reason enough to recommend this supernatural offering, but the third act is also a strong reason to seek out this film, as it goes into quite unexpected territory. Aficionados of creepy-doll horror should especially find Welcome to Dolly’s House an engaging watch. It’s a colorful, trippy, eye-popping experience.

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Joseph Perry

Sep 25, 2026

Film FestivalsMoviesNews

Beauty and Obsession Collide in David Gordon’s ‘Astrolatry’ Premiering at Sitges

Award-winning actor, filmmaker, and producer Ethan Daniel Corbett is set to bring his latest leading role to the international stage as Astrolatry premieres at the 59th Sitges Film Festival, running October 8–18, 2026. Marking David Gordon’s feature directorial debut, the psychologically driven genre satire heads to the world’s premier fantasy and horror festival for its first public screening. The high-profile festival debut follows momentum built earlier this year at the Cannes Marché du Film. Astrolatry was selected from a record-breaking 124 submissions for the prestigious Frontières Buyers Showcase. Toxic Masculinity and Obsession Core to Feature Debut Astrolatry stars Corbett as Elliot, an obsessive outcast whose fixation on a beauty-cream model rapidly deteriorates into violent delusion. Fusing dark character study, satire, and horror, David Gordon’s debut feature examines desire, alienation, and control. All while mounting a sharp interrogation of toxic masculinity and the “nice guy” trope. Reflecting on the role, Corbett says playing Elliot was a surprisingly healing experience. He offers

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Kelli Marchman McNeely

Sep 24, 2026

Film FestivalsForeignMovies

Spoiler-Free Review: Kung Fu Deadly (Fantastic Fest 2026)

Official synopsis Two hapless rat catchers encounter a kung-fu Taoist Guardian pursuing an undead Chinese Jiangshi. Together they uncover family secrets and must embrace their fate to rid Dublin of this supernatural menace, the only way they know how: Extermination. Review Generally, genre-film festivals need some fun to balance out the more horrific and darker fare. Director Fergal Costello delivers the feel-good goods with martial arts/ jiangshi/supernatural action comedy Kung Fu Deadly (Ireland/Australia, 2026). The film seeks to entertain, and absolutely does, with a tale of two underachieving buddies who need to do some “growing up” fast unless they want to either become or be killed by traditional Chinese hopping vampires. Danny (Steven He) has been running Deadly Vermin Control since his father passed away. His childhood best friend and current roommate Frank (Michael Tient) works with him. Their lack of success with the business is nothing compared to the trouble that awaits them when jiangshi begin appearing, and it

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Joseph Perry

Sep 24, 2026

Film FestivalsMoviesNewsShudderStreaming TV

Shudder Acquires Horror-Comedy ‘Red Snow’ Ahead of Fantastic Fest Debut

Mega genre streaming platform Shudder has officially secured the rights to the upcoming Finnish horror-comedy feature Red Snow. The announcement comes as the film prepares to premiere at Fantastic Fest. It will be arriving on the streaming platform later this year. Blending festive holiday horror with dark comedic tropes, the acquisition expands Shudder’s slate of international genre cinema with a bloody, subversively dark spin on traditional Christmas folklore. A Twisted Festive Nightmare The story follows Johanna. She’s an isolated sixteen-year-old emo teenager living in Finland who harbors romanticized fantasies of meeting a glamorous, brooding vampire prince. However, her dark fairytale dreams are brutally shattered when she encounters Martti. He’s a balding, beer-bellied forty-nine-year-old bloodsucker. He like to disguise himself in a Santa suit to infiltrate homes and slaughter entire families. Crossing paths with the vampire on Christmas Eve, Johanna finds herself ensnared in a violent nightmare of trauma and holiday carnage. This leads to a bloody fight for survival by

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Kelli Marchman McNeely

Sep 22, 2026

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