5 Festivals That Showcase Great Horror
Driven by humanity's most primal fears, and the corresponding impulse to confront them through art, the horror genre has amassed legions of fans from around the world who love nothing more than being shocked and unsettled. If you're seeking chills, thrills, and a sense of community among other like-minded gore-hounds and aficionados of fright, check out the festivals listed here, which present the best in both horror cinema and theater. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.
5 Horror Festivals to Make You Scream
| Name | Mission |
|---|---|
| The Women in Horror Film Festival | Celebrate women’s contributions to genre film |
| Twin Cities Horror Festival | Explore the themes and tropes of horror through a variety of performing disciplines |
| The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival | Showcase the best new independent films, throw parties, host events, and more |
| The Vancouver Badass Film Festival | Highlight viscerally engaging works of cinematic originality, exploring both the disturbing and gleeful sides of genre fandom |
| Milwaukee Twisted Dreams Film Festival | Present celluloid terror for its willing audience, providing a haven for like-minded souls |
What Horror Films Teach Us About Ourselves
Classic Horror Novels
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Why Do We Like Being Scared?
In Depth
It's not always easy to understand why people find entertainment in being shocked, disturbed, or frightened, but the popularity of the horror genre is undeniable. Around the world, fans of art that explores humanity's darkest fears gather, to celebrate the transgressive works of film and theater that they love. Presented here, in no particular order, are five festivals for devotees of terror on the screen and stage.
Beginning our list at #1 is the Women in Horror Film Festival, founded to showcase the contributions to the genre made by female filmmakers, screenwriters, and fans. Created by Vanessa Ionta Wright and Samantha Kolesnik, a duo of award-winning writers and directors, the event features screenings of numerous notable movies and shorts. It also incorporates panel discussions on relevant topics in the industry, and guest appearances from celebrities of the horror world.
WIHFF plays host to disquieting and macabre works of all kinds, including categories such as thrillers, science fiction, and horror comedy. The standouts in each, as selected by the Special Guest Jury of industry professionals, are honored with the Lizzie award, a horror-themed trophy, complete with hand-painted blood spatter to ensure that each one is unique. Films with three or more key creative roles filled by women can be submitted for consideration, and fans can buy tickets or merchandise online.
WIHFF plays host to disquieting and macabre works of all kinds, including categories such as thrillers, science fiction, and horror comedy.
Next up at #2 is Twin Cities Horror Festival. Held every October in Minneapolis, this event presents stage performances designed to shock and unsettle, produced by local theatrical companies and creators. Originally founded by Four Humors Theater, and intended to explore the themes and tropes of horror through a variety of performing disciplines, the Festival includes dance, storytelling, and improvisational theater as well as traditional stage plays.
Many of the producers and performers in the first Twin Cities Horror Festival have become staples of the event, such as the dance company Erin Sheppard Presents, whose performances in each year's lineup combine choreography and eerie storytelling. Other unique features have included living embalming sessions that combine ASMR with corpse-like makeovers, or the annual screening of short films curated by local podcast Horror Show Hot Dog. Supporters can make a donation or contribute as sponsors.
Coming in at #3, we have the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, which brings screenings, discussions, and celebrations to venues around the borough. From award-winning works by foreign directors to collections of contemporary shorts, the event spotlights the latest entries in the cinema of dread. Some Festival features explore the works of LGBTQ creators, while others let attendees hear insights from pioneering directors, or view niche and forgotten examples of this transgressive genre.
From award-winning works by foreign directors to collections of contemporary shorts, the event spotlights the latest entries in the cinema of dread.
Past years at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival have featured premieres of thought-provoking works such as Blood Quantum, a Canadian tale exploring the indigenous experience through the lens of zombie fiction, or the exploitation homage and survival story Get My Gun. The event also looks back to the genre's history, screening classic works like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, or unearthed oddities like the 1980s slasher Blood Harvest. Those looking to support the Festival can volunteer, and interested businesses can contribute as sponsors.
#4 on the list is the Vancouver Badass Film Festival. Held annually in British Columbia's most populous city, it is dedicated to highlighting viscerally engaging works and cinematic originality. Screening movies like Polterheist, a combination supernatural thriller and gritty British crime drama, or Atroz, a disturbing exploration of violence and voyeurism, this event explores both the disturbing and gleeful sides of genre fandom. The Festival presents awards to entries that impress and captivate their jury.
The Vancouver Badass Film Festival offers a chance for audiences to interact with creators, as well as a space to celebrate the bizarre, the extreme, and the shocking in cinema. Along with screenings and premieres of challenging works, it incorporates engaging in-person performances, sometimes including actors from films featured at the Festival. The organizers welcome original submissions, and interested readers can offer support by purchasing tickets online.
The organizers welcome original submissions, and interested readers can offer support by purchasing tickets online.
We'll close with #5, the Milwaukee Twisted Dreams Film Festival, which gathers Wisconsin residents who share a taste for violent and unnerving cinema. Attendees show off costumes paying tribute to icons of horror, attend panel discussions where creators discuss their work, and enjoy performances celebrating the darker side of the human imagination. The screenings at the Festival include creations from around the world, as well as those from local filmmakers.
The Twisted Dreams Film Festival revels in horror's absurdities as well as its terrors, showcasing entries like Tough Cookie, a tongue-in-cheek grindhouse short about warring Scout troops, or The Dead Don't Die, a star-studded comedic zombie thriller. Other attractions include conversations with professionals about the craft and business of cinema, presentations on horror's history, and appearances from iconic figures in genre film-making. Interested creators can submit their work online for consideration.
