Halloween Horror Film Festival (5)

Festival start: 30 October 2026      Festival end: 30 October 2026

The Halloween Horror Festival
Prepare for a night of fear, suspense, and spine-tingling storytelling. This screening event showcases short films from across the UK—all 15 minutes or less—across a thrilling range of dark genres. Whether you’re into ghosts, psychological chills, or powerful dramas with a sinister edge, there’s a category for your vision.

Featured Categories:
Environmental Horror
Where real-world crises meet terror. These films tackle ecological nightmares—whether it’s nature’s revenge or the terrifying cost of human actions.

Zombie Horror
Apocalyptic chaos, flesh-eating undead, and a world in ruins. Classic or creative takes welcome—just bring the bite.

Suspense/Thriller Horror
Tension, paranoia, and the fear of the unseen. Your film might feature ghosts—or maybe the horror is all psychological. Either way, it’ll leave audiences unsettled.

The Spooky One
From haunted houses to eerie towns, these are the films that give us goosebumps. Expect the classic horror atmosphere—with a fresh twist.

Spiritual Horror
Good vs. evil, possession, rituals, and otherworldly forces at play. If your film explores spiritual dread or divine conflict, this is your category.

Expanded Categories (New for This Year):
Psychological Thriller
Diving deep into the mind, these films explore obsession, mental decay, and disturbing truths. Perfect for fans of tense, character-driven horror.

Dark Drama
Serious, emotional storytelling with a sinister or unsettling edge. Themes might include grief, revenge, or inner demons—grounded in realism.

Surreal Horror/Thriller
Stylized, dreamlike, or abstract. These films push boundaries and blur realities. If it’s strange and disturbing—we want it.

Period Horror or Thriller
Set in the past, filled with dread. Think candlelight, corsets, and creeping shadows—or haunting tales from historical moments.

Mind-Benders
Twisty, complex narratives that keep the audience guessing until the very end. Ideal for nonlinear timelines, unreliable narrators, or shocking reveals.

Folk Horror / Rural Thriller
Isolated communities, ancient rituals, or countryside dread. Where tradition turns terrifying and myths become real.

Sci-Fi Horror or Thriller
From alien invasions to dystopian futures and AI nightmares—if your horror or thriller is set in the world of science or space, it belongs here.

Screenings will take place at Cold Harbour Cinema in Brixton, London (UK).
For submission rules and full guidelines, please visit the “Rules” section on our website.
All films must be 15 minutes or less in length.
Selected filmmakers will only get one ticket per entry and will need to purchase additional tickets .

48-Hour Halloween Horror Film Challenge

The Halloween Horror Film Challenge is a 48-hour filmmaking competition.

Teams must register by Thursday 8 October 2026 through the Halloween Horror Film Festival website.

The Challenge begins at 8:00 pm on Friday 9 October 2026. Registered teams will receive the required Challenge criteria, theme and/or elements at this time.

All films must be written, filmed, edited and completed during the 48-hour Challenge period.

At the beginning of the finished film, teams must include a five-second blank gap, followed by a clear display of the required Challenge criteria/elements included in their film.

Final films must be submitted by 8:00 pm on Sunday 11 October 2026. Late submissions may not be accepted.

At the point of final submission, teams must pay the £25 Challenge entry fee.

Challenge films must follow all stated criteria, required elements and technical submission instructions. Films that do not meet these requirements may be disqualified.

The strongest completed Halloween horror shorts will be selected to screen at the Halloween Horror Film Festival. Selection is not guaranteed and all decisions remain at the discretion of the Festival judging panel.

If a Challenge film is selected for screening, the submitting team will receive one complimentary ticket to attend the Festival. Any additional tickets must be purchased.

Awards

All selected films will receive official Halloween Horror Film Festival selection laurels.

Selected films will be eligible for the following awards:

Best Overall Film
Best Thriller
Best Drama
Best Comedy Horror
Best Actor
Best Writer
Best Director
Best Score
Best Sound Design
Best Cinematography
Best Production Design
Best Special FX
Best Animation
Best Ultra-Short Film
Best Music Video
Best 48-Hour Halloween Horror Film
Audience Award — voted for by festival attendees on the night.

The Halloween Horror Film Festival 2026

Prepare for a night of fear, suspense and spine-tingling storytelling. The Halloween Horror Film Festival showcases bold short films from filmmakers around the world, with a special welcome to UK talent.

We are looking for horror, thriller, dark drama and twisted genre films—all 15 minutes or less.


Halloween Horror Film Festival 2026 takes place on Friday 30 October 2026 at Coldharbour Blue Cinema, Brixton, London.

Halloween Horror Film Festival – Submission Rules 2026

Open to filmmakers from around the world. UK filmmakers are especially encouraged to submit.

All filmmakers must be over 18 years of age to participate.

Films must not have previously screened at the Halloween Horror Film Festival.

Short Films must be under 15 minutes in length.

Ultra Short Films must be under 3 minutes in length.

Halloween Horror Challenge films must be created within the specified challenge period and follow the required theme, elements and submission instructions announced for the competition.

Submission fees:

Short Film category (under 15 minutes): £20
Ultra Short Film category (under 3 minutes): £10
Halloween Horror Challenge category: £25

All films must be submitted through Festhome by the stated submission deadline.

Films must be provided in HD or 4K MP4 format. The preferred aspect ratio is 16:9, although other standard ratios, including 1.85:1 and 2.39:1 (CinemaScope), are accepted.

All films must be in English. Foreign-language films are welcome where full English subtitles are included.

The Festival will not accept extremist or propaganda content, or overtly pornographic, racist, homophobic or sexist material.

Filmmakers are responsible for ensuring that all music, sound, images and other visual content are fully cleared for public exhibition.

By submitting a film, filmmakers grant the Festival permission to use preview footage, stills, publicity photographs and related promotional material for non-commercial Festival promotion.

All submissions will be reviewed by the judging panel. A selection of the strongest entries will be chosen for screening at the Festival.

Admission into the Festival is not guaranteed. All selection decisions are at the discretion of the judging panel and are final.

48-Hour Halloween Horror Film Challenge

The Halloween Horror Film Challenge is a 48-hour filmmaking competition.

Teams must register by Thursday 8 October 2026 through the Halloween Horror Film Festival website.

The Challenge begins at 8:00 pm on Friday 9 October 2026. Registered teams will receive the required Challenge criteria, theme and/or elements at this time.

All films must be written, filmed, edited and completed during the 48-hour Challenge period.

At the beginning of the finished film, teams must include a five-second blank gap, followed by a clear display of the required Challenge criteria/elements included in their film.

Final films must be submitted by 8:00 pm on Sunday 11 October 2026. Late submissions may not be accepted.

At the point of final submission, teams must pay the £25 Challenge entry fee.

Challenge films must follow all stated criteria, required elements and technical submission instructions. Films that do not meet these requirements may be disqualified.

The strongest completed Halloween horror shorts will be selected to screen at the Halloween Horror Film Festival. Selection is not guaranteed and all decisions remain at the discretion of the Festival judging panel.

If a Challenge film is selected for screening, the submitting team will receive one complimentary ticket to attend the Festival. Any additional tickets must be purchased.

Selected filmmakers will be notified by the Festival. Award nominees will also be notified before the event.

Short Film entrants whose films are selected for screening will receive one complimentary ticket to attend and view their film.

Ultra Short Film entrants must purchase a ticket to attend, due to the reduced submission fee. Any additional tickets must be purchased by entrants.

Halloween Horror Challenge entrants must purchase a ticket to attend. Any additional tickets must also be purchased.

Entries submitted using a waiver code must purchase tickets to attend if selected, helping ensure the Festival remains financially sustainable.

If an award winner is unable to attend the Festival, the award can be posted to them. The winner will be responsible for postage costs and a small administration fee.