Reaper Film Festival (1)

Festival start: 22 October 2026      Festival end: 23 October 2026

Reaper Film Festival is not a theater full of strangers politely clapping. It is a full night of horror, filmmakers, costumes, music, networking, movies, awards, giveaways, drinks, and dark cinematic energy in Los Angeles.

Built by working filmmakers for filmmakers and horror fans, Reaper takes over The Earl for one night with horror short films, immersive horror themed decor, a red carpet, secret costume contest, audience participation, industry guests, creators, press, filmmakers, actors, producers, distributors, and passionate genre fans.

During the screenings, you are encouraged to react. Laugh. Scream. Talk back to the screen. Cheer for the filmmakers. Horror is better when the room is alive.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Come early and make a night of it.

Grab a drink. Walk the red carpet. Meet filmmakers, actors, creators, producers, distributors, press, industry guests, and fellow horror fans.

Then settle in for three blocks of horror films packed with live audience reactions, scares, laughs, prizes, surprises, and a room that is encouraged to get loud.

And when the movies end, the night is not over.

That is when the party really gets going.

Stick around for drinks, music, networking, filmmakers, actors, creators, industry guests, horror fans, new connections, and late night energy through 2:00 AM.

THE NIGHT INCLUDES:

• Three horror short film screening blocks
• Red carpet photography
• Secret costume contest with prizes
• Giveaways throughout the night
• Reaper Film Festival awards
• Drinks and music
• Filmmaker and industry networking
• Horror creators, podcasters, influencers, press, actors, producers, distributors, and special guests
• Audience participation during the screenings
• A festival wide toast
• Immersive horror themed decor and atmosphere
• A late night party after the screenings through 2:00 AM

SECRET COSTUME CONTEST

Come dressed to kill.

Reaper will hold a secret costume contest during the night, with prizes for standout looks.

There is no separate registration. Just show up in costume and you may be selected.

No masks are allowed. Your face must remain visible inside the event.

BUILT FOR FILMMAKERS

Reaper was created by working filmmakers for filmmakers and horror fans.

Every Official Selection receives a live Los Angeles screening, a Reaper trophy, an Official Selection laurel, and non exclusive worldwide distribution through Bloodstream TV, while retaining ownership of their film.

This is about putting filmmakers in front of a real audience and letting them hear and feel the reaction to their work.

INDUSTRY AND HORROR COMMUNITY

Reaper is presented by Bloodstream TV, with Studio Dome as a development and distribution partner.

Reaper Film Festival is also working with Women In Film and Women In Media in support of the Scythe Award, honoring female horror filmmakers.

Our judging community includes:

Marcus (Terrifier)
James Cullen Bressack (Darkness of Man, Hot Seat, Fortress)
Gigi Saul Guerrero (V/H/S/85, Satanic Hispanics)
Jesse Kove (Cobra Kai, D-Day, Magnum P.I.)
Kimberly Skyrme (House of Cards, Deep Impact, The Pelican Brief)
Jason Neese (The Umbrella Academy, UnREAL, Dear White People)

Additional industry judges and special guests will also be announced.

WHO SHOULD COME?

Filmmakers. Screenwriters. Actors. Producers. Distributors. Horror press. Podcasters. Influencers. Creators. Photographers. Horror fans.

Come to meet people. Come to make connections. Come to discover new filmmakers. Come to drink, watch horror movies, react with a live crowd, and then party with everyone after the final screening.

Walk the red carpet. Grab a drink. See something scary. Meet someone interesting. Watch the films. Then stay late when the party really gets going.

Thursday, October 22, 2026
6:00 PM to 2:00 AM
The Earl, Los Angeles

Admission is free, but RSVP is required.

www.rprff.com

AT THE REAPER AWARDS, EVERYONE REAPS.

Every eligible film is scored by our jury from 1 to 10.

Every Official Film Selection receives distribution.

From there, the films that cut the deepest rise.

THE SCYTHE AWARD
Presented by WOMEN IN FILM

A crown of its own for the films made by women, the ones behind the camera as much as in front of it.

The honoree receives:

All-access VIP pass, every room, all night
10 drink tickets
Special prizes to be announced
One-on-one consultation with Heidi Honeycutt, Bloodstream TV programmer
One-on-one consultation with Kimberly Skyrme, producer and casting director
A professional pitch deck from Deck Syndicate
Official Selection laurel
Additional prizes to be announced!

ELIGIBILITY: Open to films produced and/or directed by a woman.

A film entered into The Scythe Award category without a female producer and/or director is disqualified.

GRAND PRIZE

The Grand Prize Winner receives:

The opportunity to pitch a feature film project directly to BLOODSTREAM TV and STUDIO DOME for potential financing and development consideration
All-access VIP pass, every room, all night
10 drink tickets
Everything included with the First Place award

The feature does not have to be based on the submitted short.

The winning filmmaker may pitch a feature adaptation of the submitted project or another eligible feature project, subject to applicable festival rules and the participating companies' submission requirements.

Bloodstream TV and Studio Dome independently evaluate the project following the pitch.

Financing, production, acquisition, development, or distribution is not guaranteed.

FIRST PLACE

First Place receives:

Non-exclusive distribution on Bloodstream TV
Official Selection laurel
Screening on October 21, 2026
The Reaper trophy
Four industry consultations with industry professionals including an executive producer, producer, and screenwriter
All-access VIP pass, every room, all night
8 drink tickets
Featured banner placement on the Bloodstream TV homepage for up to one week
SECOND PLACE

Second Place receives:

Non-exclusive distribution on Bloodstream TV
Official Selection laurel
Screening on October 21, 2026
Certificate of Achievement
All-access VIP pass, every room, all night
5 drink tickets
Three industry consultations with an executive producer, producer, and screenwriter
THIRD PLACE

Third Place receives:

Non-exclusive distribution on Bloodstream TV
Official Selection laurel
Screening on October 21, 2026
Certificate of Achievement
All-access VIP pass, every room, all night
3 drink tickets
Two industry consultations with a producer and screenwriter
EVERY OFFICIAL FILM SELECTION

Every Official Film Selection receives:

Non-exclusive distribution on Bloodstream TV
Official Selection laurel
All-access VIP pass, every room, all night
1 drink ticket
Screening on October 21, 2026
SCREENPLAY COMPETITION

Every eligible screenplay is read and scored.

The Top Five Finalists receive:

One-on-one industry consultations
First-look consideration from the Reaper Film Festival team and partners

The winning screenplay is announced live at the festival.

THE WINNING SCREENPLAY ALSO RECEIVES:
Producer feedback
A professional pitch deck from Deck Syndicate
All-access VIP pass
Drink tickets
CRAFT HONORS

Additional honors may be awarded at the jury's discretion:

Best Directing
Best Cinematography
Best Acting
Best Screenplay
Best Score
Best Special Effects
Best Scare
Best Gore

By submitting to the Reaper Film Festival, presented by Bloodstream TV, the submitter acknowledges and agrees to the following Rules & Terms.

1. FILM ELIGIBILITY

The Reaper Film Festival accepts horror and horror-adjacent short films.

Eligible genres and styles include, but are not limited to:

Supernatural
Slasher
Psychological horror
Folk horror
Body horror
Creature films
Found footage
Gore
Science fiction
Action
Thriller
Fantasy
Other work with a significant horror, dark, suspense, or genre component

Films must be under 15 minutes in total runtime, including credits.

Films must be completed works. Works in progress are not eligible.

There is no production-date restriction.

Previously screened and previously distributed films are welcome, provided the film is not currently subject to an exclusive agreement that would prevent the non-exclusive Bloodstream TV distribution associated with Official Selection.

Films may be in any language.

Non-English-language films must include English subtitles.

2. THE SCYTHE AWARD ELIGIBILITY

The Scythe Award, presented by Women in Film, is open to films produced and/or directed by a woman.

The entry fee for The Scythe Award category is $10.

A film entered into The Scythe Award category without a female producer and/or director is disqualified.

The Scythe Award winner:

All-access VIP pass, every room, all night
10 drink tickets
Special prizes to be announced
One-on-one consultation with Heidi Honeycutt, Bloodstream TV programmer
One-on-one consultation with Kimberly Skyrme, producer and casting director
A professional pitch deck from Deck Syndicate
Official Selection laurel
Additional prizes to be announced

3. SCREENPLAY ELIGIBILITY

Screenplay submissions must:

Be original short screenplays
Be 10 pages or fewer, excluding the title page
Be submitted as a PDF
Use standard screenplay formatting
Be horror or horror-adjacent
Be original work owned or controlled by the submitting writer

Every eligible screenplay is read and scored.

The Top Five Finalists receive consultations and first-look consideration from the Reaper Film Festival team and partners.

The winning screenplay also receives producer feedback, a professional pitch deck from Deck Syndicate, an all-access VIP pass, and drink tickets.

4. SUBMISSIONS & FEES

All entries must be submitted through Festhome.

Multiple submissions are permitted.

Each project requires a separate submission and applicable entry fee.

Submission fees are tied to the deadline in effect at the time of submission.

SHORT FILM FEES

Earlybird, through September 4: $15
Regular, through September 24: $20
Late, through October 14: $25

A student discount is available for film submissions.

SHORT SCREENPLAY FEES

Earlybird, through September 4: $5
Regular, through September 24: $5
Late, through October 14: $10

THE SCYTHE AWARD

Entry Fee: $10

All submission fees are non-refundable.

5. DATES & DEADLINES

August 18, 2026: Submissions Open
September 4, 2026: Earlybird Deadline
September 24, 2026: Regular Deadline
October 14, 2026: Late Deadline
October 17, 2026: Notification Date
October 22, 2026: Festival Event

6. JUDGING PROCESS

Every eligible film and screenplay is watched or read in full, more than once, by working filmmakers and industry professionals.

The Reaper Film Festival does not use automated judging or skim-and-score evaluation.

Each submission moves through the following process:

ELIGIBILITY & FORMAT REVIEW

Each entry is checked against applicable category requirements, including:

Runtime
Page count
Genre eligibility
Ownership requirements
Language requirements

Ineligible entries are flagged and the entrant is notified.

BLIND FIRST ROUND

Titles are stripped of identifying names and credits wherever practical before entries are assigned to at least two independent reviewers.

Every reviewer watches or reads the complete submission before entering a score.

WEIGHTED SCORING

Each entry is scored from 1 to 10 according to the applicable Reaper judging rubric.

Reviewer scores are averaged.

A significant scoring disagreement between reviewers triggers an additional review so no single opinion determines a project's fate.

FINALIST DELIBERATION

Top-scoring entries advance to jury deliberation.

Jurors may re-screen or reread contested submissions and discuss and defend their selections.

Jurors must recuse themselves from judging projects in which they have a personal or financial interest.

SELECTION & AWARDS

Official Selections are determined, placements are set, and discretionary craft honors are assigned following jury review.

Winners are notified privately and announced live at The Earl.

All judging decisions are final.

7. FILM JUDGING RUBRIC
CRAFT

Directing: 1 to 10
Cinematography: 1 to 10
Acting: 1 to 10
Editing & Pacing: 1 to 10
Music & Composition: 1 to 10

GENRE

Concept & Originality: 1 to 10
Special Effects: 1 to 10
The Scare: 1 to 10
Atmosphere & Dread: 1 to 10

8. SCREENPLAY JUDGING RUBRIC

Premise & Originality: 1 to 10
Structure: 1 to 10
Character: 1 to 10
Dialogue: 1 to 10
Tone & Atmosphere: 1 to 10
Genre Payoff: 1 to 10

9. SCORING SCALE

1 TO 3: ROUGH

A promising idea that is not yet landing on the screen or page.

4 TO 6: SOLID

Competent, watchable work demonstrating real craft and standout moments.

7 TO 8: STRONG

Confident, memorable filmmaking or writing capable of holding its own in festival competition.

9 TO 10: EXCEPTIONAL

The films and screenplays that cut the deepest. Serious award contenders.

10. OFFICIAL SELECTION & DISTRIBUTION

Every film designated an Official Selection receives:

Non-exclusive distribution on Bloodstream TV
Official Selection laurel
All-access VIP pass, every room, all night
1 drink ticket
Live screening on October 22, 2026

Because distribution is non-exclusive, filmmakers retain ownership of their work and may continue pursuing other eligible opportunities consistent with agreements they have entered.

Any separate distribution terms required for Bloodstream TV placement will be addressed with selected filmmakers as applicable.

11. GRAND PRIZE FEATURE PITCH

The Grand Prize provides the winning filmmaker with the opportunity to present and pitch a feature film project directly to representatives of Bloodstream TV and Studio Dome for consideration for potential financing and development.

The project pitched may be a feature adaptation of the filmmaker's submitted project or another eligible feature project, subject to applicable festival rules and participating company submission requirements.

The participating companies independently evaluate the project following the pitch.

Financing, production, acquisition, development, or distribution is not guaranteed.

12. RIGHTS & OWNERSHIP

By submitting a project, the submitter represents that they own or control all rights necessary to submit and exhibit the work, including applicable rights involving:

Music
Footage
Performances
Likenesses
Underlying material
Copyrighted material
Other intellectual property incorporated into the project

The submitter is responsible for ensuring that the project does not unlawfully infringe upon the rights of any third party.

The submitter authorizes the Reaper Film Festival to use approved project titles, still images, excerpts, trailers, artwork, filmmaker information, and other promotional materials for purposes connected with promoting the festival, its programming, participating projects, and festival events.

Submission does not transfer ownership of the submitted project to the Reaper Film Festival.

13. NOTIFICATION

Entrants are scheduled to be notified of their festival status on or around October 17, 2026.

Winners are announced at the October 21, 2026 festival event.

14. ATTENDANCE

Attendance at the physical festival is encouraged but is not required to:

Be judged
Become an Official Selection
Win an award
Receive applicable distribution

15. FESTIVAL EVENT

The 2026 Reaper Film Festival screening and award show takes place:

October 22, 2026
6:00 PM to 12:30 AM

The Earl
4408 W 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90004
United States

The event includes three 45-minute screening blocks with 30-minute intermissions, networking, award presentations, prize giveaways, the Reaper Screenplay Competition winner announcement, and additional festival programming.

Seating is limited to approximately 200 attendees.

16. FESTIVAL DISCRETION

Craft honors and placements are awarded at the jury's discretion.

The Reaper Film Festival reserves the right to interpret and administer these rules and to make reasonable changes to festival rules, programming, scheduling, deadlines, or procedures when necessary.

Material changes will be reflected through the festival's official channels.

Submission constitutes acknowledgment and acceptance of these Rules & Terms.