The eleventh annual Brooklyn Horror Film Festival has announced a stacked lineup overflowing with frightening goodies this October.
The eleventh annual Brooklyn Horror Film Festival is almost here to give you plenty to scream about this October. Today, the fest has announced a stacked lineup of new and old features, gruesome shorts, and special events fun for all ghouls and goblins.
Opening the fest is the U.S. Premiere of Nicky Murphy’s award-winning vampire mockumentary ILove Paris. After the film, audiences will be invited to keep the good vibes going at the Opening Night Party presented by Dark Sky Films, taking over both levels of the Nitehawk.
The 2026 festival lineup will also celebrate the world premiere of Michael Schwarz’s early aughts throwback slasher The Only One as well as feature documentaries about genre legends: Rubberhead: The Life & Monsters of Steve Johnson and Full Moon Rising: The Charles Band Story.
That’s just a taste of what to expect from a lineup that also includes films from the likes of The Adams Family and Larry Fessenden!
The festival runs October 15-22 with all screenings held at Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg. Take a look at the full lineup below and grab festival badges now. Individual tickets go on sale this Friday at 10 am EST.
Species
Feature Films
I LOVE PARIS OPENING NIGHT FILM PRESENTED BY MUBI Australia, France | 2026 | 120 Min. | Dir. Nicky MurphyAspiring underground singer Paris is bitten and turned into a vampire but, instead of letting her dreams of music stardom die, her hustle only goes harder and bloodier.
SPECIES (SANGUINE) CENTERPIECE FILM New York Premiere France | 2026 | 103 Min. | Dir. Marion Le Corroller A young intern at a prestigious ER struggles to keep up with the fast paced environment, and when a strange disease begins appearing in a number of her patients, she starts suffering from her own bodily symptoms.
KICK ON CLOSING NIGHT FILM New York Premiere Australia | 2026 | 91 Min. | Dir. Nick Kozakis What starts off as a wild night of partying devolves into a brutal fight for survival when four friends cross paths with a mobster’s unhinged son in this gruesome new entry in the single-location siege horror canon.
THE GLORIOUS DEAD Presented by Arrow Video Leviathan Award New York Premiere USA | 2026 | 80 Min. | Dir. John Adams, Toby Poser What should be a typical day in the life of a small-town sheriff quickly turns sinister as people begin to disappear and fleshy creatures begin popping up all around them.
AMERICAN DOLLHOUSE New York Premiere USA | 2026 | 87 Min. | Dir. John Valley A woman living a drama-riddled life returns to her childhood home for what she hopes can be a clean start, but, no thanks to her psychotic and homicidal new neighbor, it doesn’t go as planned.
CORPUS Presented by MUBI USA | 2026 | 102 Min. | Dir. Corrin Evans A photographer takes a trip to Upstate NY with his longtime friend and unrequited love, but the trip takes a turn when their three mysterious hosts begin to show they have ulterior motives.
THE CYCLE East Coast Premiere UK | 2026 | 112 Min. | Dir. Jordan Downey When her estranged father’s corpse is discovered at a grisly crime scene, Meg is dragged into the investigation to uncover why—when he’s been missing for over three decades.
THE DEN USA | 2026 | 77 Min. | Dir. Zachary Donohue While studying the behaviors of webcam users, a sociology student witnesses a murder and becomes the killer’s next target in this early and underrated entry in the “screenlife” horror canon.
ERIE East Coast Premiere USA | 2026 | 89 Min. | Dir. Alison-Eve Hammersley Aided by her skeptical older brother, a young girl launches her own investigation into their sister’s mysterious death, connecting it to a string of local suicides whose explanations may or may not be supernatural.
FULL MOON RISING: THE CHARLES BAND STORY North American Premiere UK | 2026 | 94 Min. | Sarah Appleton From his days revolutionizing the home video market to producing classics like FROM BEYOND and RE-ANIMATOR and running the influential Full Moon Features, indie maverick Charles Band’s illustrious career is front and center in this entertaining and inspiring documentary.
Full Moon Rising
GHOST IN THE MACHINE (35mm) USA | 1993 | 95 Min. | Dir. Rachel Talalay After he’s killed in a car accident, a serial killer’s soul is uploaded into a computer system, enabling him to find technological ways to try to kill the woman he was targeting before his death.
GODHEAD East Coast Premiere USA | 2026 | 98 Min. | Dir. Mark H. Rapaport A pair of oddball, possibly dangerous twins force a priest to make a series of painful and potentially Biblical decisions in this singular blend of pitch-black comedy and surrealist horror.
J.D.’S REVENGE (35mm) USA | 1976 | 95 Min. | Dir. Arthur Marks Hell-bent on getting some long-overdue revenge, the ghost of a New Orleans gangster inhabits the body of a young black law student in this Blaxploitation horror gem.
LITTLE DOORS New York Premiere USA | 2026 | 77 Min. | Dir. Anthony Oberback A woman doing her best to survive day-to-day in an apocalyptic world finds a small door on the side of her body and contemplates opening it to see what’s inside.
MOUNTAIN KING East Coast Premiere USA | 2026 | 94 Min. | Dir. Gabrielle Christensen Surprising her boyfriend unannounced at his family home in Scandinavia, Hannah is determined to prove she can be part of the family no matter how increasingly dark their traditions seem to be.
NIGHT AFTER NIGHT East Coast Premiere USA | 2026 | 86 Min. | Dir. Josh Lobo When his fellow security guard vanishes, Andy is overwhelmed with paranoia about their enigmatic workplace’s intentions and the disturbing phenomenon kept hidden in the building’s new wing.
THE ONLY ONE World Premiere Australia | 2026 | 99 Min. | Dir. Michael Schwarz When her exes are suddenly being murdered one by one, suspicion falls on Zoe, and it’s up to her and a ragtag team of old friends to prove her innocence and figure out the identity of the masked Prince Charming killer.
OPI North American Premiere Poland | 2026 | 96 Min. | Dir. Marta Giec Shortly before her 18th birthday, a young woman’s already complicated home life gets upended by the arrival of an aunt and grandmother she’s never met before, triggering her family’s downward spiral into nightmarish folk horror.
THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (with live score) France | 1928 | 81 Min. | Dir. Carl Theodore Dreyer A towering achievement of the silent-film era, THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC equals and oftentimes eclipses the horror of any other masterwork from the 1920’s. Live music accompaniment by The Flushing Remonstrance.
THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS USA | 1991 | 103 Min. | Dir. Wes Craven Two criminals and their teenage accomplice find themselves stuck inside the booby-trap-riddled home of their ghetto neighborhood’s evil landlords in Wes Craven’s massively entertaining marriage of horror-comedy and social commentary.
Posthumous
POSTHUMOUS East Coast Premiere Australia | 2026 | 110 Min. | Dir. Josh Tanner After returning to her childhood home, a troubled woman becomes enamored with VHS birthday tapes left behind by her late mother that gradually reveal a secret family connection to the occult.
ROMA ELASTICA Presented by MUBI New York Premiere France, Italy | 2026 | 107 Min. | Dir. Bertrand Mandico A struggling French actress travels to Rome to work on a science fiction film that sends her spiraling and threatens to make this the last film she makes.
RUBBERHEAD: THE LIFE & MONSTERS OF STEVE JOHNSON East Coast Premiere USA | 2026 | 106 Min. | Dir. Nick Taylor Tracks the spectacular rise and swift fall of practical SFX master Steve Johnson while taking viewers on an impressively candid and revealing overview of the glory days of special effects makeup.
SENDER New York Premiere USA | 2026 | 94 Min. | Dir. Russell Goldman A newly sober woman begins to find a disturbing amount of daily packages she never ordered on her doorstep, setting her off on a paranoid and dizzying investigation to discover her tormentors.
SLAY East Coast Premiere Presented by MUBI USA | 2026 | 89 Min. | Dir. Kyra Elise Gardner After her friend is brutally murdered, a young social media star heads to a cabin in the woods with friends for what’s meant to be a distracting good time but turns into a bloodbath when a masked killer crashes the party.
SPLIT ROCK North American Premiere Canada | 2026 | 98 Min. | Dir. Ryan Glover A group of geologists discover a strange anomaly in the desert and as they continue their research their thirst for knowledge threatens to put them in grave danger against an ancient horror.
SUNDOWN East Coast Premiere USA | 2026 | 79 Min. | Dir. Rebekah McKendry A trio of blood-related women seeking vengeance kidnap a man only to discover that his darkest secret is far worse than what they thought. Screening with: Bloodsuckers, dir. Rosie Brear (USA, 10min)
TRAUMA, OR MONSTERS ALL New York Premiere USA | 2026 | 118 Min. | Dir. Larry Fessenden Larry Fessenden’s down-and-dirty, blue-collar universe of Universal-Monster-inspired films (HABIT, DEPRAVED, BLACK OUT) comes to its masterful conclusion in this clash of nightmarish titans set in a small town harboring its own dark past.
TRICK ’R TREAT (35mm) w/ SEASON’S GREETINGS USA | 2007 | 86 Min. | Dir. Michael Dougherty It’s the ultimate Halloween season event with everyone’s favorite little pumpkin-headed demon, Sam: a special 35mm screening of Michael Dougherty’s classic Samhain-minded omnibus gem TRICK ’R TREAT (2007), preceded by the filmmaker’s handmade animated short that inspired it, SEASON’S GREETINGS (1996), and capped off by a conversation with Dougherty to discuss it all.
WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR USA | 2021 | 86 Min. | Dir. Jane Schoenbrun A teen loses her sense of reality as she is drawn into a popular online role-playing game.
Secret Screening ??? | 2026 | > 100 Min. | Dir. ??? Get your best guesses ready, scary movie lovers—Brooklyn Horror is excited to present a mystery film that, trust us, you won’t want to miss! And, sorry, we won’t give any easy-to-solve hints for all of you proud cinema sleuths out there! Okay, fine, we’ll give you a little something: Our “Secret Screening” film will be a must-see new gem that’ll make NYC’s horror fans kick themselves for missing if they aren’t in the building for it at Nitehawk. Sorry, that’s all you’re going to get. Now let the speculation begin!
Breeder
Short Films
NIGHTMARE FUEL These frightening folktales, body horrors, and monsters in the machine will haunt your dreams and make sure you never sleep again! Bagman, dir. Connor Gaston, Vaughn Gaston (Canada); Stuck, dir. Jan van Gorkum (Netherlands); Wax, dir. Alexandre Forgues, (Canada); Breeder, dir. Sapphire Sandalo (USA); YAOGUAI, dir. Mimi Lee (USA); Don’t Go, dir. Talon Darren Winsnes, (Norway); Tsume Kill: The Clapper Claw, dir. Shinsuke Fujioka (Japan); Ceiling King, dir. Mats Udd (Sweden).
HEAD TRIP Open your mind to genre-bending terror and find the fear in everyday things like your sewing projects, mancaves, and headphones. Embrace the bizarre. Man Eating Pussy, dir. Emily Lawson (Canada); Summer Project, dir. Yuki Hara (Japan); Headphones, dir. Steven Arriagada (Australia); Rusalka, dir. Mykita Bulgakov, Vlad Fishez, Oleg Batrakov (Ukraine); Prosthetika, dir. Brandon Chi-Wei Chen (USA); Needle, Sofie Somoroff (USA); Mancave dir. Fredrik S. Hana (Norway)
CULTURE SHOCK Our latest and permanent program section strives to uplift Black filmmakers and aims to be a launchpad for new excellence in genre cinema. Join us in celebrating Black stories with our very first Culture Shock: Black Horror shorts block. The Inheritance, dir. Destinee Stewart (USA); Night Feeds, dir. Rana Roy (USA); Angels Pull Your Hair, dir. Gabby Beans (USA); Dread, dir. Loren Loubser, Gabe Gabriel (South Africa, UK); The Keeper, dir Tananarive Due, Steven Barnes (USA); Grampa, dir Justice Smith (USA)
SLAYED Presented by MUBI Brooklyn horror explores the gamut of queer experiences in this shorts block, from messy lesbian relationships to taboo sexual experiences. By Yourself, dir. Elaine Frost (USA); Crash Season, dir. Audrey Rosenberg (USA); Four Itchy Boys, dir. Andrew Hebert (USA); Internet Boy, dir. Joseph Demaria (USA); Embrace, dir. Matthew Rush (USA); Tooth, dir. Max Wren (USA); Mine, dir. Jaclyn Moore (USA); Scissors, dir. Hannah Alline (USA)
LAUGH NOW, DIE LATER Horror and comedy are sisters – both build up tension for a satisfying relief. Afterall, isn’t death the final punch line? Knitting Club, dir. Diogo Abrantes, João Rito (Portugal); Baby Fever, dir. Katrina Vergara (USA); Udders!, dir. Michael Spencer (USA); CHÄIR, dir Chris McInroy (USA); A Stable Marriage, dir. Josephine Decker (USA); Matches, dir. Jake Delaney (USA); Open Mic,dir. Jano Pita (Spain); Vape Glow,dir. Steven Schloss (USA); Gloss, dir. Leah Shore (USA); House Cat, dir. Kyle Spleiss (USA)
DEATH GRIP These shorts will grab a hold of you, won’t let go, and love to watch you squirm. Enjoy slow-burn horror and explore the dark recesses that hide in quiet moments. Bruised Sky, dir. Gary James Kent (UK); Down the Length, dir.Milo Ed (UK); Primus the Robot, dir. Max Delagrave (France); Devourer, dir. Nirvana Nagi; Living Grounds, dir. Émile Lavoie (Canada)
HOME INVASION 1 Hometown heroes and fresh faces alike showcase their newest works. Enjoy the work of our locals and let their creativity inspire you! The Crying Man, dir. Emily Bennett; Richard Goes On a Date, dir. Johnny Frohman; Imprint, dir. Ran Jing; PRIME, dir. Meagan Coyle; Viewfinder, dir. Clay von Carlowitz; Packages, dir. Nick Barat; Crib Club, dir. Jordan Freeman Klaja; Walter Wuz Here, dir. Ben Duff
HOME INVASION 2 The category so nice, we made it twice. Our community is bursting at the seams with talented creatives, we can’t fit everything into one block. Echelon, dir. Sebastian DiNatale; Book U Can Ask ???s, dir. Casimir Nozkowski; No Free Brains, dir. Ciara Sergi; Behind This Locked Door, dir. Matthew Brennan; Carousel, dir. Christopher Kosakowski; Hand, dir. Jennifer Winterbotham; The Fool, dir. Adjahni Dèsirè; In My Blood, dir. Alex Bendo.
Special Events
Final Exam Horror Trivia Presented by Dark Sky Films Do you think you know more about horror films than the rest of Gotham? Then it’s time to prove it via five blistering rounds of expert level creepy trivia with hosts Ted Geoghegan (director of We Are Still Here and Shudder’s Brooklyn 45) and journalist Michael Gingold (of Fangoria and Rue Morgue fame)! Meet new friends, win amazing prizes, and learn more about horror cinema exclusively at Final Exam!
Certified Forgotten Podcast Certified Forgotten is a 60-minute bi-weekly horror movie podcast with a focus on underseen films. Hosts Matt Donato and Matt Monagle speak with creators, filmmakers, and critics about their lifelong relationships to the horror genre. Each episode also highlights another unique genre title with ten-or-fewer reviews on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes that’s picked by the guest, letting them champion each episode’s title to their heart’s content.
(ADDITIONAL EVENTS TO BE ANNOUNCED LEADING UP TO THE FESTIVAL)
What titles are you most excited for at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival? Let us know in the comments below!
