Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival, a new independent film platform that aims to directly connect genre filmmakers with fans, has announced a spooky new film festival. Throughout the fest’s run, we’ll be bringing you all the highlights here on Dread Central, including a spotlight on the submission process, standout shorts, and, of course, the coveted winner of the first place prize.

From the 50 selected entries to the final showcase at the TCL Chinese Theater, we’ll be there alongside you for it all. The Halloween Film Festival will showcase 50 short genre films, including horror, sci-fi, thriller, and fantasy titles, and fans can vote for their favorites. The winning entry will win $100,000, and the remaining nine films will split a $100,000 total prize, based on ranking, following a live screening at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on October 29.

The festival runs from Oct. 19-29, and all screenings are free to watch at ripcord.film.

Filmmakers can submit their shorts via FilmFreeway.

The festival is the launch event for Ripcord, which is described per the company’s official release as “built to close one of independent cinema’s biggest gaps: exceptional films that struggle to find distribution and audiences who struggle to discover them. Rather than relying on traditional distributors, Ripcord lets filmmakers bring their work directly to fans. On Ripcord, fans can discover new creators, follow and interact with the filmmakers behind the films they love, and purchase films directly to support them.”

Learn more about the highlights and festival schedule and eligibility below:

Eligibility

Eligible films must:

• Be a genre short in horror, thriller, science fiction, or fantasy
• Be between 4 and 30 minutes in length
• Have been produced within the past two years