Nightmares Film Festival 2026 Day One: A Charcuterie of Terror Treats

It’s that time again! Nightmares Film Festival has returned to Columbus, Ohio, for its 11^th year, ringing in a second decade of its #BetterHorror programming. Much like an annual curse, I, too, have returned to NFF, rolling in like a dark tide to the welcoming arms of its horror-filled shores. Jokes aside, there’s no place I’d rather be in October than covering Nightmares for Dread Central again.

Things kicked off with a new 4K restoration of John McNaughton’s serial killer classic, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. The infamous dark psychodrama holds no less power than it did during its original festival debut in 1986 and its eventual wide release in 1990. One of the original films that helped pave the way for the creation of the NC-17 rating, Henry may not be one of the bloodiest or most violent horror films in existence, but its tone is what truly sets it apart from the usual pack. 40 years later, that disturbing tone – paired with an incredibly evocative score and a stellar titular performance from Michael Rooker – still stands out and continues to fuel the film’s dark power.

Henry was teamed with Christopher Pinero’s new short film, The Prowler. Starring Aaron Dominguez (Witchboard), The Prowler is a very moody little slice of murder work. It primarily follows an injured man around a house in the deep of night, with the home bathed in color and shadow in equal measure. To give away who he is, where he is, what he’s doing, and what else is in the house with him would deny the surprises, but rest assured, it made for an appropriate pairing with Henry.

Speaking of shorts, Nightmares Film Festival continues to be the crème de la crème of genre short programming. While I primarily opted for the horror features that were screening during the first day of the festival this year, my fellow attendees who sat down with the shorts blocks playing opposite them were over the moon with the selection of horror, midnight movie, and horror comedy shorts on display. One of them even referred to it as a “charcuterie board of terror treats”. The other shorts – and – that I caught in front of the final two features of the night certainly lend credence to that statement.