Chicago Horror Film Festival
www.chicagohorror.com
Location: Chicago, IL
Now in its eighth year, the Chicago Horror Film Festival has become a Windy City institution. Its first showing in 2003 came with a lineup of 22 shorts, and the following year two features were added as well. Today the festival has moved into the famed Portage Theater, and with a larger capacity comes a much larger event; the fest now hosts not only films, but vendors, bands and more.
Dark Carnival Film Festival
www.darkcarnivalfilmfest.com
Location: Bloomington, IN
The Dark Carnival Film Festival launched this year with five days of screenings and celebrity appearances to boot. For its panel discussions and screening blocks, this young fest holds intimate events at the local theater and drive-ins—perfect for a good scare.
Eerie Horror Film Festival
www.eeriehorrorfilmfestival.com
Location: Erie, PA
Established in 2004 to provide exposure for independent moviemakers and video game developers within the horror and sci-fi genres, the Eerie Horror Film Festival now attracts thousands of attendees to Pennsylvania for a five-day extravaganza.
ExoFEST International Horror Film Festival
www.exofest.com
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
ExoFEST is a traveling film festival that will pass through various North American cities such as Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta, Detroit, Michigan and Minneapolis, Minnesota. The festival has screened approximately 200 films, including 20 North American premieres and eight world premieres in its five-year history.
Film4 FrightFest
www.frightfest.co.uk
Location: London, England
Film4 presents the U.K.’s greatest fantasy and horror film festival with four days of premieres, appearances, signings and surprises.
Freak Show Horror Film Festival
www.freakshowfilmfest.com
Location: Orlando, FL
Part of Orlando’s SCREAMFEST Horror Convention, the Freak Show Horror Film Festival offers prizes in eight categories: Best Picture, Best Florida Horror Film, Best Short Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best FX Makeup and Audience Choice.
Indy Horror Film Festival
www.indyhorrorfilmfest.com
Location: Morris, IL
Run by the same people who created the Chicago Horror Film Festival, the Indy Horror Film Festival has grown from a one-day festival featuring only independent shorts to now include independent features, too.
International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival
www.horrorscifi.com
Location: Tempe, AZ
Competition shorts and features, costume parties and free seminars are the main attraction at the International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival. Plus, some attendees will be lucky enough to catch a celebrity guest being inducted into the International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival Hall of Fame.
New York City Horror Film Festival
www.nychorrorfest.com
Location: New York, NY
The New York City Horror Film Festival is “a serious festival with a friendly atmosphere,” according to master of horror George Romero, who was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in the festival’s first year. Other distinguished alumni include Tom Savini, Roger Corman and this year’s special guest Eli Roth.
A Night of Horror International Film Festival
www.anightofhorror.com
Location: Sydney, Australia
Dean Bertram and Lisa Mitchell built this Australian film festival to continue in the tradition of the 1970s Golden Age of horror films. From Fritz Lang to Stanley Kubrick to Peter Jackson, many talented moviemakers have had their hands in horror films and it is those auteurs the festival looks to for inspiration. Hoping to continue the horror renaissance, the fest is already accepting applications for its 2008 event.
Phoenix Fear Film Festival
www.phxfearfilmfestival.com
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Presented by Trash City Entertainment, the PHX Fear Film Festival returns for a second year this December hoping to prove that the “spirit of independent horror is alive and kicking.”
Sacramento Horror Film Festival
www.sachorrorfilmfest.com
Location: Sacramento, CA
This year’s Sacramento Horror Film Festival welcomed Tony Moran (the “unmasked” Michael Myers of John Carpenter’s Halloween) and Tony Todd of The Crow and Candyman fame. An art show, musical performances and a special effects exhibit helped this year’s festival promote the genre to the Sacramento arts community.
Screamfest
www.screamfestla.com
Location: Hollywood, CA
Formed in August 2001 by Rachel Belofsky and Ross Martin in order to broaden the distribution of indie horror films, Screamfest has grown to host a board of advisors that includes Stan Winston, Wes Craven and John Landis.
Shriekfest: The Los Angeles Horror/Sci-Fi Film Festival
www.shriekfest.com
Location: Hollywood, CA
Shriekfest seeks to celebrate the art of independent moviemaking minus all the politics, and offers a competitive environment dedicated to ensuring that the horror, thriller, sci-fi and fantasy moviemakers and screenwriters receive the recognition they deserve.
Toronto After Dark Film Festival
www.torontoafterdark.com
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Each year, the week before Halloween, the Toronto After Dark Film Festival haunts the Ontario metropolis for seven nights of feature films and shorts. In its second year the festival expanded to host 50 screenings and premieres from around the world that seek to terrify, thrill and excite the audience.
Zombie Film Contest
www.zombiefilmcontest.com
Location: New York, NY
No entry fee but prize money for the first 50 entrants? Sign us up! The Zombie Film Contest accepts one- to two-minute clips of original zombie footage to be screened at a NYC event. Then, if the clip wins, you go home with $500 cash.
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