A Guide To IndependentFilmmaker's Horror Film Festivals

To the Independent horror film community, here is a list of Horror Film Festivals with upcoming deadlines (late 2025–2026) Remember: Film Freeways is typically the best way to deliver assets.

Fall 2025 deadlines

• Chicago Horror Film Festival: One of the longest-running horror festivals, it accepts features and shorts and is on FilmFreeway. Their final submission deadline is September 7, 2025.

• Another Hole in the Head Film Festival: Held in San Francisco, this genre festival includes a wide selection of horror films. The next deadline is September 10, 2025.

• HORROR Underground Film & Screenplay Festival: This Montreal-based festival accepts films and screenplays. The final deadline is September 14, 2025.

• Buried Alive Film Festival: Based in Atlanta, Georgia, this festival's final submission deadline is September 22, 2025.

• Popcorn Frights Film Festival: This festival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has a deadline of September 30, 2025.

• LA International Horror Film Festival: Accepts all horror subgenres and has an upcoming final deadline of October 2, 2025.

• All Horror Short Film Festival: This festival runs on a rolling deadline schedule with multiple submission periods throughout the year. Deadlines in September include September 5th and 27th.

• Winter 2025/2026 deadlines

• Horror Hotel Film Festival: Accepting features, shorts, and screenplays, with a special "Room 237" competition. The early bird deadline for the 2026 festival is November 30, 2025.

• Bite Night Presents...: Based in Portland, Maine, this festival's final deadline is December 21, 2025.

• Ongoing and future deadlines

• Screamfest® Horror Film Festival: Based in Hollywood, Screamfest accepts film and screenplay submissions from independent filmmakers worldwide. Submissions for 2026 are currently open.

• Overlook Film Festival: This New Orleans-based festival is now accepting submissions for 2026 for features, shorts, and immersive projects. They do not offer fee waivers.

• Atlanta Horror Film Festival: Submissions for the 2025 festival are open and welcome independent filmmakers globally for features and shorts in a wide array of horror subgenres.

• International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival: This Phoenix-based festival opens screenplay submissions on July 1, 2025, for its 2026 event.

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