Welcome & Opening Remarks & Sponsors

Kick off an unforgettable weekend as we celebrate the filmmakers, fans, and wonderfully weird community that makes horror so special.

Alumni Short Film Showcase

An opening night film block made up of your favorite Reel Horrors Festival alumni as they return with their newest short film nightmares.

Alumni Panel: So You Want to Get Into a Film Festival?

Our guest alumni filmmakers pull back the curtain on the world of getting your first film into the Horror Film Festival circuit! Designed for student and first time filmmakers.

The 2026 Student Film Festival & Competition

Our guest alumni filmmakers pull back the curtain on the world of getting your first film into the Horror Film Festival circuit! Designed for student and first time filmmakers.

COFOH EXCLUSIVE WORLD PREMIRE: The Reel Weird Horror Awards!

Join us as we honor the past year's very best in horror cinema with our gloriously over-the-top (and VERY LOW BUDGET) award show featuring some of Horrors best and upcoming Horror celebrities!

The Trailer Park

An annual tradition as we kick off the Festival with a late-night screening of the best- and worst- of upcoming Horror trailers, roundly heckled and commented on MSTK3 style by Bryan Bonner and Jack Hanley, guests Bob Lewis and Rocco, and audence alike.

Block 1: The Space Between

Reality isn't always as fixed as we think. These stories inhabit liminal spaces where the boundaries between past and present,
the living and the dead, and the physical and the unseen begin to blur. Whether caught
in a fractured timeline, carrying out a final wish, or confronting a phenomenon that
defies explanation, these characters must navigate the uncertain space between what
was, what is, and what might be.
After Link
El Nieto
Dead Zone (in person)
Film Time: 50:24

Filmmaker Panel 1

Block 2: Under Pressure

There’s only so much pressure a person can take. As a performer faces the terror of stepping into the spotlight, a shut-in is pushed to
confront the torment lurking within himself, and an internet influencer finds his carefully
curated persona unraveling under the toxicity of life online, each is driven closer to the
breaking point. But when the cracks begin to show, what lies beneath the masks we
wear may be even more frightening.
Simon Says So
The Masks We Wear (in person)
Followed (in person)
Film Time: 45:01

Block 3: Unrequited

Not every connection is meant to be mutual. From ghosts that refuse to let go and lovers who demand too much to obsessive
attention and unwanted advances, these stories explore the darker side of desire,
where longing becomes fixation and connection becomes control. Sometimes the
scariest thing isn't being alone; it's being wanted by someone you never wanted back.
The Lingering
Voyeur
Love, Mike!
Just Being Nice
Film Time: 47:56

Filmmaker Panel 2

Block 4 : What Goes Around…

Some wrongs demand to be answered. From deeply personal grudges to the ghosts of historical violence and a very angry
force of nature, these stories turn past trauma into a reckoning… whether cosmic,
political, or deeply personal, every debt eventually comes due.
Silver String
The Hog Queen
Ethel
Film Time: 40:16

Block 5: Rotten to the Core

One bite is all it takes. From disease and decay to toxic desires and the brutal necessities of survival, these
stories find their characters face-to-face with the grotesque, forcing them to consume,
sacrifice, or embrace that which repulses them. After all, sometimes the rot goes deeper
than you think.
The Black Vampire (in person)
Bleeding the Cow
Appetite of a Nobody
UN-DEAD (in person)
Film Time: 42:56

SHIVER Vertical and the future of Vertical Distribution

Join us for our LEGENDARY special guest filmmaker panels featuring visiting artists from this year’s festival lineup as they discuss the craft, chaos, and occasional psychological trauma of independent horror filmmaking in a live conversation.

Block 6: Home Body

There’s no place like home… Home is supposed to be where we feel safest, but what happens when the familiar turns
strange? A bizarre piece of decor, a nightly ritual, a very personal recipe, and an
intruder at the door turn the comforts of home into something far more sinister. Because
sometimes the most frightening thing in the house isn't what's knocking at the door, it’s
what's already inside.
Wall Udder
Hide
Red Velvet (in person)
80% of Home Invasions Happen During the Day (in person)
Film Time: 42:10

Awards Ceremony & Filmmaker Mixer!

Our signature event! Celebrate the year's best films and filmmakers as we hand out awards in several categories, meet the filmmakers behind them, and mingle with fellow horror fans and industry professionals as we toast another unforgettable year of independent horror cinema.

Do You Like Scary Movies? Live Podcast

Join the hosts of the Do You Like Scary Movies Podcast Byran Bonner and Bob Lewis as they wrap up the main competition with live interviews of our winning filmmakers, festival programmers, and festivalgoers alike!

Irreverent PowerPoint!

One projector. Unlimited bad ideas. Because every horror fan has at least one hill they're willing to die on. Special festival guests take the stage with five-minute PowerPoint presentations defending horror's most outrageous, controversial, and surprisingly persuasive opinions.

Horror 101: The History of Folk Horror

Our annual Sunday morning tradition returns! Grab some hair of the dog and join your Professors Jack Hanley and Bryan Bonner (along with returning guest lecturers Rocco and Bob Lewis) for a lively, interactive deep dive into one of horror's most fascinating subgenres.

Trauma Cotoure: The Rise of Elevated Horror

Was the age of "elevated horror" a revolution, a marketing gimmick, or simply horror finally getting the respect it always deserved? Join our panel for one of the weekend's liveliest- and controvertial- debates.

Best of the Fest Film Showcase!

Missed a block? Here's your second chance to experience the audience favorites and festival standouts via a special block of shorts made up from ALL your Festival Award Winning films!

Devil in the Trunk Special Event

Go behind the scenes with the filmmakers and cast for stories, surprises, sneak peeks, and audience Q&A. Sponsored by 6 Feet Under.

The Great Horror Film Debate!

Several teams. A few controversial topics. Countless opinions. Join the liveliest argument of the weekend as our guests battle it out over topics (and bad takes) submitted by our COFOH attendees!

The Year in Horror: 2026 Wrap-Up

Our beloved closing tradition returns! Join the Reel Horrors programmers, critics, and special guests as they hand out irreverent superlatives, celebrate the year's greatest horror, roast its biggest disappointments (and each other), and send you home with the ultimate horror watchlist.