Screamfest Horror Film Festival

"Screamfest" redirects here. For the concert tour by T.I. and Ciara, see Screamfest '07.
Screamfest Horror Film Festival
The Screamfest Skull Award, designed by Stan Winston
LocationLos Angeles, U.S.
Founded2001
LanguageInternational
Websitescreamfestla.com

Screamfest Horror Film Festival is a horror film festival founded by film producers Rachel Belofsky and Ross Martin in August 2001. Its first edition was October 24 to October 25, 2001 at the Vogue Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.[1][2][3][4] It runs over ten days during the month of October and is hosted at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Los Angeles.[5][6] In 2025, the festival celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary and has been credited as being the largest and longest running horror film festival in the United States.[7][8]

Screamfest premieres and showcases new work from American and international independent horror filmmakers.[9] Films that have premiered at the festival include Paranormal Activity, the series' final installment, Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension,[10][11] 30 Days Of Night, Let The Right One In, The Grudge, and The Human Centipede.[12]

Screamfest has received praise from AMC as being an "audience-friendly fest that celebrates indie and foreign horror and is run for the fans more than the industry".[13] The festival was also featured in a 2012 episode of Cupcake Wars, where the winning team would create cupcakes for the festival's closing VIP event.[14]

Skull Awards

The Screamfest Skull Award is awarded at the festival in several categories, which can include the following:[15][16][17]

  • Best Feature
  • Directing
  • Cinematography
  • Editing
  • Special Effects
  • Musical Score
  • Best Animation
  • Best Short
  • Best Documentary
  • Best Student Film
  • Trailblazer Award[18]
  • Future Icon Award

Career achievement awards are also occasionally awarded at the festival.[19][20]

Convention history

Dates Location Awards
October 24–25, 2001 Vogue Theater Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, California
  • Most Creative Short: Earth Day
  • Best Student Short: The Appointment
  • Best Animation: Blood: The Last Vampire
  • Best Screenplay: Vampire's Hell
  • Best Short Screenplay: The Bloated Beetle
  • Honorable Mention Screenplays: Shadows of Life, Abductions
  • Best Special Effects: Cradle of Fear
  • Best Editing: Cradle of Fear
  • Best Cinematography: Deep in the Woods
  • Best Makeup: Night of the Headsman
  • Best Actor: Jeff Rector (Fatal Kiss)
  • Best Actress: Jennifer De Martino (The Appointment)
  • Audience Choice Award: Night of the Headsman
  • Best Director: Jeff Rector (Fatal Kiss)
  • Best Foreign Film: Blood: The Last Vampire
  • Best Film: Y2K[21]
October 17–20, 2002 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
  • Best Short: Repossessed
  • Best Student Short: Off
  • Best Animated Short: Puphedz
  • Best Horror Comedy Short: Bad Father
  • Best Screenplay: Bloodlines
  • Best Horror Comedy Screenplay: Ravenna
  • Best Short Screenplay: Reset
  • Best Special Effects: Curse of the Forty-Niner
  • Best Cinematography: R.S.V.P.
  • Best Makeup: Kolobos
  • Best Actor: Rick Otto (R.S.V.P.)
  • Best Actress: Marianne Hayden (Ghostwatcher)
  • Best Documentary: ISPR Investigates: The Ghosts Of Belgrave Hall
  • Best Director: Todd Ocvirk and Daniel Liabtowitsch (Kolobos)
  • Best Foreign Film: Ju-On: The Grudge
  • Best Picture: Kolobos
  • Career Achievement Award: William Friedkin[22]
October 10–19, 2003 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
October 15–24, 2004 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
October 14–23, 2005 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
  • Best Short: Staring At The Sun
  • Best Student Short: Dead West
  • Best Animated Short: Little Dead Girl
  • Best Horror Comedy Short: Zombie Movie
  • Best Editing: Brasil
  • Best Special Effects: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
  • Best Cinematography: The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari
  • Best Makeup: Severed: Forest of the Dead
  • Best Musical Score: The Echo
  • Best Actor: Brad Hunt (Cookers)
  • Best Actress: Cyia Batten (Cookers)
  • Best Screenplay: Nightfall
  • Best Director: Dan Miintz (Cookers)
  • Best Picture: Cookers
  • Audience Choice Award: The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari
  • Career Achievement Award: Sean S. Cunningham[25]
October 13–22, 2006 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
October 12–21, 2007 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
October 10–19, 2008 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
October 16–25, 2009 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
October 8–17, 2010 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
October 14–22, 2011 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
  • Best Short: The Little Mermaid
  • Best Editing: Urban Explorer
  • Best Special Effects: The Tunnel
  • Best Cinematography: Crawl
  • Best Makeup: Urban Explorer
  • Best Musical Score: The Innkeepers
  • Best Actor: Klaus Stiglmeier (Urban Explorer)
  • Best Actress: Georgina Haig (Crawl)
  • Best Director: Paul China (Crawl)
  • Best Picture: Urban Explorer[31]
October 12–20, 2012 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
  • Best Short: Incident on Highway 73
  • Best Animated Short: PostHuman
  • Best Horror Comedy Short, Killer Kart
  • Best Student Short: Eaglewalk
  • Best Editing: On Air
  • Best Special Effects: Crawlspace
  • Best Cinematography: American Mary
  • Best Makeup: American Mary
  • Best Musical Score: Crawlspace
  • Best Actor: Pierre-Francois Legendre (Fear of Water)
  • Best Actress: Katharine Isabelle (American Mary)
  • Best Director: The Soska Sisters (American Mary)
  • Best Picture: American Mary
  • Career Achievement Award: John Carpenter[32]
October 8–17, 2013 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
  • Best Short: Luna by Antonio Perez
  • Best Student Short: Aftermath by Jeremy Robbins
  • Best Editing: Olivier Beguin for Chimeres
  • Best Special Effects: JD Schwalm for Beneath
  • Best Visual Effects: Jamison Goei for Beneath
  • Best Cinematography: Timothy A. Burton for Beneath
  • Best Makeup: Gary Tunnicliffe for Beneath
  • Best Musical Score: Bruno Grife for Goldberg & Eisenberg
  • Best Actor: Yahav Gal for Goldberg & Eisenberg
  • Best Actress: Rosie Day for The Seasoning House
  • Best Director: Ben Ketai for Beneath
  • Best Picture: Beneath
  • Screamfest Launchpad Award Sponsored by Matador Pictures: The Banishing by Erlingur Thoroddsen[33][34]
October 14–23, 2014 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
October 13–22, 2015 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
  • Best Short: Daddy's Little Girl
  • Best Student Short: Massacre in San Jose by Edgar Nito
  • Best Musical Score: James Gosling for The Hallow
  • Best Editing: Patchwork
  • Best Makeup: The Hallow
  • Best Actress: Tory Stolper for Patchwork
  • Best Actor: Neville Archambault for Slumlord
  • Best Special Effects: The Hallow
  • Best Cinematography: Martijn Van Broekhuizen for The Hallow
  • Best Director: Corin Hardy for The Hallow
  • Best Picture: Patchwork
  • Best Screenplay: Blackvoid by Joseph J. Greenberg[37]
October 18–27, 2016[38][39] TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
October 10–19, 2017 [41] TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
October 9–18, 2018 [43] TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
October 8–17, 2019 [45] TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
October 6–15, 2020 [47] Regency Theater Plant Drive-In

Van Nuys, California

  • Best Picture: A Ghost Waits
  • Best Director: Adam Stovall for A Ghost Waits
  • Best Cinematography: Tim Tregoning for Sweet River
  • Best Special Effects Makeup: Geir Njarðarson for Thirst
  • Best Visual Effects: Atli Þór Einarsson for Thirst
  • Best Actor: MacLeod Andrews for A Ghost Waits
  • Best Actress: Lisa Kay for Sweet River
  • Best Editing: Baptiste Rouveure for Anonymous Animals
  • Best Musical Score: Damien Maurel for Anonymous Animals
  • Best Short: Vikaari by Sandun Seneviratne
  • Best Comedy Short: Kalley's Last Review by Julia Bailey Johnson
  • Best Student Short: The Rule of Three by Elwood Quincy Walker
  • Best Screenplay: Bloody Mary by Dan Ast and John C. Thursby[48]
October 12–21, 2021 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
  • Best Picture: Nocturna: Side A - The Great Old Man's Night
  • Best Director: Gonzalo Calzada for Nocturna: Side A - The Great Old Man's Night
  • Best Cinematography: Carlos Ritter for What Josiah Saw
  • Best Special Effects: What Josiah Saw
  • Best Visual Effects: Let the Wrong One In
  • Best Actor: Pepe Soriano for Nocturna: Side A - The Great Old Man's Night
  • Best Actress: Libby Ewing for When I Consume You
  • Best Special Effects Makeup: Shannon Mulligan & KC Mussman for The Retaliators
  • Best Editing: Alejandro Narvaez for Nocturna: Side A - The Great Old Man's Night
  • Best Musical Score: Leonardo Martinelli for The Returned (Los Que Vuelven)
  • Best Short: The Light (La Luz) by Iago de Soto
  • Best Screenplay: Hangman by JC Doler and Paul Petersen[49]
October 11–20, 2022 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
  • Best Cinematography: Mihkel Soe for Melchior The Apothecary
  • Best Editing: Marion Koppel for Melchior The Apothecary
  • Best Special Effects Makeup: The Goldsmith
  • Best Special Effects: Deer Camp '86
  • Best Musical Score: Bradley Katzen for The Domestic
  • Best Screenplay: Recovery by Robert Cosci
  • Best Short: La Nueva directed by Ivan Villamel
  • Best Horror Animated Short: Buzzkill directed by Peter Ahern
  • Best Horror Comedy Short: D.O.D. directed by Paul Davis
  • Best Student Short: The Night Nurse directed by Tim Delaney
  • Best Actor: Tumisho Masha for The Domestic
  • Best Actress: Jasmina Douieb for Employee of the Month
  • Critics’ Choice Award: Everyone Will Burn (Y Todos Arderán)
  • Best Picture: 8 Found Dead
  • Best Director: Travis Greene for 8 Found Dead [50]
October 10–19, 2023 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
  • Short Film Audience Choice Award: Red Velvet directed by Blake Simon
  • Best Screenplay: Fragments by Jake Moses
  • Best Student Short: Voyager directed by Pablo Pagan
  • Best Animated Short Film: Lands of Steel directed by Cyril Vrancken
  • Best Short Film: The Looming directed by Masha Ko
  • Best Actor: Victor Clavijo for La Espera (The Wait)
  • Best Actress: Jennifer Kim for Somewhere Quiet
  • Best Musical Score: Darren Lim for You’ll Never Find Me
  • Best Special Effects Makeup: The Deep Dark
  • Best Special Effects: The Deep Dark
  • Best Editing: Sofi Marshall for Somewhere Quiet
  • Best Cinematography: Alain Duplantier for The Deep Dark
  • Best Director: Olivia West Lloyd for Somewhere Quiet
  • Best Picture: The Deep Dark directed by Mathieu Turi [51]
October 8–17, 2024 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
  • Best Directing: Thibault Emin for Else
  • Best Picture: Else
  • Best Cinematography: Léo Lefèvre for Else
  • Best Editing: Kate Hickey for Cold Wallet
  • Best Special Effects: Florence Thonet & Anne Van Nyen for Else
  • Best Musical Score: June Ha and Shida Shahabi for Else
  • Best Actress: Anneke Sluiters for Witte Wieven
  • Best Actor: Matthieu Sampeur for Else
  • Best Short Film: Be Right Back
  • Best Animated Short Film: Dagon
  • Best Student Short: Leaving Yellowstone
  • Audience Award: Berta
  • Best Screenplay: The Deadhead by Justin Ballheim [52]
October 7–16, 2025 TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Hollywood, California
  • Best Picture: Don’t Leave The Kids Alone
  • Best Director: Emilio Portes for Don’t Leave The Kids Alone
  • Best Cinematography: Martin Boerge for Don’t Leave The Kids Alone
  • Best Musical Score: Aldo Max Rodríguez for Don’t Leave The Kids Alone
  • Best Editing: Steven J. Mihaljevich for Shed
  • Best Special Effects: Amazing Ape Productions & Action Pants FX for Deathgasm 2: Goremageddon
  • Best Makeup: Patrick Baxter & Jason Dethridge for Deathgasm 2: Goremageddon
  • Best Actress: Mani Shanks for Shed
  • Best Actor: Rodrigo Noya for The Dollmaker
  • Short Film Audience Award: Very Prosperous Men by Josiah Walker
  • Best Short Film: The Last Snow by Rodolphe Bouquet-Populus
  • Best Animated Short Film: Franken Struck by Sommar Boulware
  • Best Student Short: Terroir by Casey Rogerson
  • Best Screenplay (Screamfest Horror Film Festival Screenplay Competition): High Rise by Anthony Di Pietro

See also

References

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  2. ^ "In LA? Check Out the Next Screamfest Night of Mayhem". DreadCentral.
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  4. ^ "SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL". MovieMaker. EbscoHost. 2009. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  5. ^ Ishler, Julianne (2014-10-08). "10 Days of Fright at The Screamfest Horror Film Festival". Entertainment Voice. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  6. ^ Davis, Genie (December 21, 2015). "Best Upcoming Film Festivals In Los Angeles". CBS Los Angeles. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  7. ^ Wolfe, Clarke (2015-10-13). "Screamfest Celebrates 15th Anniversary in Los Angeles". Nerdist. Archived from the original on 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
  8. ^ Smart, Jack (October 2, 2014). "5 Terrifying Reasons to Check Out Screamfest". Backstage. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
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  52. ^ "Screamfest 2024 Award Winners". Screamfest. 2025-07-16. Retrieved 2025-08-02.
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