This year’s Brooklyn Horror Film Festival is back and spookier than ever!

Variety can exclusively reveal this year’s stacked lineup, which is set to run from Oct. 15—22, with all screenings taking place at Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg.

Vampire mockumentary “I Love Paris” opens the fest, with the New York premiere of “Species (Sanguine)” as the centerpiece film and the action-horror feature “Kick On” as the closing night film. Throughout the festival are plenty of world and regional premieres, special events, retrospective screenings, documentaries and many more films of note.

Badges are now on sale, and a limited number of tickets are set to go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. ET.

See the full lineup below.

Films

I LOVE PARIS
OPENING NIGHT FILM
PRESENTED BY MUBI
Australia, France | 2026 | 120 Min. | Dir. Nicky Murphy
Aspiring underground singer Paris is bitten and turned into a vampire but, instead of letting her dreams of music stardom die, her hustle only goes harder and bloodier.

SPECIES (SANGUINE)
CENTERPIECE FILM
New York Premiere
France | 2026 | 103 Min. | Dir. Marion Le Corroller
A young intern at a prestigious ER struggles to keep up with the fast-paced environment, and when a strange disease begins appearing in a number of her patients, she starts suffering from her own bodily symptoms.

KICK ON
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
New York Premiere
Australia | 2026 | 91 Min. | Dir. Nick Kozakis
What starts off as a wild night of partying devolves into a brutal fight for survival when four friends cross paths with a mobster’s unhinged son in this gruesome new entry in the single-location siege horror canon.

THE GLORIOUS DEAD
Presented by Arrow Video
Leviathan Award
New York Premiere
USA | 2026 | 80 Min. | Dir. John Adams, Toby Poser
What should be a typical day in the life for a small-town sheriff quickly turns sinister as people begin to disappear and fleshy creatures begin popping up all around them.

AMERICAN DOLLHOUSE
New York Premiere
USA | 2026 | 87 Min. | Dir. John Valley
A woman living a drama-riddled life returns to her childhood home for what she hopes can be a clean start but, no thanks to her psychotic and homicidal new neighbor, doesn’t go as planned.

CORPUS
Presented by MUBI
USA | 2026 | 102 Min. | Dir. Corrin Evans
A photographer takes a trip to Upstate NY with his longtime friend and unrequited love, but the trip takes a turn when their three mysterious hosts begin to show they have ulterior motives.

THE CYCLE
East Coast Premiere
UK | 2026 | 112 Min. | Dir. Jordan Downey
When her estranged father’s corpse is discovered at a grisly crime scene, Meg is dragged into the investigation to uncover why — when he’s been missing for over three decades.

THE DEN
USA | 2026 | 77 Min. | Dir. Zachary Donohue
While studying the behaviors of webcam users, a sociology student witnesses a murder and becomes the killer’s next target in this early and underrated entry in the “screenlife” horror canon.

ERIE
East Coast Premiere
USA | 2026 | 89 Min. | Dir. Alison-Eve Hammersley
Aided by her skeptical older brother, a young girl launches her own investigation into their sister’s mysterious death, connecting it to a string of local suicides whose explanations may or may not be supernatural.

FULL MOON RISING: THE CHARLES BAND STORY
North American Premiere
UK | 2026 | 94 Min. | Sarah Appleton
From his days revolutionizing the home video market to producing classics like FROM BEYOND and RE-ANIMATOR and running the influential Full Moon Features, indie maverick Charles Band’s illustrious career is front and center in this entertaining and inspiring documentary.

GHOST IN THE MACHINE (35mm)
USA | 1993 | 95 Min. | Dir. Rachel Talalay
After he’s killed in a car accident, a serial killer’s soul is uploaded into a computer system, enabling him to find technological ways to try to kill the woman he was targeting before his death.

GODHEAD
East Coast Premiere
USA | 2026 | 98 Min. | Dir. Mark H. Rapaport
A pair of oddball, possibly dangerous twins force a priest to make a series of painful and potentially Biblical decisions in this singular blend of pitch-black comedy and surrealist horror.

J.D.’S REVENGE (35mm)
USA | 1976 | 95 Min. | Dir. Arthur Marks
Hell-bent on getting some long-overdue revenge, the ghost of a New Orleans gangster inhabits the body of a young black law student in this Blaxploitation horror gem.

LITTLE DOORS
New York Premiere
USA | 2026 | 77 Min. | Dir. Anthony Oberback
A woman doing her best to survive day to day in an apocalyptic world finds a small door on the side of her body and contemplates opening it to see what’s inside.

MOUNTAIN KING
East Coast Premiere
USA | 2026 | 94 Min. | Dir. Gabrielle Christensen
Surprising her boyfriend unannounced at his family home in Scandinavia, Hannah is determined to prove she can be part of the family no matter how increasingly dark their traditions seem to be.

NIGHT AFTER NIGHT
East Coast Premiere
USA | 2026 | 86 Min. | Dir. Josh Lobo
When his fellow security guard vanishes, Andy is overwhelmed with paranoia about their enigmatic workplace’s intentions and the disturbing phenomenon kept hidden in the building’s new wing.

THE ONLY ONE
World Premiere
Australia | 2026 | 99 Min. | Dir. Michael Schwarz
When her exes are suddenly being murdered one by one, suspicion falls on Zoe and it’s up to her and a ragtag team of old friends to prove her innocence and figure out the identity of the masked Prince Charming killer.

OPI
North American Premiere
Poland | 2026 | 96 Min. | Dir. Marta Giec
Shortly before her 18th birthday, a young woman’s already complicated home life gets upended by the arrival of an aunt and grandmother she’s never met before, triggering her family’s downward spiral into nightmarish folk horror.

THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (with live score)
France | 1928 | 81 Min. | Dir. Carl Theodore Dreyer
A towering achievement of the silent-film era, THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC equals and oftentimes eclipses the horror of any other masterwork from the 1920’s. Live music accompaniment by The Flushing Remonstrance.

THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS
USA | 1991 | 103 Min. | Dir. Wes Craven
Two criminals and their teenage accomplice find themselves stuck inside the booby-trap-riddled home of their ghetto neighborhood’s evil landlords in Wes Craven’s massively entertaining marriage of horror-comedy and social commentary.

POSTHUMOUS
East Coast Premiere
Australia | 2026 | 110 Min. | Dir. Josh Tanner
After returning to her childhood home, a troubled woman becomes enamored with VHS birthday tapes left behind by her late mother that gradually reveal a secret family connection to the occult.

ROMA ELASTICA
Presented by MUBI
New York Premiere
France, Italy | 2026 | 107 Min. | Dir. Bertrand Mandico
A struggling French actress travels to Rome to work on a science fiction film which sends her spiraling and threatens to make this the last film she makes.

RUBBERHEAD: THE LIFE & MONSTERS OF STEVE JOHNSON
East Coast Premiere
USA | 2026 | 106 Min. | Dir. Nick Taylor
Tracks the spectacular rise and swift fall of practical SFX master Steve Johnson while taking viewers on an impressively candid and revealing overview of the glory days of special effects makeup.

SENDER
New York Premiere
USA | 2026 | 94 Min. | Dir. Russell Goldman
A newly sober woman begins to find a disturbing amount of daily packages she never ordered on her doorstep, setting her off on a paranoid and dizzying investigation to discover her tormentors.

SLAY
East Coast Premiere
Presented by MUBI
USA | 2026 | 89 Min. | Dir. Kyra Elise Gardner
After her friend is brutally murdered, a young social media star heads to a cabin in the woods with friends for what’s meant to be a distracting good time but turns into a bloodbath when a masked killer crashes the party.

SPLIT ROCK
North American Premiere
Canada | 2026 | 98 Min. | Dir. Ryan Glover
A group of geologists discover a strange anomaly in the desert and as they continue their research their thirst for knowledge threatens to put them in grave danger against an ancient horror.

SUNDOWN
East Coast Premiere
USA | 2026 | 79 Min. | Dir. Rebekah McKendry
A trio of blood-related women seeking vengeance kidnap a man only to discover that his darkest secret is far worse than what they thought.
Screening with: Bloodsuckers, dir. Rosie Brear (USA, 10min)

TRAUMA, OR MONSTERS ALL
New York Premiere
USA | 2026 | 118 Min. | Dir. Larry Fessenden
Larry Fessenden’s down-and-dirty, blue-collar universe of Universal-Monster-inspired films (HABIT, DEPRAVED, BLACK OUT) comes to its masterful conclusion in this clash of nightmarish titans set in a small town harboring its own dark past.

TRICK ’R TREAT (35mm) w/ SEASON’S GREETINGS
USA | 2007 | 86 Min. | Dir. Michael Dougherty
It’s the ultimate Halloween season event with everyone’s favorite little pumpkin-headed demon, Sam: a special 35mm screening of Michael Dougherty’s classic Samhain-minded omnibus gem TRICK ’R TREAT (2007), preceded by the filmmaker’s handmade animated short that inspired it, SEASON’S GREETINGS (1996), and capped off by a conversation with Dougherty to discuss it all.

WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR
USA | 2021 | 86 Min. | Dir. Jane Schoenbrun
A teen loses her sense of reality as she is drawn into a popular online role-playing game.

Secret Screening
??? | 2026 | > 100 Min. | Dir. ???
Get your best guesses ready, scary movie lovers — Brooklyn Horror is excited to present a mystery film that, trust us, you won’t want to miss! And, sorry, we won’t give any easy-to-solve hints for all of you proud cinema sleuths out there!

Okay, fine, we’ll give you a little something: Our “Secret Screening” film will be a must-see new gem that’ll make NYC’s horror fans kick themselves for missing if they aren’t in the building for it at Nitehawk. Sorry, that’s all you’re going to get. Now let the speculation begin!

Short Films

NIGHTMARE FUEL
These frightening folktales, body horrors, and monsters in the machine will haunt your dreams and make sure you never sleep again!
Bagman, dir. Connor Gaston, Vaughn Gaston (Canada); Stuck, dir. Jan van Gorkum (Netherlands); Wax, dir. Alexandre Forgues, (Canada); Breeder, dir. Sapphire Sandalo (USA); YAOGUAI, dir. Mimi Lee (USA); Don’t Go, dir. Talon Darren Winsnes, (Norway); Tsume Kill: The Clapper Claw, dir. Shinsuke Fujioka (Japan); Ceiling King, dir. Mats Udd (Sweden).

HEAD TRIP
Open your mind to genre-bending terror and find the fear in everyday things like your sewing projects, mancaves, and headphones. Embrace the bizarre.
Man Eating Pussy, dir. Emily Lawson (Canada); Summer Project, dir. Yuki Hara (Japan); Headphones, dir. Steven Arriagada (Australia); Rusalka, dir. Mykita Bulgakov, Vlad Fishez, Oleg Batrakov (Ukraine); Prosthetika, dir. Brandon Chi-Wei Chen (USA); Needle, Sofie Somoroff (USA); Mancave dir. Fredrik S. Hana (Norway)

CULTURE SHOCK
Our latest and permanent program section strives to uplift Black filmmakers and aims to be a launchpad for new excellence in genre cinema. Join us in celebrating Black stories with our very first Culture Shock: Black Horror shorts block.
The Inheritance, dir. Destinee Stewart (USA); Night Feeds, dir. Rana Roy (USA); Angels Pull Your Hair, dir. Gabby Beans (USA); Dread, dir. Loren Loubser, Gabe Gabriel (South Africa, UK); The Keeper, dir Tananarive Due, Steven Barnes (USA); Grampa, dir Justice Smith (USA)

SLAYED
Presented by MUBI
Brooklyn horror explores the gamut of queer experiences in this shorts block, from messy lesbian relationships to taboo sexual experiences.
By Yourself, dir. Elaine Frost (USA); Crash Season, dir. Audrey Rosenberg (USA); Four Itchy Boys, dir. Andrew Hebert (USA); Internet Boy, dir. Joseph Demaria (USA); Embrace, dir. Matthew Rush (USA); Tooth, dir. Max Wren (USA); Mine, dir. Jaclyn Moore (USA); Scissors, dir. Hannah Alline (USA)

LAUGH NOW, DIE LATER
Horror and comedy are sisters — both build up tension for a satisfying relief. Afterall, isn’t death the final punch line?
Knitting Club, dir. Diogo Abrantes, João Rito (Portugal); Baby Fever, dir. Katrina Vergara (USA); Udders!, dir. Michael Spencer (USA); CHÄIR, dir Chris McInroy (USA); A Stable Marriage, dir. Josephine Decker (USA); Matches, dir. Jake Delaney (USA); Open Mic, dir. Jano Pita (Spain); Vape Glow, dir. Steven Schloss (USA); Gloss, dir. Leah Shore (USA); House Cat, dir. Kyle Spleiss (USA)

DEATH GRIP
These shorts will grab a hold of you, won’t let go, and love to watch you squirm. Enjoy slow-burn horror and explore the dark recesses that hide in quiet moments.
Bruised Sky, dir. Gary James Kent (UK); Down the Length, dir. Milo Ed (UK); Primus the Robot, dir. Max Delagrave (France); Devourer, dir. Nirvana Nagi; Living Grounds, dir. Émile Lavoie (Canada)

HOME INVASION 1
Hometown heroes and fresh faces alike showcase their newest works. Enjoy the work of our locals and let their creativity inspire you!
The Crying Man, dir. Emily Bennett; Richard Goes On a Date, dir. Johnny Frohman; Imprint, dir. Ran Jing; PRIME, dir. Meagan Coyle; Viewfinder, dir. Clay von Carlowitz; Packages, dir. Nick Barat; Crib Club, dir. Jordan Freeman Klaja; Walter Wuz Here, dir. Ben Duff

HOME INVASION 2
The category so nice, we made it twice. Our community is bursting at the seams with talented creatives, we can’t fit everything into one block.
Echelon, dir. Sebastian DiNatale; Book U Can Ask ???s, dir. Casimir Nozkowski; No Free Brains, dir. Ciara Sergi; Behind This Locked Door, dir. Matthew Brennan; Carousel, dir. Christopher Kosakowski; Hand, dir. Jennifer Winterbotham; The Fool, dir. Adjahni Dèsirè; In My Blood, dir. Alex Bendo

Special events

Final Exam Horror Trivia
Presented by Dark Sky Films
Do you think you know more about horror films than the rest of Gotham? Then it’s time to prove it via five blistering rounds of expert level creepy trivia with hosts Ted Geoghegan (director of We Are Still Here and Shudder’s Brooklyn 45) and journalist Michael Gingold (of Fangoria and Rue Morgue fame)! Meet new friends, win amazing prizes, and learn more about horror cinema exclusively at Final Exam!

Certified Forgotten Podcast
Certified Forgotten is a 60-minute bi-weekly horror movie podcast with a focus on underseen films. Hosts Matt Donato and Matt Monagle speak with creators, filmmakers, and critics about their lifelong relationships to the horror genre. Each episode also highlights another unique genre title with ten-or-fewer reviews on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes that’s picked by the guest, letting them champion each episode’s title to their heart’s content.

The Leviathan Award

Presented by Arrow Video, Brooklyn Horror’s first and only tribute award was created in 2023 to honor the luminaries of horror and acknowledge their monstrous contributions to the genre. The 2026 Leviathan Award goes to the incomparable and prolific filmmaking family, the Adams Family. Since their breakout film in 2019, THE DEEPER YOU DIG, the Adams Family have conquered the indie horror world through unbridled creativity and an ever apparent adoration for all things bloody, goopy and monstrous. Never playing the same tune twice, these literal rockstars have sharpened their family’s craft over the past 13 years while displaying a deep reverence for the classic horror canon and lending their incredible talents on other filmmaker’s projects. Toby, John, Zelda, Lulu and the greater extended Adams Family have not only carved out a place of their own but have paved a new roadmap for future filmmakers to follow their dreams — one of passion, ingenuity and community. With their Lovecraftian apocalyptic creature feature THE GLORIOUS DEAD now hitting screens, sky’s the limit and the future is bright with these modern day folk heroes leading the cinematic charge.

See this year’s Brooklyn Horror Film Festival poster below.