About the Festival
Independent horror,
in the heart of
New York City
The Manhattan Horror Film Festival brings independent horror to the big screen in the heart of New York City.
Taking place in May 2027 at Cinema Village in Manhattan, the festival is dedicated to discovering bold, original horror filmmaking — from psychological horror and supernatural stories to slashers, creature features, dark comedy, experimental horror and everything that keeps audiences awake at night.
We're looking for features, shorts, documentaries, animation and music videos from emerging and established filmmakers around the world.
Selected films will screen theatrically at Cinema Village, one of New York City's longest-running independent cinemas, giving filmmakers the opportunity to see their work with a real NYC audience.
Whether your film is terrifying, disturbing, strange, bloody, funny or simply impossible to forget, we want to see it.
Manhattan Horror Film Festival — horror belongs on the big screen.
Submit Your Film
Entries are open on FilmFreeway
All submissions are handled through FilmFreeway. Films from anywhere in the world are welcome, at any budget, from first-time directors to established genre filmmakers.
What We're Looking For
Five ways in
Features
Feature-length horror of any budget — psychological, supernatural, slasher, creature, arthouse.
Shorts
Short-form horror that lands hard and fast. Programmed in curated theatrical blocks.
Animation
Animated horror in any technique: hand-drawn, stop motion, rotoscope, digital, hybrid.
Documentary
Non-fiction on horror cinema, genre culture, and the real stories that unsettle us.
Music Videos
Horror-driven music videos where image and sound work as one nightmare.
Cinema Village · New York City
A real theatrical screening in Manhattan
Cinema Village on East 12th Street is one of New York City's longest-running independent cinemas — a proper single-street repertory house that has carried decades of genre and independent programming.
Every selected film is projected there for a paying New York audience. No streaming links, no private screeners: your film in a dark room, on a real screen, in Manhattan.
2027 Festival
May 2027
Dates, programme, jury and ticketing details will be announced here. Selections will be revealed ahead of the festival week.