The Festival
Horror belongs on the big screen
A Manhattan festival built for independent horror filmmakers — programmed for an audience that came out at night to be unsettled in a real cinema.
The Manhattan Horror Film Festival is dedicated to discovering bold, original horror filmmaking and putting it in front of a New York audience.
Our programme spans psychological horror, supernatural stories, slashers, creature features, dark comedy and experimental work. We care less about genre labels than about films with a point of view — and the nerve to follow it through.
Selections are curated into theatrical blocks across the festival, with filmmakers introducing their work and taking part in post-screening conversations where scheduling allows.
At a glance
- Edition
- First edition — May 2027
- Venue
- Cinema Village, 22 E 12th St, Manhattan
- Format
- Theatrical screenings, curated blocks
- Eligibility
- Worldwide, any budget, no premiere requirement
- Categories
- Features, shorts, animation, documentary, music videos
- Submissions
- FilmFreeway only