| Deadline | Festival | Why | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1 | Chattanooga Film Festivalgogenre-loved | Jun 24–Jul 1 2027, in-person + virtual. The Tennessee festival for this film. Regular deadline; $75 Feb 1, $80 Apr 30. Shorts under 30 min, zero tolerance on generative AI. | $65 |
| Dec 1 | Fantasiagotop tier | Montreal, Jul 15–Aug 1 2027. North America's largest genre festival. Early-bird; $85 by Jan 15, $120 by Apr 15. Montreal premiere, not online. | $80 |
| Dec 1 | FilmQuestgogenre-only | Provo UT, Oct 2027. FilmFreeway's best-reviewed festival; genre only; no premiere rule for non-Utah shorts. The 2027 call is expected to open ~Dec 1 with a super-early-bird around $40. | ~$40 |
| Dec 3 | Tribeca Festivalgo — verify | Jun 2027. A-list, Oscar-qualifying, has programmed genre shorts. The 2027 page still showed 2026 when checked; last year Regular was Dec 3 at $70, Extended Feb 4 at $85. No prior NY-region public screening. | ~$70 |
| ~Dec | Portland Horror Film FestivalgoPortland | Hollywood Theatre, June 2027. The Portland target; wants at least a Portland premiere, so nothing else in Portland screens first. Call opens late Nov/early Dec; shorts from ~$10 at the first tier. | ~$10 |
| ~Dec 1 | Telluride Horror Showgotop tier | Oct 2027. Colorado's premier horror fest. 2027 call opens ~Dec 1; last cycle's early-bird was Mar 15 at $45 — enter at the first tier. | ~$45 |
| Deadline | Festival | Why | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 9 | Florida Film Festivalgo | Enzian, Maitland (Orlando), Apr 9–18 2027. Academy-accredited in all three shorts categories; genre shorts run in its Midnight block and stay eligible for Best Narrative Short. Submit as Narrative Short. Extended (final) deadline, so it's the pricey tier. Florida premiere for competition. Notification Feb 26. | $90 |
| Dec 10 | Las Vegas Film Festivalgo | Jan 14–21 2027 relaunch, entry fees waived this year. Unproven, no premiere rule, costs nothing. Extended deadline. | $0 |
| Dec 10 | International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festivaloptionalhorror | Phoenix, Apr 1–11 2027, inside Phoenix Film Festival at a Harkins multiplex. 21 years. Extended price. | $80 |
| Deadline | Festival | Why | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 17 | Seattle International Film Festivalgo | May 13–23 2027. 53 years, A-tier, Oscar-qualifying shorts. Western Washington premiere required; no US broadcast/VOD. $100 by Jan 7. The Seattle prestige entry. | $80 |
| Dec 18 | Coney Island Film Festivalgohorror category | Brooklyn, Apr 30–May 2 2027. 27 years, Sideshow venue, dedicated Horror category. Late deadline; $45 by Feb 12. | $40 |
| Dec 19 | Spring HorrorHound Film Festivaloptionalhorror | Cincinnati, Mar 19–21 2027. HorrorHound magazine's convention fest; big fan audience. Extended price. | $55 |
| Dec 21 | Salem Horror Festgotop tier | Salem MA, Apr 29–May 8 2027. Highly regarded, socially minded horror fest; 15-min cap. Regular (final) deadline. | $55 |
| Deadline | Festival | Why | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31 | Popcorn Frightsgotop tier | Fort Lauderdale, Aug 5–15 2027. Largest genre fest in the Southeast, cheap. Wants a Florida premiere — if Florida Film Festival selects the film, this is the one to give up. New Year tier; $35 by Feb 28. | $30 |
| Dec 31 | Boston Undergroundoptionalcult | Brattle Theatre, Mar 17–21 2027. Strong horror reputation. Late; $50 by Jan 20. | $45 |
| Dec 31 | Buried Aliveoptionalhorror | Atlanta, Plaza Theatre, Nov 2027. Punk-spirited horror fest. 2027 call expected ~Dec with early-bird ~Dec 31 at $25 (last cycle's pattern). | ~$25 |
| Dec 31 | Terror in the Bayoptionalhorror | Thunder Bay ON, Oct 2027. Small, well-reviewed, distribution ties to Terror Films. Super-early-bird ~Dec 31 at $15 (last cycle's pattern). | ~$15 |
| Jan 4 | Overlook Film Festivalgotop tier | New Orleans, Apr 15–18 2027. Blumhouse-adjacent, industry-heavy — the prestige US horror fest. Late tier; $95 by Jan 29. Not online, not released. | $85 |
| Deadline | Festival | Why | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 5 | Brooklyn Film Festivaloptional | May 20–Jun 3 2027. 30 years, solid indie fest, all genres. Regular; ladder to $100. | $80 |
| Jan 10 | BIFFF Brusselsgotop tier | Mar 25–Apr 10 2027. One of Europe's big three fantastic festivals, Méliès-qualifying, cheap. Belgian premiere; not freely online. | ~$22 |
| Jan 10 | Fantaspoaoptionaltop tier | Porto Alegre, Apr 7–25 2027. Latin America's largest genre fest, Méliès federation. Extended (final) tier. | $74 |
| Jan 15 | Crypticon SeattlegoSeattle | Apr 30–May 2 2027. Convention fest with a big genre audience; "WTF Shorts" category. Early-bird; $35 by Mar 1. Free for OR/WA/ID filmmakers. | $25 |
| ~Jan | Nightmares Film Festivalgotop tier | Columbus OH, Oct 2027. "Best genre fest" per many filmmakers; huge shorts slate. 2027 call ~Jan; last cycle's early-bird was Jan 13 at $29. | ~$29 |
| ~Jan | Grimmfestoptionaltop tier | Manchester UK, Oct 2027. UK's #2 horror fest, BIFA-qualifying. 2027 call ~Dec/Jan; earliest tier ~$20. | ~$20 |
| Deadline | Festival | Why | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~Jan 21 | Brooklyn Horror Film Festivalgotop tier | Nitehawk, Oct 2027. The most prestigious East Coast horror fest. 2027 call ~Jan; last cycle's super-early-bird was Jan 21 at $38. NY premiere preferred; not online. | ~$38 |
| Jan 21 | Crimson Screenoptionalhorror | Columbia SC, May 14–16 2027. Joe Bob Briggs-endorsed; ShortsTV broadcast potential. Regular. | $39 |
| ~late Jan | Freak Show Horror Film FestivalgoOrlando | Orlando's only horror-only fest, 21 years, Oct 2027. No premiere rule; 10 min is its "Super Short" category. Early-bird ~late Jan at ~$25 (last cycle's pattern). | ~$25 |
| Jan 29 | Sin City Horror FestgoLas Vegas | Sep 8–12 2027. 10 years, respected, very cheap. Early-bird; $20 by Apr 30. The Las Vegas horror entry. | $18 |
| Jan 29 | HollyShortsgo | Los Angeles, Aug 2027. Oscar- and BAFTA-qualifying with a Midnight section — the most accessible qualifying route for a horror short. Early-bird; $65 by Apr 2. LA premiere if selected. | $55 |
| Jan 31 | Bushwick Film Festivaloptional | Brooklyn, Oct 2027. ~1,100 submissions / 100 selected. Early-bird ~$35 (last cycle's pattern). | ~$35 |
| Deadline | Festival | Why | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~Feb | Fantastic Festgotop tier | Austin, Sep 2027. The #1 US genre festival (Alamo Drafthouse). 2027 call ~Dec/Jan; last cycle's early-bird was Feb 13 at $50. Texas premiere or better; not online. | ~$50 |
| ~Feb | Beyond Festoptionaltop tier | Los Angeles, Sep–Oct 2027. Biggest-attended US genre fest (American Cinematheque). Early-bird ~Feb 15 at $30. | ~$30 |
| ~Feb | Nashville Horror Film FestivaloptionalNashville | Oct 2027, Regal Green Hills. Young and cheap; no premiere rule, so it can follow Chattanooga. Early-bird ~Feb 28 at $14. | ~$14 |
| Feb 12 | Coney Island finalbackstop | $45 if the Dec 18 tier slipped. | $45 |
| Feb 14 | Festival of Cinema NYCoptional | Queens, Aug 2027. Mid-tier, all genres. Regular through Feb 14. | $50 |
| Feb 19 | Panic Festgotop tier | Kansas City, Apr 1–11 2027, in-person + virtual. Well-regarded Midwest genre fest. Regular tier runs Jan 1 to the extended cutoff; $60 in January, $65 by Feb 19. Notification by Feb 19. No premiere rule. | $60 |
| ~Mar | Spooky Empire Film FestivalgoOrlando | Inside the 15,000-person Spooky Empire convention, Orlando, late Oct 2027. 20 years, no premiere rule. 2027 call ~Mar–Jul; first tier ~$10. | ~$10 |
| Mar 31 | Macabrooptionalhorror | Mexico City, Aug 2027. Mexico's oldest horror fest; no premiere rule for shorts. Fee not published. | — |
| ~Apr | Screamfestgotop tier | Los Angeles, TCL Chinese 6, Oct 2027. Longest-running LA horror fest. Early-bird ~Apr 15 at $37 (super-shorts under 10 min are $5 less). LA County premiere; not online. | ~$37 |
| ~Apr | Toronto After Darkoptionaltop tier | Oct 2027. Canada's big-city genre fest. Super-early-bird ~Apr 7 at $55. | ~$55 |
| ~May | Indie MemphisgoMemphis | Nov 2027, 28 years, Oscar-qualifying, the top Southern regional fest. Memphis premiere required. Early ~May 1 at $45. | ~$45 |
| ~May | NYC Horror Film Festivaloptionalhorror | Dec 2027, 23 years, the longest-running NYC horror fest. Bars NYC-metro screenings within 3 months of its dates. Early ~May 30 at $47. | ~$47 |
| ~Jun | Sitgesgotop tier | Catalonia, Oct 2027. The most prestigious genre festival in the world, and the only horror fest on the Academy's shorts-qualifying list. 2027 call ~Feb; early-bird ~Jun 18 at ~€60. Spanish premiere for competition. | ~$65 |
| ~Jun | FrightFest Londongotop tier | Aug 26–30 2027. UK's biggest horror fest. Standard shorts deadline Jun 6 at $25 (the $15 early-bird closed Nov 29). DCP only. | $25 |
| ~Aug | Knoxville Horror Film FestoptionalTennessee | Oct 2027. "Tennessee Terrors" category at $35. Can follow Chattanooga. | $35–50 |
Ranked roughly by reputation. Sitges is the only horror festival on the Academy's shorts-qualifying list; HollyShorts is the accessible qualifying route with a genre section.
| Festival | Where · when | Next deadline | Runtime cap | Short fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sitges | Catalonia · Oct | call ~Feb; early-bird ~Jun 18 | 30 min | ~$65–76 |
| Fantastic Fest | Austin · Sep | call ~Dec/Jan; early-bird ~Feb 13 | 25 min | ~$50–70 |
| Fantasia | Montreal · Jul–Aug | Dec 1 | 22 min | $80–120 |
| Overlook | New Orleans · Apr | Jan 4 | 40 min | $85–95 |
| Brooklyn Horror | Brooklyn · Oct | call ~Jan 21 | 45 min | ~$38–70 |
| FrightFest | London · Aug | Jun 6 | 20 min | $25 |
| Screamfest | Los Angeles · Oct | call ~Jan; early-bird ~Apr 15 | 25 min | ~$37–67 |
| Nightmares | Columbus · Oct | call ~Jan 13 | 59 min | ~$29–49 |
| Popcorn Frights | Fort Lauderdale · Aug | Dec 31 | — | $30–55 |
| Panic Fest | Kansas City · Apr | Jan – Feb 19 | 16 min | $60–65 |
| Telluride Horror Show | Telluride · Oct | call ~Dec 1 | 49 min | ~$45–75 |
| Salem Horror Fest | Salem · Apr–May | Dec 21 | 15 min | $55 |
| Beyond Fest | Los Angeles · Sep–Oct | call ~Jan; early-bird ~Feb 15 | 25 min | ~$30–50 |
| Grimmfest | Manchester · Oct | call ~Dec/Jan | 30 min | ~$20–40 |
| Celluloid Screams | Sheffield · Oct | call ~Dec; early-bird ~Dec 31 | 25 min | ~$20–47 |
| Toronto After Dark | Toronto · Oct | call ~spring; ~Apr 7 | 30 min | ~$55–85 |
| BIFFF | Brussels · Mar–Apr | Jan 10 | 25 min | ~$16–22 |
| Chattanooga FF | Chattanooga · Jun–Jul | Dec 1 | 30 min | $65–80 |
| FilmQuest | Provo · Oct | call ~Dec 1 | 40 min | ~$40–75 |
| Fantaspoa | Porto Alegre · Apr | Jan 10 | 30 min | $74 |
| Boston Underground | Cambridge · Mar | Dec 31 | 20 min | $45–50 |
| HollyShorts (Midnight) | Los Angeles · Aug | Jan 29 | 40 min | $55–85 |
| Mórbido | Mexico City · Oct–Nov | 2027 call TBA | 15 min · Spanish subs | ~$20 |
| Festival | Where · when | Next deadline | Note | Short fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coney Island FF | Brooklyn · Apr–May | Dec 18 / Feb 12 | Sideshow venue; horror category, any runtime. | $40 / $45 |
| Spring HorrorHound | Cincinnati · Mar | Dec 19 | Magazine's convention fest; big fan audience. | $55 |
| Crypticon Seattle | Seattle · Apr–May | Jan 15 | Convention fest, "WTF Shorts." | $25 |
| Freak Show | Orlando · Oct | ~late Jan | Orlando's horror-only fest; Super Short category. | ~$25 |
| Sin City Horror Fest | Las Vegas · Sep | Jan 29 | Cheap, respected. | $18 |
| Crimson Screen | Columbia SC · May | Jan 21 | Joe Bob Briggs-endorsed; ShortsTV broadcast potential. | $39 |
| Spooky Empire | Orlando · Oct | ~Mar | Inside a 15,000-person horror convention. | ~$10–30 |
| Buried Alive | Atlanta · Nov | call ~Dec; ~Dec 31 | Punk-spirited, Plaza Theatre. | ~$25–85 |
| Terror in the Bay | Thunder Bay · Oct | call ~Dec; ~Dec 31 | Distribution ties to Terror Films. | ~$15–45 |
| Atlanta HorrorFest | Atlanta · Oct | ~Feb 28 | Code "horrorfreak" for 20% off. | ~$30–60 |
| Nashville Horror | Nashville · Oct | ~Feb 28 | Cheap; no premiere rule. | ~$14–29 |
| Knoxville Horror | Knoxville · Oct | ~Aug 1 | "Tennessee Terrors" category. | $35–50 |
| Dead Northern | York UK · Sep | ~early 2027 | Rising UK fest. | ~$16 |
| Unnamed Footage Festival | San Francisco · Mar | Dec 31 | Found-footage / POV only. | $20 |
Closed before Dec 1 and off the list: Nevermore (Nov 20), Days of the Dead (Nov 15), Queens World (Nov 16), Dam Short (Oct 31), Fright Night (Nov 21), Love Your Shorts (Nov 1), Another Hole in the Head (Oct 31), Mórbido (Oct 10), Las Vegas FF's earlier tiers. Dormant or unverifiable for 2027: Horrible Imaginings, Shriekfest (reopens ~Jan), Mile High Horror, Buffalo Dreams, Dead of Winter, Phoenix FearCON, Cinepocalypse. Final Girls Berlin, Ax Wound and Sick Chick Flicks require a woman/trans/non-binary writer, director or producer.
Spring adds Spooky Empire (~$10), Screamfest (~$37), Indie Memphis (~$45), Sitges (~$65), FrightFest ($25): ~$1,194 for the year. FilmFreeway Gold takes roughly 10% off most of these.
Fantastic Fest, Brooklyn Horror, Nightmares and Sitges open their 2027 calls in the new year and belong in this tier too.
Spooky Empire (~$10) and Nashville Horror (~$14) are the cheapest swaps once their calls open.
Everything was read off FilmFreeway on Sep 29, 2026. Festivals change tiers without notice. Where a festival's 2027 call hadn't opened yet (Portland Horror, Telluride, FilmQuest, Nightmares, Brooklyn Horror, Fantastic Fest, Screamfest, Beyond Fest, Grimmfest, Celluloid Screams, Sitges, Freak Show, Spooky Empire, Buried Alive, Terror in the Bay, Indie Memphis, NYC Horror, Nashville Horror, Knoxville), the fees shown are last cycle's and the timing is inferred from it — marked with "~".
Tribeca's 2027 page was still showing 2026 when checked; the Dec 3 / $70 figure is last year's Regular deadline. Currency conversions (€/£) are approximate.
Premiere sequencing: Florida Film Festival (April) and Popcorn Frights (August) both want a Florida premiere — enter both, give up Popcorn Frights if Enzian selects. Portland is held for Portland Horror. Chattanooga screens first in Tennessee. SIFF needs a Western Washington premiere; Fantasia a Montreal one; Fantastic Fest a Texas one; Tribeca no prior NY-region screening. Keep the film off public YouTube/Vimeo until the run is done — most of the top tier disfavors or bars films already online. A password-protected screener is fine everywhere.