The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (BHFF) announces today the full program for its 2026 incarnation. The festival will run from October 15-22 with all screenings held at Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg. Audiences are in for a blood-splattered lineup of films and events, including a Dark Suburbia sidebar and returning program staples like Slayed presented by MUBI. Culture Shock, which is the new official program name for our Black Horror section, and Fear in Focus, this time tackling the dark abyss of Cyber Horror.
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The Opening Night film is the U.S. Premiere of Nicky Murphy’s award-winning, vampire mockumentary I LOVE PARIS. After the film, audiences will be invited to keep the good vibes going at the Opening Night Party presented by Dark Sky Films, taking over both levels of the Nitehawk. The 2026 festival lineup will also celebrate the world premiere of Michael Schwarz’s early aughts throwback slasher THE ONLY ONE as well as Centerpiece film SPECIES (Sanguine) along with feature documentaries about genre legends: RUBBERHEAD: THE LIFE & MONSTERS OF STEVE JOHNSON and FULL MOON RISING: THE CHARLES BAND STORY.
The Adams Family will be on hand to present their latest film THE GLORIOUS DEAD, the family are set to receive the festival’s yearly tribute The Leviathan Award, presented by Arrow Video.
Making up the Dark Suburbia sidebar is the batshit crazy AMERICAN DOLLHOUSE, the dizzying SENDER starring a stacked cast including Britt Lower and producer Jamie Lee Curtis, and the absurdist nightmare LITTLE DOORS.
A fully loaded retrospective slate comprised of a 50th Anniversary screening of J.D.’S REVENGE on 35mm and a 35th anniversary screening of THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS, both part of this year’s Culture Shock section. Fear in Focus: Cyber Horror takes audiences from an earlier entry in the subgenre, 2013 shocker THE DEN and up to modern day with Jane Schoenbrun’s breakout film WE’RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD’S FAIR. Two more very special screenings complete the retros: TRICK ‘R TREAT on 35mm preceded by the original Sam short film SEASON’S GREETINGS restored in 4K and followed by a conversation with director Michael Dougherty; and the monumental silent-era tragedy THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC featuring an original live score from The Flushing Remonstrance.
This year’s Closing Night feature is the drug fueled action horror KICK ON from director Nick Kozakis. Capping off the festival in true seasonal fashion is the Closing Night Halloween Party presented by ALTER. Plus much much more!
Check out the entire line up HERE. Check out the details on the feature films below.
FEATURE FILM LINE-UP
I LOVE PARIS — Aspiring underground singer Paris is bitten and turned into a vampire. Rather than abandoning her ambitions, she becomes even more determined to pursue music stardom. The Australian/French vampire mockumentary opens the festival.
SPECIES (SANGUINE) — A young intern at a prestigious emergency room struggles with the demands of the job while a mysterious disease begins appearing among patients. She subsequently begins experiencing disturbing symptoms herself. It is the festival’s Centerpiece and receives its New York premiere.
KICK ON — Four friends’ wild night of partying turns into a fight for survival after they encounter a mobster’s unstable son. It closes the festival and receives its New York premiere.
THE GLORIOUS DEAD — A small-town sheriff’s ordinary day becomes increasingly strange as people disappear and grotesque, fleshy creatures begin appearing. It is tied to the festival’s Leviathan Award honouring the Adams Family.
AMERICAN DOLLHOUSE — A woman returns to her childhood home hoping for a fresh start, only to find her new neighbour is psychotic and homicidal.
CORPUS — A photographer travels to upstate New York with a longtime friend and unrequited love. Their three mysterious hosts gradually reveal that they have their own agenda.
THE CYCLE — After the body of her estranged father is discovered at a gruesome crime scene, Meg investigates why he disappeared more than 30 years earlier.
THE DEN — A sociology student researching webcam users witnesses a murder and subsequently becomes a target herself. It forms part of the festival’s Cyber Horror programming.
ERIE — A young girl and her skeptical older brother investigate their sister’s mysterious death and discover a possible connection to a series of local suicides with potentially supernatural explanations.
FULL MOON RISING: THE CHARLES BAND STORY — Documentary about producer and independent-film entrepreneur Charles Band, including his work with Full Moon Features and productions such as Re-Animator and From Beyond.
GHOST IN THE MACHINE — Following his death in a car accident, a serial killer’s soul becomes uploaded into a computer system, allowing him to continue attempting to kill his intended victim through technology. The festival is screening it on 35mm.
GODHEAD — Two strange and potentially dangerous twins force a priest into a series of painful and possibly Biblical decisions in a combination of surreal horror and extremely dark comedy.
J.D.’S REVENGE — The spirit of a deceased New Orleans gangster possesses the body of a young Black law student as he seeks revenge. This 1976 Blaxploitation-horror film screens on 35mm.
LITTLE DOORS — In an apocalyptic world, a woman discovers a tiny door growing from the side of her body and has to decide whether she should open it.
MOUNTAIN KING — Hannah unexpectedly visits her boyfriend’s family in Scandinavia. Her attempts to fit into the family become increasingly disturbing as she discovers the darkness surrounding their traditions.
NIGHT AFTER NIGHT — Security guard Andy becomes increasingly paranoid after his colleague disappears and he discovers disturbing phenomena associated with a mysterious new section of their workplace.
THE ONLY ONE — Zoe’s former partners begin being murdered one by one, making her the obvious suspect. She and a group of old friends attempt to establish her innocence while tracking the masked killer known as Prince Charming. It is an Australian world premiere.
OPI — Shortly before turning 18, a young woman has her already complicated family life disrupted when an aunt and grandmother she’s never met arrive. Their arrival triggers a descent into folk horror.
THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC — Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1928 silent-film classic. Brooklyn Horror is presenting it with a live score by The Flushing Remonstrance.
THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS — Wes Craven’s 1991 horror film follows criminals who become trapped inside the heavily booby-trapped home of their neighbourhood’s sinister landlords.
POSTHUMOUS — Returning to her childhood home, a troubled woman becomes fascinated by VHS birthday recordings made by her deceased mother. The tapes gradually reveal a disturbing connection between her family and the occult.
ROMA ELASTICA — A struggling French actress travels to Rome to work on a science-fiction film, with the production sending her life and career into an increasingly strange spiral.
RUBBERHEAD: THE LIFE & MONSTERS OF STEVE JOHNSON — Documentary examining the career of practical-effects and makeup-effects artist Steve Johnson and the rise and decline of the practical-effects era.
SENDER — A newly sober woman begins receiving packages she never ordered. Her attempts to discover who is sending them develop into an increasingly paranoid investigation.
SLAY — Following the murder of a friend, a young social-media star travels to a remote cabin with friends. Their intended getaway becomes a massacre when a masked killer arrives.
SPLIT ROCK — Geologists investigating a strange anomaly in the desert discover something ancient and dangerous. Their scientific curiosity increasingly puts their lives at risk.
SUNDOWN — Three related women kidnap a man to seek revenge, only to discover that the secret he’s hiding is considerably darker than they expected. The screening also includes the short BLOODSUCKERS, directed by Rosie Brear.
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