In We're So Dead, Ken MacLaughlin transforms every restaurant worker’s worst nightmare into a blood-soaked, laugh-out-loud love letter to the service industry. Equal parts Waiting... and Scream, this indie horror-comedy slices through customer service hell with a steak knife and a smirk, and the result is chaotic, crude, and absolutely delightful. Set on the slowest shift of the year, Christmas Eve, this Dunwoody, Georgia-filmed slasher turns an empty dining room into a war zone when a deranged “Karen” takes her dissatisfaction to homicidal levels.
Read MoreSign Your Name (2025)
There’s a moment in Sign Your Name when Xavier Edwards’ character, Artist X, quietly mutters, “I’m evolving as an artist.” It’s a telling line that not only defines his character’s arc but mirrors the film itself, a personal, often intimate short about change, artistic freedom, and staying true to oneself in the face of industry pressure. Inspired by the journey of real-life musical icon Sananda Maitreya, Sign Your Name tells the story of Artist X, a breakout R&B star struggling to break free from the formulaic expectations of his record label.
Read MoreNo Tears in Hell (2025)
Watching No Tears in Hell feels like flipping through the pages of a disturbingly well-written novel—one where you know the ending won’t be happy, but you can’t look away. Set in the bleak chill of an Alaskan winter and based on the horrific true story of Russian serial killer Alexander Spesivtsev, the film drips with tension, discomfort, and a grim fascination that sticks with you. Luke Baines commands the screen in a way that’s hard to shake.
Read MoreThree (2024) #HHFF
In Three, writer-director Nayla Al Khaja delivers a chilling and richly layered debut that boldly reframes the exorcism subgenre through an Islamic and deeply personal lens. Set across beautifully textured environments in Thailand and the UAE, the film tells the story of a desperate mother, Maryam, who turns to an unlikely Western doctor to save her son Ahmed, whose deteriorating mental health may stem from something far more ancient and sinister. If you’re expecting the typical tropes of Middle Eastern horror or stylized dance numbers sprinkled between scares, Three will subvert those expectations entirely, and for the better.
Read MoreWeapons (2025)
There’s a moment early in Weapons, the kind that etches itself into your mind long after the credits roll, where seventeen children silently flee their homes at exactly 2:17 a.m., arms outstretched like birds in flight. Set to George Harrison’s haunting “Beware the Darkness,” this chilling image encapsulates everything writer-director Zach Cregger brings to the table: dread, elegance, mystery, and an unshakable grip on the surreal. Welcome back to the twisted fairy tale logic of one of horror’s freshest voices.
Read MoreDamsel of the Doomed (2025) #HHFF
From the creative minds of Corey Trahan and Sarah Webb, Damsel of the Doomed is an ambitious, genre-blending horror feature that fuses a love letter to horror host culture with a meta-fantastical narrative dripping in practical FX and Austin weirdness. The result is an undeniably stylish production that stumbles just as often as it struts, a film as fascinating as it is flawed. Let’s get this out of the way: Damsel of the Doomed looks fantastic.
Read MoreThe Mannequin (2025) #HHFF
In The Mannequin, director John Berardo returns to the horror genre with a slick, visually appealing ghost story centered around trauma, legacy, and the fashion industry. While the film starts strong and features some undeniably creepy moments, its inconsistent pacing and tonal shifts ultimately hold it back from becoming a modern horror standout. The story follows Liana Rojas, a creatively blocked stylist assistant who moves into a historic downtown Los Angeles building, one that also happens to be the site of her sister’s mysterious death.
Read MoreShaman (2025) #Raindance
In Shaman, director Antonio Negret ventures into the jungle of spiritual warfare, cultural conflict, and unsettling ambiguity to deliver a horror film that’s both deeply atmospheric and thematically resonant. With a haunting score, visually rich cinematography, and a genuinely unnerving sense of dread, Shaman manages to inject new life into the well-worn exorcism subgenre—even if it doesn’t fully commit to its most provocative ideas. The film follows a missionary family in rural Ecuador whose young son returns from a forbidden cave seemingly possessed by an ancient, malevolent force.
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