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.
Read MoreMeat (2025) #HHFF
Move over Jesse Walsh, there's a new scream queen in town — and his name is Cody Steele. Yes, the abs are real. Yes, the stunts are his own. And yes, he is doing the Lord’s queer work in Meat, a blood-drenched, unapologetically fabulous slasher from indie horror’s reigning “Scream Queer,” Roger Conners.
Read MoreCounterpart (2022)
Ethan Grover’s Counterpart is a striking and meditative short film that unfolds like a visual symphony. At just over six minutes long, the film manages to explore themes of creative isolation, duality, and artistic rebirth—all without a single line of dialogue. It’s a moody, introspective journey powered by strong visual storytelling, expressive music, and a standout performance by Jacob Huey Correa.
Read MoreHellcat (2025) #fantasia
Brock Bodell’s Hellcat is the kind of horror film that sneaks up on you—not with cheap jump scares or splatter, but with dread that coils tighter and tighter until it finally snaps. Filmed with a raw, handheld aesthetic and marked by long, immersive tracking shots, Hellcat blurs the line between film and fever dream, making you forget you’re watching a movie at all. The story kicks off simply enough: Lena wakes up in a camper with a grotesque wound and a ticking clock.
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