Blood & Popcorn Film Festival is a micro Horror film festival that celebrates Bay Area Filmmakers and spotlights international talents year round with multiple horror film screenings. Enjoy the best curated collection of horror short films and features that offer spine chilling frights and gory delights.

Awards & Prizes

Awards:

Best Kill
Best Killer
Best Gore
Best Folklore
Best Scare
Best Final Girl

Winners will receive a digital Award Certificate and the filmmakers and their films will be interviewed and promoted by a professional podcaster and film critic.

Rules & Terms

PLEASE READ THIS. IF YOU DO NOT READ THIS YOU ARE WASTING YOUR TIME!!! 
Online entries ONLY. Films must be HORROR or THRILLER genre. Genres such as music videos, documentaries, animated films, experimental films, are all ok! Entrant must have legal rights to film including licensing for music. Entrant gives permission to festival to exhibit film during 2024 festival with no royalties expected. Final screening format must be HD MP4 or HD .MOV. Full film files, please! Do not send us two giant film files and expect us to edit/splice them together. Films must be made after 2017. Accepted filmmakers will receive 1 comp pass to the event with an RSVP. With acceptance, you give Blood & Popcorn Film Festival rights to utilize portions of your film for promotion. If selected, you must respond to your acceptance email letter within 3 days of the email's sent date along with sending your screening file. Your final screening film file must be received by the deadline indicated in the acceptance letter email.
6 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Sahra Bhimji

    This was a wonderful event! They do a great job promoting on social media before the event, then the New Parkway Theater was a great venue and creates a fun vibe with their cozy couches and big popcorn bowls. The theater was pretty packed and the crowd was super engaged. They only do one screening, it had 8 shorts. They had a cool raffle with unique prizes for the audience (original horror artwork, etc).

    April 2026
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  • Iris Almaraz

    I had a blast at this festival! super fun audience and great films! hope to come back with films in the future!!!

    April 2026
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  • David Daniels

    Nicole and her team were amazing. Dope venue (as well as a Bay Area staple) and a packed house with a fun and enthusiastic crowd. Plenty of networking opportunities via an online Q&A and before the screening. Nicole's level of care and support and knowledge of each filmmaker and their film is unmatched. A fun curation of local films, which was important to us, as well as from around the world. We had a blast and plan on attending again!

    April 2026
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  • Kaitlin Fontana

    Nicole is a true horror aficionado and this delightful festival is proof of her great taste and ability to bring folks together. Great films, great fun. Good times all around.

    August 2025
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  • Jennifer Lynn Warren

    If you want an audience that delights in watching genre films, this is the festival for you! It may be a small festival, but you will get feedback from your target audience, and have a blast while doing it. The theater has comfy chairs and an amazing menu. Nicole makes sure the filmmakers are introduced to each other, making networking a breeze,

    December 2024
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