FEARnyc Horror Film Festival

Established in 2016, FEARnyc is New York City’s biggest horror film festival. Run by a team of film and live event professionals who’ve previously worked for the Tribeca Film Festival, Slamdance, A24, and Sony Pictures, we’ve screened hundreds of films from dozens of states and countries for fans, industry, and the media.

Our juries are comprised of some of the top names in the industry and we have received extensive media coverage. We have a very broad definition of horror and we accept projects in many genres including thrillers, psychological dramas, mysteries, noir, science fiction, suspense, and more.

FEARnyc prides itself on not merely screening the best films but also creating a professional, welcoming environment for our filmmakers, garnering them media interviews, helping them secure distribution, and making sure they have a great time watching their films on the big screen in the center of the universe. Please check out our reviews below from some of our alumni filmmakers to get a sense of what we do.

I do not take for granted the fact that it costs you money to submit your project to us, especially during this trying time for artists. You have many options when it comes to deciding which festivals to submit to, and I am touched that you are considering FEARnyc in your plan. To that end, please be sure to review the FEARnyc Relief Plan for Filmmakers we developed in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Should you choose to submit, I promise that your project will be evaluated with care and professionalism. I appreciate the investment you are making here, and I promise we will invest time and care in considering your project.

Thank you very much for considering submitting your project to us. Stay safe and healthy.

John Capo
Founder and Festival Director
FEARnyc
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Here is a list of past members of the FEARnyc Jury:

​Robert Eggers, Writer/Director, The Lighthouse, The Witch​​
Thomas Vitale, Executive Producer, Netflix's Slasher; EVP, Syfy and Chiller
Jim Klock, Head of Acquisitions, Terror Films  ​
Arun Arora, Chief Executive Officer, Kinetic Film Group
Jeffrey Reddick, Creator, The Final Destination Franchise
Terry Castle, Producer, House on Haunted Hill, Thirteen Ghosts
Peter Phok, Producer, Stake Land, The House of the Devil, I Sell the Dead
Brad Miska, Producer, V/H/S, Southbound
Jon Recher, Director, American Horror Story, The Purge, Drunk History
Stacy Title, Director, The Bye Bye Man
Joshua Rothkopf, Film Editor, Time Out New York
Jon Abrams, Editor-In-Chief, Daily Grindhouse
Brad Miska, Editor-in-Chief, Bloody Disgusting
Steve Barton, Editor-in-Chief, Dread Central
Kate Siegel, Writer/Actor, The Haunting of Hill House, Hush, Oculus
Chris Kentis, Writer/Director, Silent House, Open Water, Grind 
Jen Soska, Writer/Director/Producer, American Mary, Rabid
Sylvia Soska, Writer/Director/Producer, American Mary, Rabid
Brian Spears, Make-Up/Special Effects Artist, Jessica Jones, Daredevil
tomandandy, Composers, The Strangers, The Mothman Prophecies
Liz Vastola, Costume Designer, The Purge, We Are What We Are
Denis O’Hare, Actor, American Horror Story, Big Little Lies, This Is Us
Dee Wallace, Actor, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, The Howling, Cujo
Alex Brightman, Actor, Beetlejuice in Broadway's Beetlejuice The Musical
Tuesday Knight, Actor, A Nightmare on Elm Street
Victoria Asness Coffey, Founder, LES Casting; Casting Director, MTV, truTV
Chris Gierowski, Producer, Don’t Fuck in the Woods, Head, Betsy
Will Malitek, Theater Programmer, Film Noir Cinema
Lee Peterson, Theater Programmer, Cinema Village
Tracy Gaboury Allen, Editor-In-Chief, Pop Horror
Melissa Hannon, Editor-In-Chief, Horror Geek Life
Tamika Jones, Senior Writer, Daily Dead, Syfy, The A.V. Club
Jay Kay, Host, Horror Happens; Writer, HorrorHound
Edwin Pagan, Editor-In-Chief, Latin Horror
Tori Danielle Romero, Editor-In-Chief, Pop Horror
BJ Colangelo, Producer, Powerbomb, Comic-Con Queer Fear
James Reyes, Light Iron Post-Production Services
Hesta Prynn, Disc Jockey
Todd Sokolove, Writer, Podcaster, and Photographer, Forces of Geek
Jaanelle Yee, Multimedia Producer, Thomas Tells a Story, Clown Zer0
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Here are a few things the press has said about us:

"A huge, authoritative horror film festival. The brainchild of inspired local publicist John Capo, you couldn't do better than FEARnyc." - Time Out New York​

"FEARnyc is the must-attend horror event of October. It's so impressive that I'm pretty sure it's the best thing happening in the entire country this October" - Dread Central​

“We all go a little mad sometimes. And now horror film fanatics really have something to go crazy about. FEARnyc has something for every horror aficionado.” - NBC News​

"Horror fans are in for a macabre menu of varying flavors." - The New York Times​

"New York's biggest horror film festival will haunt your nightmares." - Celluloid Junkie

“FEARnyc got rave reviews and some of the films, including The Dark Tapes and Blurred Vision, were picked up for distribution.” - Crain’s Business​

“Classic big-screen shockers Night of the Living Dead, Psycho, The Exorcist, Halloween, Nosferatu, Carnival of Souls, and Tobe Hooper’s original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will all screen at the inaugural FEARnyc film festival. FEARnyc’s lineup of new films includes a remake of 1963’s Blood Feast, the killer clown tale Clowntown, Dead Awake — about an ancient evil that stalks its victims through the phenomenon of sleep paralysis — and a brace of documentaries about horror movies, director Michael Stever’s Resurrecting Carrie and John Campopiano and Justin White’s Unearthed and Untold: The Path to Pet Sematary.” - Entertainment Weekly​

“Halloween might be heading towards a distant memory, but it took off like a scream as founder John Capo kicked off his inaugural FEARnyc festival at Manhattan’s historic Cinema Village theater. One of New York City’s newest and biggest horror film festivals, the event scared the pants off lovers of the macabre and covered a whopping seven days from October 21st thru the 27th. It featured screenings of 65+ new and classic horror films, cast appearances, special events and ended with an awards ceremony and a moving Legacy Honoree tribute to iconic filmmaker, Wes Craven." - Fangoria​

​"A must for horror fans." - Truly Disturbing

"Your ideal Halloween warm up event." - Wicked Horror

"FEARnyc is massive." - Bloody Disgusting