The International Horror Hotel Film Festival and Convention is held every June in Northeast Ohio. We have open competitions for films and scripts in the following genres: documentary (film only), experimental (film only), fantasy, horror, horror-comedy, slasher, sci-fi and suspense-thriller. We also accept trailers, music videos, TV pilots (film or script), and web episodes (film or script).

Competition is also open for our horror film scoring competition (submissions through our website). At the event, we have live scream king/scream queen and FX makeup competitions as well.

The event features four days of film screenings, two days of panel discussions and lectures, a convention, special guests, networking parties, live competitions and more.

***PLEASE READ ALL RULES/TERMS BEFORE SUBMITTING***

Awards & Prizes

Genre awards in each category - 1st through 4th place, plus honorable mention awards, for qualifying projects.

For attending winners, awards include trophies, plaques and certificates. Non-attending winners receive e-certificates.

Grand champion belts to: Best Overall Film, Best Overall Script, and Viewer's Choice Award. (Must be in attendance to receive the physical award.)

Additional film awards and nominations include acting, cinematography, directing, editing, and Ohio film awards.

Sponsored awards TBA.

Rules & Terms

***PLEASE READ ALL RULES/TERMS BEFORE SUBMITTING***

When submitting your project, be sure to E-MAIL US at horrorhotelfest@gmail.com with your selected genre: documentary (film only); experimental (film only); fantasy; horror; horror-comedy; sci-fi; slasher; suspense-thriller. If you are submitting a TV pilot or Web episode, whether film or script, please e-mail us which of the two you are entering your project as. Filmmakers, please also note if your film is a student project or non-English/subtitled film, as we have separate categories. Please include your project name in the e-mail.

There are NO restrictions as to when your film or script was completed or where it has been released. Anyone may enter the competition. All entries must receive an average score of 85 or above in the judging process to qualify for award placement.

Filmmakers - If you are submitting your screener by hard copy, we will require TWO copies. Please check BOTH copies of your DVD or Blu-Ray before mailing to make sure they play. Each DVD or Blu-Ray should have your film title, total run time and FF tracking number. It is recommended that you check your DVDs or Blu-Rays on more than one DVD/Blu-Ray player (not a computer) to ensure they play, as this is a common issue with submissions. We do NOT accept files, file discs, or any other format - NO EXCEPTIONS.

Hard copies are NOT returned, unless you clear this with the festival administration from the beginning. In order to have your disc(s) or script(s) returned to you (after the festival) you MUST send an SASE along with your disc(s) OR script(s) - not separately or after.

IF YOU SUBMIT VIA SECURE ONLINE SCREENER AND YOUR FILM IS SELECTED TO SCREEN, YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO SEND A HARD COPY (DVD / BLU-RAY) OF YOUR FILM FOR SCREENING. ANY SELECTED FILM NOT RECEIVED BY A GIVEN DEADLINE WILL BE REPLACED IN THE LINEUP - NO EXCEPTIONS.

We do not grant submission fee waivers under any circumstance.

We do not pay screening fees.

Please note, if your project qualifies for an award, you or a direct representative from your project must be in attendance at the festival in order to receive any physical awards. Non-attending winners will be e-mailed award certificates after the event.

All submissions - whether accepted or not - come with ONE complimentary 4-day event pass to the festival. No additional passes will be comped. Any additional passes must be purchased in advance or at the door.

If you have a film in competition which can no longer be considered for screening, you may withdraw it from screening consideration but still leave it in competition for award placement. Please e-mail horrorhotelfest@gmail.com immediately if you need to withdraw from consideration for screening.

You may withdraw your submission at any time, but there are no refunds on submissions.
88 Reviews
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  • Christian Delavie

    Super excited to have been part of it. I'm not into awards certificate, but theirs looks super cool.

    September 2022
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  • SherLann D. Moore

    Great fest! Thank you for selecting my short Bad Move as a winner!

    August 2022
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  • Jeffrey Brown

    I had a great time at this festival. Ray and team really made me feel welcome and everyone involved had a great time.

    June 2022
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  • Harry Valentine

    I had a great time at The International Horror Hotel, representing my short film PANOPTO. The hosts were welcoming, there was plenty to do between two screening rooms and a meeting room running constantly, and I got the chance to meet some awesome filmmakers.

    I was thrilled to win best sci-fi short, complete with a physical award and some nice pictures for social media. Overall a well-run, engaging festival that I would recommend and submit to again.

    June 2022
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  • David N. Stamos

    A truly fun festival for horror fans. This horror hotel has many floors and rooms, and I was honored that my film, "A Night at the Organ," won an award as an experimental short.

    June 2022
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