The Scares That Care Film Festival celebrates the artistry of independent cinema to raise funds for children and families which are supported through “Scares That Care,” a 501(c)(3) charity organization.

This event is held every year as part of the Scares That Care Authorcon Convention. Attendees of the convention come to meet authors from various genres and past guests have included Johnathan Janz, Ronald Malfi, and is hosted by Horror Legend Brian Keene.

The festival is open to all attendees of the convention as part of their ticket. 100% of the submission fees go directly to families and children we support!

Each year we screen a collection of short films and features that fall into the realm of Horror/Thriller, Sci-Fi, Action/Adventure, & Comedy, and their many subgenres. We've screened films ranging from the incredibly disturbing to the incredibly hilarious and everything in between.

About the charity: “Scares That Care!” Inc., is an IRS approved, 501(c)(3) charity. Founded in 2006, “Scares That Care!” to date has raised and donated over $120,000 to organizations that treat sick children and families with a child affected by illness, burns or women fighting breast cancer. “Scares That Care!” is also proud of the fact that we are an all volunteer organization, with no salaries or paychecks issued to any staff member involved with the charity.

Scares That Care is a non-competitive festival.

Submissions must fit into the related genres and subgenres listed.

We do NOT accept trailers or works in progress.

Online screeners through FilmFreeway & password-protected Vimeo links only.

Submissions cannot contain footage of real violence against people or animals.

If your film is selected, you are required to provide a high-quality download link. Failure to do so within the given timeframe will result in your film being disqualified.

Due to the charity nature of the event, no free tickets will be given to selected filmmakers.

Participation in the Festival implies acceptance of all aforementioned regulations, respect of submission, and screening conditions. Furthermore by completing the initial online submission form (you/ your company) agree to the Festival’s terms of the release as follows;

1) [You / The Company] hereby grant(s)the organizers of the Festival
Permission to screen the film during the Festival and other associated promotional events. For the avoidance of doubt, the location and timing of any screenings of the film shall be the sole decision of the organizers of the Film Festival.

2) [You / The Company] agree upon submission to the Festival is equivalent to providing a signed release in relation to copyright and all other rights now known from all the cast, crew and any freelance contributors who were involved in the making of the film.

3) [You / The Company] [have/has] obtained the appropriate copyright clearances for all music used in the film (if required).

4) [You / The Company] will be solely responsible for all costs resulting from the submission of the film to the Festival including but not limited to postage or insurance of any promotional materials to and from the Festival, travel costs, and expenses of your staff or any representatives of the film.

5) [You / The Company] will indemnify the organizers of the Festival against all claims, demands, costs, damages, expenses (including legal fees), proceedings, and losses resulting from the screening of the film at the Festival or from claims by any third parties.

6) [You / A director of the Company] [have/has] read, understood, and agree[s] to be fully bound by the Rules and Regulations of the Festival.

7) [You / The Company] understand[s] and agree[s] that any failure to follow and adhere to the Rules and Regulations of the Festival will result in the disqualification of the film and forfeiting of your submission fees.

8) [You / The Company] hereby give[s] the organizers of the Festival a non-exclusive license to use [your/ its] name, [photograph/logo], and likeness in connection with any and all publicity and promotional activities relating to the Festival, and its promotional activities and events.

9) [You / The Company] understand[s] that the organizers of the Festival accept no liability for the loss or non-receipt of the film.

10) [You / The Company] understand[s] that there are no fees [due to you/it] for screening the film at the Festival or for any other matters arising from the submission of the film to the Festival and accept that the organizers of the Festival are therefore under no obligation to pay you any sums

11) [You / The Company] agree[s] to be bound by the decision of the judges of the Festival whose decision will be final. [You / The Company] further understand[s] and agree[s] that the judges are not obliged to give any feedback to you regarding the film.

12) [You / The Company} confirm[s] and warrant [s]that [you are/it is] the author of the film and the sole and exclusive owner of all rights now known in the Film and [have /has] full and exclusive rights to submit the film to the Festival. [You / The Company] further warrant [s] that the film is not under option, nor has it been purchased by any third party. [You / the Company] also warrant[s] that there is no current dispute as to the ownership of the film and that no rights or permissions are required from any third parties before the film can be screened at the Festival.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • I was really honored that Scares That Care chose my film "H**** Teenagers Must Die!" to screen at their festival. I was disappointed I was unable to attend but it was great seeing my film's title on the website.

    April 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you David, We enjoyed your film and hope to see more from you in the future.

  • Daniele De Muro

    Honoured to have my short film"Horizon" at this beautiful Festival. I hope to submit a new project next year.

    April 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much Daniele, we hope to see your film too. The deadline is quickly approaching.

  • Bradley Harper

    I chose this festival as it's near my home and thus I could attend in-person. The attendance was less than I'd hoped but the coordinator of the event was very helpful and we met for coffee prior to my screening. I gave this top marks for networking only because I was able to get my novel into the hands of one of the stars of the festival and some loyal fans of mine came out to support me and it was good to meet them in person.

    April 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much Bradley for your participation. It was great networking with you and we hope to see you again!

  • I loved the venue. Was not a lot of attendance at my screening but the set up and quality was top notch. My wife Megan was vending at the authorcon and wow what an event!!! Amazing weekend highly recommend! I am honored to have screened at this event and hopefully have something to submit at future ones.

    April 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Derek! We hope to see more films from you this year. Just a few more days left to enter.

  • Christian Bachini

    I was honored to have my short film Escalation be part of this event. All the income goes towards an amazing cause and seeing the world of horror movies and genre films be pat of something so amazing and being able to lend an helping hand is so incredfibly rewarding. Looking forward to submit again my next project!!

    August 2022
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much, Christian, We enjoyed your film and appreciated your submission. We hope to see your next project for next year's film festival!