Secrets of the Dead Short Horror Festival (New York)

SEND US (WEIRD) HORROR FILMS.

Secrets of the Dead is an opportunity for filmmakers to show an original short (1-20 minutes) about one of the more beguiling aspects of the human condition in front of an audience in New York City, where the Secrets series of film festivals has found a niche among informed cinephiles for over a decade.

Selected films will screen in Secrets of the Dead at Cinema Film Noir in Brooklyn (NYC), a converted funeral parlor, right around Halloween 2026. There may also be additional screenings.

In addition to showcasing films from all over the world, Secrets of the Dead has included (almost) live performances - music, thumbnail theater, literature, and (most horrifying of them all) poetry.

We are delighted to announce that our 2025 musical guest was Frenchy and the Punk. https://frenchyandthepunk.com/bio

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The greatest mystery of our existence is the nature of death. It thus looms as both a certainty and a profound unknown, framing our every deed. If, somehow, we can fully understand what death actually is, we may better understand life in light of whatever meaning it may have. Unfortunately, the scientific community, has not (yet?) developed a technique for effectively peering behind this mortal coil. Fortunately for us seekers-of-the-Truth, there is CINEMA, which sometimes dares investigate such hazardous and unchartered realms. Submit of your own volition.

PRESS:

"It’s a fun night out and a chance to see some truly underground cinema that normally goes unnoticed. Wengrofsky’s personality only adds to the enjoyment as he enthusiastically introduces each film from the center of the audience." - Chuck Foster, Film Threat, https://filmthreat.com/features/secrets-of-the-deep-film-festival-as-traveling-sideshow/

"Experience the Life of Dreams." Graham Fuller, The Culture Trip: https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/new-york/new-york-city/articles/experience-dream-life-films-new-yorks-gene-frankel-theatre/

The Secrets Film Festival is an annual event in NYC and featuring short films centered around a common theme. The Secrets film series initially explored a variety of changing topics - insects, love, dreams, death, outer space, inner space, the horrors of politics, and the intoxicated life - but eventually settled on the horror genre. The festival has screened in London (UK), Brooklyn, Manhattan, Baltimore, Washington (DC), Los Angeles, Lexington (KY), Austin, and at the Berkeley Video and Film Festival in 2018 and 2019. This program is likely to be shown in multiple locations.