The Last Horror Picture Show is the only horror film festival in the Quad Cities area, which consists of Moline & Rock Island of Illinois, and Davenport & Bettendorf of Iowa, along the mighty Mississippi River. It is open to the public, and local patrons are encouraged to come!

It is our goal to provide a showcase for indie filmmakers who will have the opportunity to have their work seen and appreciated by fellow horror lovers, scored by a panel of judges where the top films win an award, as well as the chance to network with others in the field.

This 2 day event will also feature horror merch vendors and artists. A full bar will be available to patrons of age.
If you're film is selected, you and any cast/crew will receive free admission. We would love for you to come speak about your film.

Awards & Prizes

AWARDS
Best Feature
Runner Up Feature
Best Short
Runner Up Short
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Monster
Best Maniac
Best FX
Bloodiest Kill
Best Homegrown Horror

The filmmakers with winning films in each category will receive festival winner laurels, and a trophy sculpted and hand painted by award-winning special fx artist Izzy Sutton. **Must be present to receive physical award.**

GENERAL RULES
Feature Film: 60-120 minutes including credits
Short Film: 2-45 minutes including credits

Each work is judged solely on its own merits.

Rules & Terms

***PLEASE READ ALL RULES & TERMS!!!***

The Last Horror Picture Show requires all films, short or feature, to be of the HORROR GENRE in order to be considered for our festival program. They can also be sci-fi, fantasy, comedy, documentary, animation, experimental, etc. as long as they contain the element of HORROR.

***FAN FILMS ARE NOT ACCEPTED!!!!***
As much as we love the classics, we will not accept fan films in any manner. Originality is the key, submit at your own risk!!!

*Foreign films MUST be subtitled or dubbed in English or they will not be accepted.

*We do not accept films that contain copyrighted music unless you've licensed it and are cleared for festival use. Submitting your film is your way of acknowledging that all steps have been taken to clear your music and the festival is not liable for copyright infringement.

Entry Formats-
***We only accept online screeners as submissions, however if you have a feature that is accepted, we ask that you supply us with a DVD or Blu-ray.
*DO NOT SEND YOUR SUBMISSION FEE IN ANY FORM WITH A DVD MAILER. SUBMISSIONS FEES MUST BE PAID THROUGH FilmFreeway!!!***

PLEASE SEND A DVD OR BLU-RAY (NTSC format only!) to
1323 W. High St.
Davenport, IA 52804
United States

We encourage digital submissions!

**All films must have been completed after January 2024.**
**Any films that are already widely available to the public, either on disc or digitally streaming, are acceptable, but aren't eligible to win an award.**

FINAL PRESENTATION FORMAT: DVD, BLU-RAY, mp4.

*Make sure to thoroughly read all rules and guidelines before submitting, failure to do so may result in disqualification. No refunds- Submit at your own risk!!!**

All materials will not be returned, and will become the property of The Last Horror Picture Show. (Only the discs. ;)
14 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Bobby Blood

    It was a great honor for my film Hell Nurse to be an official selection at the Midwest Monster Film Fest and an even greater honor to win the award for Bloodiest Kill! I was in attendance for the screening and festival and took part in the filmmaker panel. It was in a great location at the theater downtown and the organizers were great and the attendees were great with some really good questions for all of the filmmakers. Very positive experience and I appreciated everything about it.

    October 2023
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  • Richard Terrasi

    Thank you for giving The Monster Mash an Honorable Mention!

    October 2023
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  • Javier Yañez Sanz

    Thanks for everything! I'm glad you liked my short film!

    September 2021
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  • Anthony Altamura

    So happy to be a part of the festival this year! Unfortunately out team couldn't make it this year, but Midwest Monster fest still screened our movie, kept us updated along the way and from what we can tell it looked like an absolute blast! Thank you so much for selecting our film "The Dark"!

    September 2021
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  • Wes Worthing

    Super ambitious event - celebrities, vendors, panels, and a film fest! It was a blast!

    September 2021
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