The Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival returned for its sixth season in 2023, bigger, better, well attended & scarier than ever!

VHS was back at the Scotiabank Theatre in downtown Vancouver for a weekend of feature and short horror films including 2 Canadian Feature Premieres – Faceless After Dark, and Anacoreta, and two blocks of shorts showcasing 50% Canadian-made films and filmmakers.

With the support of the Burnaby Halloween Festival, VHS expanded its programming to include VHS: The Burnaby Edition held at Cineplex Cinemas Metropolis at Metrotown.

The full VHS 2023 lineup included 6 feature film Premieres (five Canadian Premieres and one BC Premiere) and 46 short films (including 13 Canadian Premieres, four BC Premieres, and three Vancouver Premiers) along with filmmaker meet & greets, red carpet soirees, filmmaker Q&A sessions, an industry

In just six years, Vancouver Horror Show has become an internationally recognized festival, known for incredibly curated programs, a particularly strong and competitive screenwriting competition and boasting the subsequently unique Table Read Series. The VHS is known for celebrating independent films in the horror and horror-adjacent genres -- highlighting excellence in storytelling that spans the full breadth and depth of the genre. From side-splitting hilarity, to dark and psychological to sci-fi and fantasy films and everything in between -- if there's a hint of horror, It's eligible for the Vancouver Horror Show.

The Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival is unmatched in its hands-on management and promotion. The festival works hard to get press, not only for the festival itself, but for the films and filmmakers that are selected to be a part of their lineup. The festivals ethos is one of supporting and bolstering the filmmakers who work so hard to make great films. VHS wants the world to know just how great these films are, and just how phenomenal the folks who work on them are. Additionally, the festival runs a social media campaign called 'Submission Spotlight' that highlights films submitted regardless of their ultimate success in the festival lineup -- VHS believes in supporting filmmakers at every step along the way.

What you can expect from being part of VHS:
1) Excellent communication and promotion of your work. Successful filmmakers in 2022 received press coverage on CBC Radio, Global News, the Vancouver Guardian, and the Vancouver Sun.
2) See your film screened in a Cineplex Entertainment theatre!
3) Opportunity for industry meet and greets - Vancouver is Hollywood North after all!
4) A festival team that truly exists to celebrate your work
5) Our social media game is ON POINT - we reach around 30,000 accounts during festival season, and our web traffic saw 70,000 unique visitors in October 2022 alone!

Submissions for 2024 are currently open and we can't wait to see what you've created!

Awards:

Best Film
Best BC (British Columbia) Film
Best Comedy
Best Director
Best Performance in a Leading Role
Best Performance in a Supporting Role
Best Ensemble Cast
Best Cinematography
Best Writing
Best Editing
Best Scare
Best Monster
Best Sound
Best Visual Effects
Best Practical Effects
Best Twist
VHS Emerging Filmmaker Award
VHS Blair Witch Award
Best Screenplay Feature & Short
*Awarded to the winner of the VHS Screenplay Competition

*Official selections and award nominations are determined by the official VHS programming team using a graded criteria assessment, and specialized adjudication rubric. Nominated films will then be screened by a panel of judges and winners are determined by the final overall grade.

SUBMISSION CRITERIA:

- Films and scripts are accepted in the horror, fantasy, or science-fiction genres
- If selected, films must be provided in a minimum of 2K resolution preferably with 5.1 sound.
- Multiple films may be submitted from a single film maker or production company
- We encourage international submissions, but must contain English subtitles if not in English.
- Films must have been completed on or after January 1, 2021
- If you have any questions about our criteria, please feel free to email us at vhs@vancouverhorrorshow.com

By submitting, filmmakers agree that:

They have read, understated and fully comply with all submission eligibility information, Submission Guidelines, Terms and Conditions of Entry and Entry Eligibility requirements.

To the best of their knowledge, all of the statements in this submission are true.

This film or video is not subject to any litigation nor is threatened by any litigation.

They are duly authorized to submit this film to the festival.

They hold The Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival harmless from any damage to the print(s) or media materials(s) en route or otherwise during the course of the festival’s possession of the film.

They hold The Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival its owners, management, juries, subsidiaries, agents, sponsors, affiliates, and etc. harmless from any and all claims of liability resulting from their entry.

They certify that they have full rights to the use of the music in the entered work.

They give permission for The Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival to use stills, titles, copy, and/or information from the film for promotional purposes.

They give permission for The Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival to screen the film as part of the Festival for which it was submitted.

If selected, they will provide The Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival with a digital copy of their film's movie poster (in vertical format) for use on the festival website.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Michael Clifton

    LOVE this festival. David and Meghan care about the community they are creating - their passion and professionalism are everything. I can't wait to submit a new project.

    November 2023
  • What fantastic festival - they really go above and beyond to take care of the filmmakers and put on an amazing horror fest!

    November 2023
  • Joe Reilly

    The only way to describe Vancouver Horror Show now is family, as that is what the people running this festival have become, absolute family! I cannot gush enough about David, Meghan and their team, not only the sweetest and more caring people in the world, but they curate an absolutely incredible festival that is growing year by year, with a wide variety of films and filmmakers, not just all one monotone style of selections.

    This festival is an automatic "must submit" for me now, and when people ask for my top 5 favorite film festivals, is easily one of them!

    November 2023
  • Lisa Ovies

    Truly an amazing experience from start to finish and always such an honour to be a part of. Thank you so much!

    October 2023
  • Such a great festival. Enjoyed being apart of it and appreciated all the responses and correspondence. Thank you Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival for making my script, “CARNEVIL” a Quarter-Finalist with Best Feature Horror Screenplay!

    October 2023