The Wreak Havoc Film Festival returns to Piedmont North Carolina in 2026 for our twelfth year. The tentative date for the 2026 WHFF is September 12th and 13th in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Formerly run strictly as a two-day horror festival, last year we opened to films of all genres. Attendees of our festival should expect a healthy mix of films. Short films as well as feature length. We will still have spine-chilling horrors, alongside heart-warming coming of age tales, to adrenaline filled action, to gritty science-fiction, to thought-provoking drama. We highlight local, North Carolina films, but also include films from all over the world.

We simply strive to present the best films possible, so filmmakers send us your entries.

Send us your best films!

Awards & Prizes

Best Feature Film
Best Horror Short
Best Drama Short
Best Sci-Fi / Thriller Short
Best Director
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Special Effects
Best Cinematography
Best Musical Score
Best Local Film (NC, SC, VA)
Best Micro Short
Best Foreign Film
**we reserve the right to add or eliminate award categories based on the submissions received**

Rules & Terms

This film festival accepts shorts and feature films and is geared toward small unit and small budget productions. We want to provide a showcase for exceptionally entertaining films produced by filmmakers relying on a good story and a strong sense of creativity, rather than large budgets.

The individual or corporation submitting the film must have all the proper clearances and rights to do so. Do not submit a project if it does not belong to you unless you have explicit written permission from the filmmaker. By submitting your film, you hereby grant us the right to screen your film at our festival. Scripts must be submitted by the original screenwriter.

Generative AI may be used to supplement or enhance the film, but we do not support complete AI content.

WHFF reserves the right to use film stills and/ or posters of the accepted films for promotional purposes, however, the filmmaker retains full rights to their materials.

Judging decisions are final and submission fees are non-refundable.

It is the responsibility of the filmmaker to clear all rights before your film screens at the festival. By submitting a film, the filmmaker acknowledges that they have secured all applicable licenses and waivers of copyrights, moral rights, trademarks and any intellectual property rights. The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations.

The submitter shall indemnify and hold harmless Wreak Havoc Film Festival, Wreak Havoc Productions, or A Darker World Productions from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.

60 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Robert Henry

    We were super excited to premiere our film Bad Candy at Wreak Havoc Film Festival. It was our first film festival and it was a wonderful experience. We were honored to be among so many great films. The staff were incredibly friendly as were the other film makers present for the show. It feels like the have a really great film community in their area. I drove from Oklahoma to attend and it was easily worth the trip. I'll always look forward to this film festival.

    April 2026
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  • Steven Hancock

    An excellent festival with a great selection of films, run by an amazing group of people! Highly recommended!

    October 2025
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  • Nick Karner

    You can tell the organizers love film and filmmakers. The theatre is a wonderfully old school multiplex (a dying breed these days) and the projection quality is adequately sharp. The fest crew are friendly, open, and our Q&A had a loose, jovial feel that led to lengthy convos afterwards. The swag bag of badges and fest info was generous and even included candy.

    If there are any negatives, they’re essentially nitpicks. Early email communication was a bit frustrating and it took quite a while to get answers regarding fest specifics like film blocks. The website itself came off as shoddy with a single image of the lineup literally cut off on the edges so some names were illegible. There was also zero info about the films, wherein at least a runtime and director name wouldn’t have been unwelcome. Not to sound petty, but the single pass decision is also a little disappointing. Yes, the theatre deserves to make $$, yet we all know most of their profits are from concessions and just about everybody’s gonna grab something to snack on, so that was unfortunate as I decided not to take an actor along because of the need to pay. There’s a quiet hangout vibe which is pleasant, though it might cause some filmmakers to feel a little awkward. I’d much prefer a fest volunteer or organizer to at least take me through how everything’s going to go. Sure, a lot of us have been through this, but all fests are different and it would also be a way to relax anyone unsure of the procedure.

    Regardless, it was a very fun day and a solid, humble festival.

    October 2025
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  • Luca Caserta

    Thanks so much to the Jury for selecting and bestowing on my short film "The Reach" the Best Drama Short Award and the Best Actress Award to the leading Jana Balkan! I really appreciate it. It would be a pleasure to have the opportunity to attend it in person.

    September 2025
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  • Jacob Lazarow

    Thank you for including "Housewife" in this year's festival! The communication was great and it looked like a fantastic event :)

    September 2025
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