Scream on the Screen: Atlanta’s Ultimate Indie Horror Movie Binge

​Get ready for a blood-curdling good time at the Atlanta Halloween Horror Movie Fest, presented by the Atlanta Global Film Festival. This one-day celebration of independent horror cinema features a nonstop lineup of spine-tingling short and feature films from visionary filmmakers around the world. Whether you're here for the chills, thrills, or the costume contest, it's the perfect way to kick off Halloween in October.

AHHMF serves as the perfect way to kick off the Halloween season—with the very best in indie horror storytelling. From eerie shorts to terrifying features, and everything in between, the festival is dedicated to showcasing bold voices in the genre and honoring filmmakers who keep the spirit of horror alive.

Not only do audiences get to experience carefully curated independent horror films on the big screen, but filmmakers also compete for coveted festival awards, celebrating the most blood-curdling, suspenseful, and unforgettable entries.

Awards & Prizes

Official selections will screen at Vision Studios to a live audience of horror fans, filmmakers, and industry professionals.

Honorable Mentions will be acknowledged at the festival and on social media.

🎬 Award Categories

🩸 Best Horror Short - Honoring bite-sized terror with maximum impact.

👻 Best Horror Feature - Celebrating the most haunting full-length nightmare.

🎃 Best Halloween Movie - Awarded to the film that best captures the spirit of Halloween.

😱 Best Thriller - Recognizing pulse-pounding suspense and psychological dread.

🔪 Best Slasher - For the bloodiest, sharpest, and most unforgettable kills.

🎬 Best Director - Honoring the visionary filmmaker who brought fear and storytelling to life.

✨ Best VFX - Celebrating spine-chilling digital effects that pushed horror to the next level.

🔥 Best Practical FX - Awarded for jaw-dropping makeup, prosthetics, and real-world scares.

🔊 Best Sound Design - Recognizing soundscapes that made hearts race and nightmares real.

‼️ Best Jump Scare - honoring the popcorn on the floor.

🔮 Audience Choice Award - Voted by festival-goers, honoring the film that thrilled, terrified, and captivated the crowd the most.

⭐ Honorable Mention - Recognizing standout films and creators that left a lasting chill, even if they didn’t take home the top prize.

Rules & Terms

By submitting your project, you acknowledge that you have read and agreed to all of the following rules and terms. All projects that have been submitted by our final deadline and that adhere to the following terms will be considered for inclusion.
If you have any questions, please reach out to ahhmoviefest@am-burn.com.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Entries must be submitted via FilmFreeway.
Category awards, screenings, and programming are subject to change.
• We consider films in any language, from anywhere in the world. English subtitles are required for non-English language films.
• Short film max duration: 20 minutes
• Feature film max duration: 120 minutes (only one feature film will be screened at the event due to time constraints, this will be held for the winner of the Best Horror Feature and will serve as the headliner for the event
• We consider films regardless of their premiere status. Even if your film has already premiered at another festival, whether screened at a physical venue or online, it’s still eligible for consideration. We believe filmmakers should have maximum visibility for their art.
• Films must have been completed within two years of the submission date.

SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION

The festival directors and our judges make programming decisions. If accepted, we will notify filmmakers by email. After acceptance, the submitter must approve the download request and/or give the AHHMF access to your screener; it must be submitted to our office two weeks before the festival. Submitting your film does not guarantee inclusion in the film festival.

To be considered, each submission must be accompanied by a paid submission fee and a working screener. Once we have all the necessary materials, the submission will be marked “In Consideration.” It is the submitter’s responsibility to make sure that all submission requirements are met. If your submission is marked “Incomplete” and you are unsure why, please email ahhmoviefest@am-burn.com.
Any submissions that still have an “Incomplete” status on FilmFreeway by our final submissions deadline will be disqualified without a refund of submission fees. Reasons a submission will be considered incomplete include (but are not limited to):
- Screener is missing
- Screener has been deleted, or the password has been changed
- Screener does not have subtitles (if in a foreign language), audio, image, or any feature that prevents us from properly judging it

AHHMF reserves the right to disqualify any submission without refund, even after a film has been invited or final programming has been announced, at the sole discretion of AHHMF staff.

AHHMF reserves the right to decline any submission for consideration for any reason. Festival programming, schedule, selected films, event date, and event location/venue are subject to change at the discretion of the festival organizers.

If you have any questions that are not answered here, please email us at ahhmoviefest@am-burn.com.