Welcome to the 2nd annual Blood Over Texas Film Fest! The film festival takes place at our biggest event of the year, Horror For The Holidays Expo. Horror For The Holidays (HFTH) is Austin's annual premiere horror specific convention. We know that most people's love of horror started with horror film which is why we are excited to incorporate a festival at the event

What is Horror For The Holidays?
This year we will be celebrating our 12th year. It's a weekend of holiday themed horror attractions. Featuring hordes of dark and horror vendors, horror celebrities, the BOT Film festival, celebrity Q&A's, panels, Evil Santa, a big Krampus Parade and more. We currently get 2k attendees attending this wildly fun and unique event that has become a holiday tradition.

BOT Film Fest
We are looking for horror shorts (under 40 min) to feature. All horror sub-genres are welcome (slasher, found footage, comedy, etc.). Of course, Christmas horror is welcome, but this is an ALL HORROR film festival!

Awards & Prizes

We will be awarding the following awards:

Main Categories:
• Best Film
• Best Director
• Best Actor
• Best Actress
• Best Cinematography

Honorable Mentions:
• Best Score
• Best Screenplay
• Best SFX/Makeup
• Wild Card

*Main categories will receive a physical trophy.

Rules & Terms

Our festival emphasis will be horror shorts. Films should be within in the horror genre and should not exceed 40 min in length.

NC17, pornographic material and overtly extreme horror will not be accepted. We will be rating the room during the festival as Rated R so families visiting will be aware of the content of the festival.

NO AI will be allowed. This also prohibits using generative or any type of AI for design, finishing techniques, VFX, audio/music, or any other part of the final film/short.

BOT Film Fest will not provide any kind of payment, reimbursement or compensation for travel or lodging.

If applicable, all films should be have English audio tracks. If film has non English audio then English subtitles will be required with submission.

Film submission fees are non-refundable. No waivers or fee exceptions will be provide to keep things fair for all entrants.

By submitting, you are agreeing that the film is the original work of the applicant along with ownership and/or verifiable permission to submit the film for festival consideration. You represent that you have secured all necessary rights and permissions including but not limited to; actor releases, music liscensing, trademarks, logos, copyrights, and any other intellectual property rights. Blood Over Texas Film Fest/Horror For The Holidays (DarkWckd Collective LLC) expressly disclaims all liability or responsibility for any violations.

You also agree to give Blood Over Texas Film Fest/Horror For The Holidays (DarkWckd Collective LLC) permission to screen your film at the BOT Film Fest event as well as utilize any submitted posters and/or images from the film in our advertising.
1 Review
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  • Chava Méndez

    What an unforgettable experience. BLOOD OVER TEXAS isn’t just a film festival — it’s a full-on celebration of horror culture. The moment you walk in, you’re hit with the energy: the incredible vendor booths, the killer displays, the insanely pro-level costumes… it all creates this atmosphere that feels handcrafted by people who genuinely love the genre.

    As for the film festival itself, I’m truly honored to have been part of one of the strongest short-film blocks I’ve seen throughout this entire festival circuit. The curation was tight, the audience was fully engaged, and it was a real privilege to screen alongside such talented artists. Taking home an Honorable Mention from the team was the cherry on top.

    Huge congratulations to Bunny Voodoo and the entire BLOOD OVER TEXAS FILM FEST crew great communication throughout the process, and it's obvious real horror-lovers are in charge. If this was the first edition, I can only imagine what the next ones will become. Here’s to many, many more.

    December 2025
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