We're Michigan's original international fantastic film festival celebrating action, horror, sci-fi & suspense movies since 2006!

We feature the fantastic filmmakers of tomorrow! We curate and screen action, horror, sci-fi and suspense movies, searching for cult classics like those you discovered as a kid on some random Saturday afternoon hanging with your friends at the theater; or caught on television late one night after the parents went to bed.

Movies made with bold determination and wild imagination. Movies made with vision and grit. Movies made when it was just about the fun of going to the movies.

Yeah, you remember those, don't you?

We do and Thriller! Chiller! Film Festival celebrates the genre movies we're sure you'll enjoy discovering with us as well!

The Groovys are unique to each year and for our 2019 festival season, Thriller! Chiller! is awarding these works of art in the specific genre categories of:

Best Feature!
Best Short!
Best Action Movie!
Best Horror Movie!
Best Sci-fi Movie!
It Came from the Great Lakes!
Best of Festival AKA "THE BOOMSTICK AWARD!"

Both features and shorts are eligible for awards consideration outside of Best Feature and Best Short categories, and we consider all conditions when examining them for merit. Our judges are industry professionals and filmmakers with years of experience on the festival circuit.

COMPLETION DATE
No requirement for completed by date. If submitting more than one film, a separate completed entry is required for each title.

PLACE OF ORIGIN
Projects may originate from anywhere in the world, known universe or nine realms.
Projects submitted under the Michigan Movie category must have been made in the State of Michigan. (No need to submit proof, we'll research the submission under consideration.)

PREMIERE STATUS
No premiere requirement. If the selected movie is available on a streaming media platform, we'll kindly request that it be set to 'unlisted' or 'private' until after our festival screenings to the best of your ability to manage. We're here to help you promote your movie to the world!

DISTRIBUTION STATUS
Projects may have distribution. Please notify your distributor of your intent to submit as we do not paying screening fees if your movie is selected.

INDEMNIFICATION
Submitter of movie is authorized to submit movie for consideration of screening at Thriller! Chiller! and agrees to indemnify the festival, its sponsors, partners, venues, etc., from all harm, fees or other legal obligations in perpetuity.

SCREENING FEES
If it's your practice to require a screening fee for your film to screen at a festival, please do not submit it to Thriller! Chiller! Should you decide to submit your movie to Thriller! Chiller! and it is selected to screen, you agree to screen without restriction or a fee requirement.

SUBMISSION COPY FORMATS
Selected films should be made available to download in the 1080P HD .MP4 file format and without watermarks. You may wish to send a Blu Ray NTSC as a backup directly to the venue before the screening date. Physical copies will be secured, kept in our archives, and will not be returned unless sent with a S.A.S.E. with proper pre-paid postage.

Film submissions in a foreign language must be subtitled or dubbed in English.

CATEGORY RULES
Movies in the Action, Horror, and Sci-Fi genres or any combination, sub-genre or mix of these genres including suspense, mystery and/or documentary about said subjects will be considered for screenings. We are looking for anything that thrills or chills!

Yes, documentaries are encouraged as long as their subject matter explores a topic within one of the genres listed above.

If selected, we will request press materials to help us promote your screening in the festival. We will need a download link to your movie's trailer which will be posted unmonetized to our Youtube channel for continuity purposes. We will remove your trailer after the festival if so desired.

Your submission is in good hands. Every movie is viewed by experienced movie screeners because we realize tastes vary greatly when it comes to genre movies. Every movie is given an equal opportunity whether it is submitted early or late, is big budget, small budget, or no budget.

We really love this stuff and we want to program the best film festival we possibly can so please submit with confidence!

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Excellent organization and very friendly and warm team  

    January 2021
  • My Thriller Chiller experience was amazing and I advise any Sci-Fi & Horror fan to attend, especially if you are in the midwest/Great Lakes region! As a filmmaker, it is important to submit to the "right" festivals, meaning: a place where people care about movies. Shirley and Tony are those unicorns and are quite possibly a wonder-twin-power-type force in the shallow indie genre film pool. My son and I were able to watch Bride of Frankenstein on the big screen at the gorgeous, historic Wealthy Theatre the night we arrived and Evil Dead the following night (after winning Best Thrill which was amazing for all of us) There is more praise to go around but in short catch this festival if you can and support the awesome people putting it on!

    February 2020
  • I was not able to be there in person, but this seems to be a great festival with very engaged people around it👻

    November 2019
  • Ross Wachsman

    A thoughtfully curated collection of films. The organizers were kind, very well organized and such a pleasure to interact with. Definitely worth your time, submissions, and attendance.

    November 2019
  • Bringing the best of horror and filmmaking to the Grand Rapids area for years, the Thriller! Chiller! festival team does it up right with a focus on filmmakers and getting audiences together in a great screening location that really is a part of the community!

    November 2019