The Halloween International Film Festival is a destination horror event celebrating independent film and the most hallowed of seasons, returning to the historic and haunted Outer Banks of North Carolina, on October 23-24, 2026, presented by Halloween Daily News.

The multi-day festival features independent horror and Halloween-themed films from around the world, as well as networking opportunities and extensive media exposure, all taking place as part of the town of Manteo’s Halloween Island festivities, during which area restaurants, bars, and hotels transform into Halloween pop-ups for October.

In addition to selected shorts and feature films screened, the festival also showcases Q&A panels with attending filmmakers, nightly meet and greets, photo ops on our Orange Carpet, and more.

Known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, North Carolina’s Outer Banks is recognized as one of the most haunted places in America, with thousands of shipwrecks resting off the coast of these barrier islands. Roanoke Island, where Manteo is located, is the site of the ill fated first English settlement in North America, and its more than 100 colonists that vanished without explanation in 1590, today referred to as The Lost Colony.

All Official Selections will receive publicity on Halloween Daily News, with many festival Q&As and panels to be broadcast to more than 81,000 subscribers on the Halloween Daily News YouTube channel, and will be exposed to a reach of more than a million genre fans through the expanded Halloween Daily News network and social media.

Our 2026 Sponsors:
The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, Weird Darkness, Let's Talk Terror.

Founded in 2016 by Matt and Sue Artz, the Halloween International Film Festival is a Gold-ranked festival on the world’s top film festival submission platform, FilmFreeway.

Previous Official Selections include 'The Barn' (2016 Best Halloween Film and Best Feature Film award winner), '3 Dead Trick or Treaters', '10/31', 'The Haunt' (2017 Best Halloween Film), 'Haunters: The Art of the Scare' (2018 Best Halloween Film), 'Epic Home Haunts' (2019 Breakthrough Filmmaker award winner), 'Mass Hysteria' (2020 Best Feature Film), 'They Live Inside Us' (2020 Best Halloween Film), 'Groupchat' (2025 Best International Film), and 'Haunt Season' (2025 Best Feature Film).

Studios who previously participated in special screenings at the festival include Paramount Pictures, Epic Pictures, and RLJ Entertainment.

The mission of the Halloween International Film Festival is to promote the artistry of independent films made in the spirit of creativity, support the future of cinema by providing exposure for talented visionary filmmakers, and celebrate a collective passion for Halloween. It is a networking event for industry professionals, and a fan experience unlike any other in the region.

The Outer Banks of North Carolina is the site of America’s first mystery, The Lost Colony of Roanoke Island, the true story of the first English colonists to land in the new world only to mysteriously vanish without explanation in 1590. The Outer Banks is also where the Wright Brothers launched mankind toward the stars with the first powered flight in 1903, in what is now the town of Kill Devil Hills.

Awards & Prizes

Awards will be presented in the following categories:

Best Short Film
Best Feature Film
Best Halloween Film
Best International Film
Best North Carolina Film
Best Lead Performance
Best Supporting Performance
Breakthrough Filmmaker
Scariest Film

Rules & Terms

Film Submission Details:

This Festival is for original films only (no "fan films"; no generative A.I.).

By submitting you agree that you are the owner or have the permission of the owner of the film submitted and all contents within, and that the film's copyright holder is granting permission for screening at the Halloween International Film Festival.

There is no guarantee that your film submission will be selected for Festival screening.

All film submissions will be pre-screened, a limited amount of which will be selected for Festival screenings, and notification will made by the Festival to the filmmaker that submitted through FilmFreeway via email provided by FilmFreeway.

Requests for specific day and/or times for screenings will not be considered.

Selected submissions may be screened more than once during the Festival.

Premiere status is not required but will be considered in the selection process.

The final screening schedule will be published at HalloweenDailyNews.com/FilmFestival.

Additional promotional materials (posters, lobby cards, etc.) must be provided by the submitting filmmaker (not required).

RULES:

Submitting filmmaker must include the title of the submission and name of all contacts on all media, materials, and containers.

Filmmakers may submit multiple entries, but each entry must be submitted, packaged, and shipped individually.

Submitted films are considered the final finished versions of those films by the Festival (no “in progress” projects).

The preferred method to deliver the films that are selected for the Festival is determined by host venue requirements; and must be mailed to Festival organizers by the deadline stated in the notification email (within approximately two weeks after notification of official selection).

Testing of all media should be completed by the submitting filmmaker prior to submission. Faulty or unusable media will disqualify that film from the Festival if a suitable replacement cannot be obtained in a timely manner.

DO NOT SEND ORIGINAL/SOLE COPIES.

Media and press materials will not be returned under any circumstances.

The Halloween International Film Festival will not be responsible for media and/or press materials lost or damaged while in transit or possession of the Festival.

All film submission fees are non-refundable.

Submissions must be English language or English subtitled.

All terms and conditions of official rules must be met and certification provided by completing the Film Submission Form.

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The Halloween International Film Festival reserves the right to update the Festival submission rules, screening schedule, and events, subject to change.
43 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Carlos R. Tkacz

    The Halloween International Film Festival was a great experience! They're communication was timely and clear, they're branding anf online presence is rad, and they we're very kind! Highly recommend!

    February 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much, Carlos!! We love your short film, 'Cow', and we are so proud that it was part of our 2025 program. It's dark, weird, timely, mysterious, and disturbing - in all the best ways! And it was a big hit at our festival. We are definitely excited to see your next project!!

  • Jake Jarvi

    I had the best time bringing Haunt Season to HIFF. The screenings were wonderful, the Q&As were really fun, and it’s a unique opportunity to gather with other filmmakers and an audience who all revere the very best holiday. Just a great time.

    February 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Jake, we absolutely are thrilled to have had the opportunity to share your awesome film, 'Haunt Season', with our Halloween-loving audience, and we cannot thank you enough for attending and participating in the Q&As!! It was awesome connecting in person. Your passion for both film and Halloween is infectious. We have no doubt your next horror film is going to be amazing. Thank you so much for submitting 'Haunt Season', a truly perfect fit for our festival!

  • Daniel Ziegler

    Really wonderful festival! Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend in person, but the communication was great, and the constant promotion of our film "Horror Spell" before the event was fantastic. Felt very welcomed from the start!

    October 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much, Daniel!! Your film, HORROR SPELL, is amazing and totally what our festival was created for. We were honored to host its North Carolina Premiere. Can't wait to see your next project!

  • tammy mattox

    I loved the spooky vibe! Great venue.

    October 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank so much, Tammy! It was great connecting with you, and we are so happy that you were able to attend and enjoy the local Halloween vibes!! Your and friends' costumes were absolute 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥!! Looking forward to seeing your next project!

  • Jesse Womack

    Sue and Matt Artz (and their team) are very hospitable folks who are passionate about indie horror. If you’re an indie horror filmmaker, do yourself a favor and submit to them. The Outer Banks is also a BEAUTIFUL backdrop to the whole thing, so go to the beach while you’re at it!

    October 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you, Jesse!! We are so happy that you and your wife were able to attend and enjoy some of the Outer Banks' local charm. It was awesome meeting you, and we only wish we had more time to chat. THE LITTERBUG was a big hit with all of us at HIFF, and we are honored to have been able to showcase it in our program. We are very excited to see your next project!