Horror fans rejoice! The 25th Annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival is back once again in Los Angeles with thrills and chills for all horror film fans. The 2025 Screamfest Horror Film Festival will be held at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood from October 7th through the 16th, 2025.
What is Screamfest?
Screamfest is a special film festival that has the distinction of being the largest and longest-running festival of its kind in the United States. It has even earned the well-deserved nickname of the “Sundance of Horror.” Their mission is to showcase “the newest and most innovative works from American and international independent horror filmmakers.” Additionally, the festival has launched several filmmakers’ careers, and it’s also premiered many groundbreaking horror films, like the major 2007 hit, Paranormal Activity.
What films are being shown at Screamfest this year?
Here is just a small sample of the incredible scary movies being shown this year:
World Premieres
- OPENING NIGHT FILM: Affection – The feature debut of Screamfest Alum BT Meza follows Ellie (Jessica Rothe, Happy Death Day), who suffers a disturbing condition that repeatedly resets her memory. Unable to recognize her husband or daughter, each reset brings haunting flashes of an unfamiliar life.
- Big Baby – Directed by Spider One, this nightmare of a film centers on horror writer Adam Lewis (Brandon Scott), who becomes tormented by a killer in a baby mask—both in his dreams and in reality—as his sanity unravels. (Executive produced by the iconic Cher!)
North American Premieres
- The Dollmaker – Directed by José María Cicala (Shadow of the Cat), this rural mystery follows a charming dollmaker who becomes a key suspect when a detective investigates a string of disappearances.
- The Red Mask – Ritesh Gupta’s queer slasher about a screenwriter retreating to a secluded Airbnb to finish her script, only to have her trip crashed by uninvited—and deadly—guests.
West Coast Premieres
- Appofeniacs – The first feature from acclaimed music video director Chris Marrs Piliero, which premiered at Fantastic Fest. Duke (Aaron Holliday) spirals into reckless deepfake creations, showing how easily lives can be ruined—or ended. The cast includes Sean Gunn, Jermaine Fowler, Michael Abbott Jr., Will Brandt, and Paige Searcy.
- Dolly – Directed by Rod Blackhurst (Night Swim writer), Macy (Kate Cobb) is abducted by a monstrous figure intent on raising her as their own child.
Los Angeles Premieres
- Dooba Dooba – Ehrland Hollingsworth’s unsettling story of a sixteen-year-old girl terrorizing her babysitter as in-home security cameras record every move.
Notable Shorts
- Devil’s Prism (LA Premiere) – From Kika Magalhães starring Emma Raimi
- The Mortician’s Daughter – From Elwood Quincy Walker starring Bonnie Aarons (The Nun)
- The Sequence (World Premiere) – From Joe Bandelli (Hell House) starring Katie Parker (The Fall of House of Usher, The Haunting of Hill House)
Plus, Screamfest will also feature an exclusive gameplay screening of Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, the highly anticipated single-player survival horror action game from Saber Interactive.
You can find the full list of Screamfest films here.
Ticket Information
You can purchase badges that allow access to the whole festival. There are three different badge levels on offer:
Alternatively, tickets can be purchased separately for each film, so check the film schedule here for film times and tickets. Tickets start at $16 plus fees.
Screamfest Horror Film Festival 2025
📅When: October 7th – 16th, 2025
📍Where: TCL Chinese 6 Theatres (6801 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90028)
You can get more information on Screamfest Horror Film Festival’s website here.