Atlanta Horror Film Festival
Atlanta Horror Film Festival
ATL Horror Film Festival has been part of Atlanta’s horror community for twenty years. The festival screens horror, thrillers, sci fi and dark genre films from Georgia and around the world. It brings together shorts and features that aim to disturb, surprise or make you laugh in the dark. Filmmakers submit because the event has a loyal audience, strong screenings and a long history in Atlanta’s genre scene.
About Atlanta Horror Film Festival
Atlanta Horror
Georgia’s original horror film festival, founded in 2006, the Atlanta Horror Film Festival returns for its 20th anniversary on October 2 to 4, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.
For twenty years, this festival has been Atlanta’s home for real horror. As the first horror film festival in Georgia, it built a long history of screening bloody, unsettling, and imaginative indie horror from around the world.
We screen psychological thrillers, supernatural stories, dark comedies, sci fi, and the strange work that doesn’t fit a clean category. Big productions, micro budgets, and everything between. If it brings tension, fear, or a good laugh in the dark, it fits here.
Filmmakers come to ATL Horror because the rooms are full and the crowd reacts. Audiences show up because they want new horror shorts and features from Georgia filmmakers and international artists.
The weekend includes mixers, panels, and late night hangouts that make it easy to meet other creators.
Awards include Best Feature, Best Short, Best Director, Audience Choice, and other core categories that highlight strong indie work.
After twenty years, ATL Horror is still one of Atlanta’s key genre film festivals. If you want your horror film seen by an engaged crowd, this is the place to screen it.
Submit your film and be part of the 20th anniversary of the Atlanta Horror Film Festival.
Award Categories:
Best Feature Film
Presented to the standout feature-length horror film, recognized for storytelling, craft, and overall impact.
Best Short Film
Awarded to a short horror film that shows originality, tension, and the ability to scare, disturb, or surprise in a compact format.
Best Director – Feature
Recognizes outstanding direction in a feature film, with special attention to pacing, mood, and vision.
Best Director – Short
Recognizes outstanding direction in a short film, highlighting creativity, atmosphere, and storytelling within a limited runtime.
Best Local Feature
Celebrates a Georgia-made feature film or filmmaker, showcasing local talent and creativity.
Best Local Short
Celebrates a Georgia-made short film or filmmaker, honoring the strength of the local horror community.
Best Blood & Gore
Recognizes outstanding use of practical or digital effects to deliver unforgettable moments of carnage, horror makeup, and gruesome visuals that embody the spirit of horror.
Twisted Vision Award
Given to the film with a dark, unsettling, and wildly original idea that pushes horror into bold new territory.
Nightmare Fuel Award
For the film that gets under your skin and lingers long after the credits roll.
Best Horror Comedy
Presented to a film that masterfully blends horror and humor, delivering scares and laughs in equal measure.
Breakout Filmmaker
Recognizes an emerging filmmaker whose vision, creativity, and execution mark them as a rising force in horror.
Audience Choice - Feature
Chosen by festival audiences, this award highlights the feature film that connected most strongly with viewers.
Audience Choice - Short
Chosen by festival audiences, this award highlights the short film that connected most strongly with viewers.
Jury Award - Feature
Special recognition from the festival jury for a feature film that demonstrates exceptional quality or innovation.
Jury Award - Short
Special recognition from the festival jury for a short film that demonstrates exceptional quality or innovation.
Why filmmakers submit to Atlanta Horror
• The festival has twenty years of history in Atlanta’s horror community.
• It was the first horror film festival in Georgia, so filmmakers know the event has a real legacy.
• The crowds are strong and give real reactions to every short and feature.
• The lineup includes horror, thrillers, dark comedy, sci fi, and strange genre work, so unique films fit here.
• Filmmakers get a full weekend of screenings, mixers, panels, and late night events.
• The festival gives awards for features, shorts, directors, and audience favorites.
• It’s one of the few places in Atlanta where independent horror consistently gets seen.