Taking place for its third year in the USA, the 18th A Night of Horror International Film Festival runs March 5-8, 2026 at the Micon Downtown Cinema in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
The festival's tradition of championing and screening the best and bloodiest new horror films continues, with another stellar line-up of feature films and shorts from around the world, including multiple premieres.
THE DRIFTLESS, written and directed by Tim Connery, screens as the festival’s opening night feature film, on Thursday, March 5, at 6:30pm. Followed by the opening night party, at the official bar of the fest The Mousetrap Tavern.
"THE DRIFTLESS was a labor of love that has really been resonating with audiences on the festival circuit so far, and our next stop couldn't be more perfect," says Connery. “Having its Midwest and Driftless Area premiere at A Night of Horror, I mean, you couldn't ask for a better place for it. I'm from Iowa, so I expect these stories will especially connect with our first Midwestern audience. Hell, "Dotted Lines," the accursed liquor store in the film, is right next to Eau Claire on the map when Antique Al points to it, so I mean, basically canon. And I promise that sentence will make much more sense when you attend next week. Get ready for an old school anthology that brings the macabre and the strange."
THE DRIFTLESS is just one of a plethora of amazing feature films and shorts to be showcased at the festival next month.
The feature films screening at the 2026 festival include:
[Films marked with an * are co-presented with MidWest WeirdFest]
ACOLYTE (dir: Cameron A. Tubbs / USA) - MIDWEST PREMIERE - A man returns home to rural Appalachia to re-connect with the brother he once abandoned. There, he is tormented by the sinister cult he left behind. ACOLYTE draws the audience into a dark spiral, that travels through shocking small town and familial secrets, before accelerating into devastating supernatural revelation.
ADORABLE HUMANS (dir: Anders Jon, Michael Kunov, Kasper Juhl, & Michael Panduro / Denmark) - MIDWEST PREMIERE - A couple move to the countryside looking for a new beginning. But a mysterious mirror turns everything inside out. A young care worker agrees to care for a dying man, only to stumble unto secrets that refuse to stay hidden. A musician struggling with writer's block is haunted by his own muse and a psychologist starts losing her grip on reality following a harrowing accident.Four separate yet interconnected chapters, each of them a contemporary horror-adaptation of a story by Hans Christian Andersen, tell four stories about fate and acceptance, about love and loss. ADORABLE HUMANS is an anthology film made in close collaboration between its four directors, looking to shine a new light on Denmark's most beloved author and showcase the darker side of Hans Christian Andersen.
CREATURE FEAR (dir: Manny Gumina / USA) - MIDWEST PREMIERE - A starving felon’s descent into madness turns violent after eating diseased venison, unraveling the lives of two musicians in a small Wisconsin town. This potent film was inspired by, and takes its name from, the song “Creature Fear” by Eau Claire's own indie folk band Bon Iver, and it was shot in the Wisconsin county that notorious serial killer Ed Gein lived and terrorized: Making it a perfect horror film to screen in A Night of Horror's new home town of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
THE DEMONATRIX * (Aurelio Voltaire, Jeff Ferrell / USA) - WISCONSIN PREMIERE - A Mexican priest comes to the aid of his good friend and neighbor, a dominatrix, when she unwittingly summons an incubus demon. Starring Doug Bradley (Hellraiser), Larry Fessenden (Jakob's Wife, Brooklyn 45), Hannah Fierman (V/H/S, Creepshow) and Nivek Ogre (Repo! The Genetic Opera, Skinny Puppy). Kinky chills and scares abound in this demonic thrill ride, which is sure to satiate the appetite of diabolic cinema lovers.
THE DRIFTLESS * (dir: Tim Connery / USA) - MIDWEST PREMIERE - Deep river valleys, tall limestone bluffs sawing through the sky... thousands of years ago, this unique portion of the Midwest escaped the crushing effects of the giant Ice Age glaciers. But with its scenic beauty, this preserved primal landscape also conceals unimaginable terrors. THE DRIFTLESS is a horror film that weaves through four terrifying Midwest tales of the macabre. Guided by a mysterious antique store owner, these stories delve into a Mississippi River cult of masked assassins, a grieving musician's struggle with a cursed bottle of liquor, a motel pool cleaner's uncanny ability to retrieve time-altering artifacts, and a woman's blood-thirsty revenge from beyond the grave. A Night of Horror presents not only the Midwest premiere of this terrifying anthology, but it's first ever screening in “The Driftless Area”!
INCUBATION * (dir: Joshua Land, Victor Fink / USA) - WORLD PREMIERE - In an isolated cabin amidst a devastating pandemic, Helen takes every precaution to protect her children Ethan and Lily. But when a mysterious stranger named Gideon arrives, the family's fragile reality shatters. As secrets unravel and a deadly confrontation ensues, Ethan must make a harrowing choice to protect his sister and mother. A shocking and brutal new addition to the home invasion sub-genre, from fest alumni Joshua Land and Victor Fink (BAD WITCH)
LILY'S RITUAL (dir: Manu Herrera / Spain ) - MIDWEST PREMIERE - Autumn Equinox, late 20th century. Four friends travel to an isolated house deep in the forest to perform a witchcraft initiation ritual and complete the circle of the four elements.Lily, a pale and introverted twenty-something who has just joined the group, has been chosen to represent the element of air. But what begins as a white witchcraft ritual in harmony with nature soon turns into a diabolical nightmare. A blood-drenched, sumptuous, and terrifying nightmare, which is a stunning and major addition to Spain's long history of Fantaterror cinema.
THE KIRLIAN FREQUENCY (dir: Cristian Ponce / Argentina) - MIDWEST PREMIERE - A small town is tormented by a radio show that reports horrible stories, terrifying the locals. Many even believe that it is the radio itself that causes these events. One of the guests of tonight's broadcast will try to obtain this power for himself... A mesmerizing descent into paranormal paranoia, driven by an interplay of gorgeous animation and atmospheric live action.
ON GALLOWS HILL (dir: Ed Shimborske / USA) - MIDWEST PREMIERE - After college screw-up Matt Bishop is bitten by a vampire, he discovers he can only survive on one thing: his own rare blood type. As his thirst grows, Matt descends into a coven underworld, rekindles an old flame, and uncovers the dark secrets of the blood business- forcing him to confront his own morality (and mortality) to stay alive. Told with practical FX, animation, and a dash of psychedelic surrealism, On Gallows Hill is a fever-dream exploration of identity, loneliness, and the existential horror of feeling lost in your 20s, made by a group of college kids in the Midwest.
SHADOWLAND (dir: Otso Tiainen / Finland) - MIDWEST PREMIERE - In a remote valley of the Pyrenees, where magic and ancient mysticism weave through daily life, seekers from around the world arrive to escape their pasts and seek rebirth through an occult-tinged faith. Among them is Richard Stanley (COLOR OUT OF SPACE, DUST DEVIL, HARDWARE), a once-celebrated filmmaker, turned spiritual leader after a dramatic fall from Hollywood. When allegations of domestic abuse come to light, his admirers must confront reality. Is the region truly transformative, or have they been manipulated by a false prophet? SHADOWLAND is documentary filmmaker Otso Tiainen’s haunting exploration of belief, escapism, and the quiet power of spiritual manipulation: Stunning, twisting, disturbing, and resonating.
THE PHILIP EXPERIMENT * (dir. Thomas Eliot / USA) - WORLD PREMIERE - Inspired by a parapsychology experiment from 1972, a team of paranormal researchers led by an unscrupulous documentary filmmaker try to summon the ghost of a fictional character. This found footage gem blurs the lines between real paranormal history and edge-of-your-seat terror.
THE RED MASK (dir: Ritesh Gupta / USA) - MIDWEST PREMIERE - When outspoken queer screenwriter ALLINA GREEN (Helena Howard) is chosen to pen the final installment of the legendary slasher franchise THE RED MASK, anger, outrage, and online death threats from die-hard fans causes a rift in her relationship with reticent fiancé DEETZ (Inanna Sarkis). Desperate for a creative breakthrough, the pair escape to a secluded Airbnb, where Allina concocts a DANGEROUS GAME for the two to play to unlock her writer’s block. But when two uninvited houseguests crash the scene, (Kelli Garner and Jake Abel) the weekend turns dark and a twisted game devolves into a duel to the death. A Night of Horror is delighted to present THE RED MASK as its closing night film for 2026. Followed by the after party at The Mousetrap Tavern, the official bar of the festival.
SUNSET STRIP KILLERS * (dir. Chad Ferrin / USA) - WORLD PREMIERE - From prolific modern master of horror exploitation, Chad Ferrin (THE CHAIR, DEEP ONES, ED KEMPER), comes this vicious true crime stunner. Los Angeles, 1980. Beneath the glittering lights of the Sunset Strip, a horrifying tale of obsession and bloodshed unfolds. Carol Bundy, a lonely nurse, crosses paths with Doug Clark, a charming but dangerously unstable man. Drawn into his web of deceit and depravity, Carol's quiet existence spirals into a nightmare she never imagined.
WE PUT THE WORLD TO SLEEP * (dir. Adrian Tofei / Romania,Turkey) – WISCONSIN PREMIERE - The highly anticipated, genre-bending film, from cult director Adrian Tofei (BE MY CAT: A FILM FOR ANNE) and Duru Yücel. Part reality-bending sci-fi, part chilling horror, part domestic drama, this film masterfully subverts and surpasses the conventional tropes of found footage. Adrian and Duru get lost in the characters they play in an apocalyptic film and embark on a secret mission to end the world for real. What follows goes beyond their wildest imagination.
Check out the fest’s full program and schedule for 2026 here
Buy discounted festival passes and tickets to individual sessions here
During the festival, tickets will also be available at the Micon Downtown box office.