A Night of Horror International Film Festival announces its first programming wave for 2026 today. Long admired as Australia's premier genre film event, the festival now takes place in the United States. This year, the festival's 18th edition - and third year in the USA - screens from March 5-8, at the Micon Downtown Cinema in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
“Get ready for the best and bloodiest new horror cinema from America and the world”, says festival founder and programming director Dean Bertram. “The incredible caliber of films submitted to this year's festival has made our programing decisions more challenging that ever. And while we are still agonizing over the final program, we are delighted to be able to share the first programming wave for 2026: Consisting of eight stand out features: All among the very best of the several hundred films that we have watched and considered for this festival season; all overflowing with originality, atmosphere, and edge-of-your-seat delights”.
Discounted festival passes are now on sale here
Individual tickets to each film will go on sale closer to the festival; both on the fest's website, and directly from the Micon Downtown Cinema in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
As with the last 2 years, A Night of Horror again takes place simultaneously to MidWest WeirdFest. Each festival has its own screen at the Micon Downtown twinplex. And a festival pass to A Night of Horror also allows the pass holder entry to films screening at MidWest WeirdFest, and vice versa. This interchangeability of fest passes is always a big hit with audiences.
Additional films, full schedule details, and filmmaker guests will be revealed in the coming weeks.
The first 8 feature films announced for A Night of Horror 2025 follow:
ACOLYTE (dir: Cameron A. Tubbs / USA) 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.
CREATURE FEAR (dir: Manny Gumina / USA) 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 the 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) 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) 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 its first ever screening in “The Driftless Area”!
LILY'S RITUAL (dir: Manu Herrera / Spain ) 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.
ON GALLOWS HILL (dir: Ed Shimborske / USA) 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.
THE KIRLIAN FREQUENCY (dir: Cristian Ponce / Argentina) 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.
SHADOWLAND (dir: Otso Tiainen / Finland) 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.