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The Lineup

50 shorts in seven themed programming blocks. Voting has closed, and the Top 10 finalists are announced Monday, October 26.

Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival announced its lineup on October 13, 2026: 50 horror, sci-fi, thriller and fantasy shorts, chosen from more than 500 submissions. Each film has its own page here, with its director, running time and description.

The festival ran online at ripcord.film from October 19 to 22. Voting has closed, and the Top 10 finalists are announced Monday, October 26.

The 50 films

Still from BENNY'S SECOND BIRTHDAY: a blonde woman holds a toddler on her lap behind a birthday cake, looking off to the sideBENNY'S SECOND BIRTHDAYDirected by R.J. Glass12 minStill from BLOOD SISTERS: a young girl sits in a car with her hand against the windowBLOOD SISTERSDirected by Patrick Rea6 minStill from BLOSSOM NEEDS A RIDE HOME: a woman with blood on her face stands in a grassy fieldBLOSSOM NEEDS A RIDE HOMEDirected by Tim Schwagel9 minStill from BREEDER: a woman looks up at a red figure with a horse’s head in a dark roomBREEDERDirected by Sapphire Sandalo7 minStill from CHÄIR: a man stands in a suburban street at night as an armchair floats in the air above himCHÄIRDirected by Chris McInroy6 minStill from CHAMELEON: a teenage girl sits on a booth seat holding a red cup beside a couple kissingCHAMELEONDirected by Lily Kaplan14 minStill from CHARLIE IS NOT A BOY: a figure in pink lingerie, a pale blue robe and doll-like makeup stands with hands on hips in a blue-lit meat lockerCHARLIE IS NOT A BOYDirected by Pol Kurucz13 minStill from CIVIL SERVICE: an overhead view of a man in a suit slumped in a chair in a gray officeCIVIL SERVICEDirected by Tiffany Kimmel16 minStill from COWMAN: an animated close-up of a pink nose and tongue among pink, white and brown shapesCOWMANDirected by Jiwoo Kim7 minStill from DEAD ENDERS: a clerk with curly hair holds a cigarette in a room lit orange and greenDEAD ENDERSDirected by Fidel Ruiz-Healy & Tyler Walker12 minStill from DIRTY FUZZ: a puppet police officer with large red lips stands in a dressing room lit purpleDIRTY FUZZDirected by Daniel Chimes15 minStill from DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING: close-up of a young man in a white collared shirt looking to the sideDON'T TOUCH ANYTHINGDirected by Michael Naizu & John Wilcox10 minStill from DREAM CREEP: a woman with blood on her face holds up a bloodied handDREAM CREEPDirected by Carlos A.F. Lopez13 minStill from FOUR ITCHY BOYS: four men seen from behind sit at a table facing stage lights and a screenFOUR ITCHY BOYSDirected by Andrew Hebert13 minStill from FRANKSLIST: a wide-eyed woman with curly red hair sits behind a computer monitorFRANKSLISTDirected by Christine Celozzi14 minStill from HAINT: a person casts a fishing net into the air against a cloudy skyHAINTDirected by Jahmil Eady15 minStill from HAROLD EATS MAUDE: a young man and an older woman in a hat crouch together in a sunlit forestHAROLD EATS MAUDEDirected by Carl Fry & Maxwell Nalevansky13 minStill from HOUR OF BLOOD: a young girl’s frightened face in red lightHOUR OF BLOODDirected by Marcella Ochoa17 minStill from IDYLL: a woman in a black dress stands in a walk-in closet, facing a woman in a blue hoodieIDYLLDirected by Austin Cauldwell18 minStill from IT HAD TO BE YOU: a man and a woman in a red dress stand in a doorway looking in, with mannequins in the foregroundIT HAD TO BE YOUDirected by Monisha Dadlani15 minStill from IT HELPS: a man with wet hair screams with his head tilted backIT HELPSDirected by J. Zachary Thurman9 minStill from IT'S HARD NOT TO BE ROMANTIC ABOUT TIME TRAVEL: a man in a yellow hoodie, glasses and a trucker cap holds a book in a field, with a farmer in overalls behind himIT'S HARD NOT TO BE ROMANTIC ABOUT TIME TRAVELDirected by Michael Charron12 minStill from KLEE: a lone figure stands in blue fog in a field at nightKLEEDirected by Gavin Baird20 minStill from LONG’S LONG LOST & MINI MART: an older woman smiles with her hands clasped at the counter of a convenience storeLONG’S LONG LOST & MINI MARTDirected by Julian Doan18 minStill from LOVE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES: a woman stands in a cluttered room among dining chairs and boxesLOVE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACESDirected by John Roche III20 minStill from MAKE ME A PIZZA: a hand reaches for a pepperoni and green pepper pizza beside red checkered paper and gold fabricMAKE ME A PIZZADirected by Talia Shea Levin12 minStill from MISSING SOCKS: two women seen through the round glass door of a washing machineMISSING SOCKSDirected by Joe Anderson & Nadine Vincent9 minStill from MONSTROUS ME: the outline of a hand and arm filled with a red and blue mottled texture on a white backgroundMONSTROUS MEDirected by Ariel Baska17 minStill from NAIL-BITER: a woman bites her fingernail in a dim roomNAIL-BITERDirected by Joseph Burch18 minStill from OH SOLO VIOLET: a woman in a red top stands alone in a long hallway with a checkered floor and framed paintingsOH SOLO VIOLETDirected by Carolina Gomez12 minStill from OPEN WIDE: a blonde woman in a red dress holds the face of a dark-haired woman on a sofa in an orange-lit roomOPEN WIDEDirected by Sam Fox10 minStill from RAT!: three people in identical pale doll-like masks stand side by side in a wood cabinRAT!Directed by Neal Suresh Mulani17 minStill from REBRAND: a man in a blood-spattered shirt screams with his hands on his head under a blue skyREBRANDDirected by Edoardo Ranaboldo15 minStill from RED RIBBONS IN THE HOUSE OF STAINED GLASS: a masked figure in a dark uniform stands at a stone balcony under a lattice windowRED RIBBONS IN THE HOUSE OF STAINED GLASSDirected by Jeff Speed12 minStill from RESET: a man, a young girl in overalls and a young woman stand outdoors looking at something out of frameRESETDirected by Celine Tien & Jerry Hsu16 minStill from RICHARD GOES ON A DATE: a man in a dark cardigan sits on a sofa beside a lamp, looking startledRICHARD GOES ON A DATEDirected by Johnny Frohman9 minStill from SPANKED BY A GHOST: a woman lies face down across a wooden chair in a dark room, holding a lit red candleSPANKED BY A GHOSTDirected by Katelyn Douglass12 minStill from STAR-CROSSED: a woman with blood on her face sits on a bathroom floor at night looking at her phoneSTAR-CROSSEDDirected by Bud Myrick14 minStill from STEAK DINNER: two women lean in close and stare down in alarm in a dim roomSTEAK DINNERDirected by Nathan Mark Ginter8 minStill from TETHER: a woman in a green jacket, seen at an angle in a corridor lit with yellow lightsTETHERDirected by Meredith Berg15 minStill from THE BRAID: a woman looks up from a staircase in a dim, green-lit houseTHE BRAIDDirected by Jon Watkins13 minStill from THE GATES OF IRKALLA: silhouette animation of four armed figures carrying torches and a bow inside a patterned frameTHE GATES OF IRKALLADirected by Alexi Tsitlakidis4 minStill from THE LAST CHEAP HOUSE: a smiling couple in work gloves stand in front of a house under renovationTHE LAST CHEAP HOUSEDirected by Meg Favreau11 minStill from THE LORD OF ALL FUTURE SPACE & TIME: the silhouette of a man in a cowboy hat holds a glowing red light in a room where objects float in the airTHE LORD OF ALL FUTURE SPACE & TIMEDirected by Chris Paul Russell24 minStill from THE MAGICIAN: animation of a large blue hand with rings and long nails reaching toward thin pale figures in spaceTHE MAGICIANDirected by Joe Garber4 minStill from THE SEQUENCE: two people sit at a dining table, one slumped face down, under a painting of the Last SupperTHE SEQUENCEDirected by Joe Bandelli15 minStill from TRANSFERENCE: a woman in white sits in an armchair beside a camcorder on a tripod, facing a person in the foregroundTRANSFERENCEDirected by Michael Zumaya11 minStill from VAMPIRE FOR HIRE: a man in pale vampire makeup and a ruffled shirt stands beside a man in glasses and a curly wigVAMPIRE FOR HIREDirected by Jaime Zevallos14 minStill from WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT BALLOONS: a smiling girl with her hair in two buns and a sequined jacket, her face spattered with blackWE NEED TO TALK ABOUT BALLOONSDirected by Jennifer Bonior6 minStill from ZIPPY'S HOUSE: a teenage boy in a plaid shirt stands in a dim bedroom beside an old televisionZIPPY'S HOUSEDirected by Sophia Parella13 min

Coverage of the lineup

Oct 13, 2026Dread Central

50 Horror Shorts. $200,000 in Prizes. Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival Is Going Big

Dread Central on the lineup: 50 horror, sci-fi, thriller and fantasy shorts and $200,000 in prizes.

Oct 13, 2026Fangoria

Ripcord Halloween Film Festival Has Announced The 50 Killer Horror Shorts Competing For $100,000

Fangoria on the lineup: the 50 shorts in the festival, how to watch them free from October 19, and the $100,000 first prize.

Oct 13, 2026iHorror

Ripcord's Halloween Film Festival Reveals 50 Shorts Across Seven Themed Programs

iHorror on the lineup: 50 shorts in seven themed programs, free registration to vote, and tickets to the Top 10 screening on October 29.

Oct 13, 2026Horror Movies Uncut

Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival Unveils 50-Short Lineup With $100,000 Top Prize

Horror Movies Uncut on the lineup: 50 horror shorts competing for a $100,000 top prize, online from October 19.

The seven programming blocks

The films are arranged in seven themed blocks of six to eight films. Each block has its own guest curator and mixes tones and running times.

Sweet Dreams

Having trouble sleeping? Well this won't help but at least you'll feel less alone. Guest curator: Freddy Krueger.

DREAM CREEP, CHÄIR, RESET, NAIL-BITER, COWMAN, IT HELPS, CHARLIE IS NOT A BOY, MONSTROUS ME

Love You To Death

If you'd rather die than go on Tinder, this block is for you. Guest curator: Alex “I’m not going to be ignored, Dan!” Forrest.

RICHARD GOES ON A DATE, STAR-CROSSED, IT'S HARD NOT TO BE ROMANTIC ABOUT TIME TRAVEL, LOVE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES, MAKE ME A PIZZA, OH SOLO VIOLET, IT HAD TO BE YOU

But I'm Popular

This one's just for the likes. Guest curator: Carrie.

RAT!, IDYLL, BENNY'S SECOND BIRTHDAY, FOUR ITCHY BOYS, CHAMELEON, REBRAND

Die Already

We all see dead people, okay?! Guest curator: Casper.

THE BRAID, BLOOD SISTERS, THE MAGICIAN, LONG’S LONG LOST & MINI MART, SPANKED BY A GHOST, THE GATES OF IRKALLA, BLOSSOM NEEDS A RIDE HOME, TETHER

Mindbender

For the most adventurous of viewers... Guest curator: the mushrooms you ate and then saw God.

HAROLD EATS MAUDE, TRANSFERENCE, OPEN WIDE, DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING, FRANKSLIST, MISSING SOCKS, THE LORD OF ALL FUTURE SPACE & TIME

We Did It To Ourselves

It's the end of the world as we know it, and we feel fine. Guest curator: A John Waters impersonator.

DEAD ENDERS, DIRTY FUZZ, CIVIL SERVICE, KLEE, THE SEQUENCE, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT BALLOONS, THE LAST CHEAP HOUSE

Monster Party

Party like your life depends on it, because it does. Guest curator: The Mothman.

HAINT, STEAK DINNER, VAMPIRE FOR HIRE, HOUR OF BLOOD, ZIPPY'S HOUSE, BREEDER, RED RIBBONS IN THE HOUSE OF STAINED GLASS

Watching the festival

How many films are in Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival?

50 short films: horror, sci-fi, thriller and fantasy. They were chosen from more than 500 submissions and are arranged in seven themed programming blocks of six to eight films.

When and where can I watch the films?

The films screened online at ripcord.film from October 19 to 22, 2026. Voting closed October 22.

Who can watch?

Online viewing is limited to the United States and Canada.

What happens after the vote?

The Top 10 shorts screen for a live audience at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on October 29. The festival awards $200,000 in cash prizes, including $100,000 for first place.

Voting has closed.

The Top 10 finalists are announced Monday, October 26, and screen at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on October 29.