Tomorrow the shadows creep in, the lights go down, and the Popcorn Frights Film Festival kicks off its reign of cinematic terror. From August 7–17, 2025, South Florida will be swallowed whole by eleven straight days of blood-curdling premieres, eerie midnight screenings, and enough on-screen nightmares to haunt you until Halloween.
This year, the mayhem takes over two perfect haunts. O Cinema South Beach will lure you in with screenings just steps from the waves—so close you can practically hear them crash between screams. Up in Fort Lauderdale, Savor Cinema—a gorgeous 1940s church turned movie temple—will echo with the sounds of terror long into the night. Between the films, you can lurk in industry panels, interrogate filmmakers in Q&As, and mingle with fellow horror fiends at after-parties that might just last until sunrise.
Popcorn Frights isn’t just a film festival—it’s a pilgrimage for the genre-obsessed. It’s been crowned one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals” and “The World’s 50 Best Genre Festivals” by Moviemaker Magazine, and even hailed by Dread Central as one of the “Best Horror Festivals in the World.” Last year, more than 12,700 fans and over 50 filmmakers swarmed in to celebrate everything that goes bump in the night.
This year’s lineup will cut across the full spectrum of genre mayhem. You’ll see everything from slow-burn psychological dread to outrageous creature features, twisted short films, mind-bending documentaries, and even animated horror that proves nightmares don’t need flesh to be terrifying. Awards like Best Feature, Scariest Feature, and Best New Nightmare will be handed out, along with the coveted Audience Awards—because at Popcorn Frights, the crowd’s voice is as loud as the screams.
For filmmakers, this is hallowed ground. Submissions were open to films completed after January 1, 2024, with the all-important Florida Premiere status up for grabs. Submissions have ended as of July 18, 2025.
If you’ve never attended Popcorn Frights, consider this your invitation to the party… the kind of party where something might follow you home. The theaters will be packed with true believers, the energy will be electric, and every night will leave you looking over your shoulder on the way back to your car. Horror lives here—see you in the dark.
Beam Me Up Scotty
Born and raised in the city of Miami. Lifelong pro wrestling fan. Been deep in the 'zine scene since ’84, interviewing locals, Hardcore, Punk, and Metal bands. Spent 26 years in the comic book biz and still obsessed with all things pop culture—Mego, Micronauts, Shogun Warriors, Die-Cast Metal Super Robots, you name it. I can go on about comic books and bad movies all day.
