Popcorn Frights Film Festival announced today its juried and audience awards that were selected from its lineup of 119 films (51 features and 68 shorts hailing from 20 different countries) in 8 categories.

This year, the jury panel, composed of national media figures and local filmmakers, elected to honor Brandon Christensen’s (Z, Still/Born) The Puppetman with the Jury Prize for Best Feature Film. Christensen previously secured this award on his 2021 feature Superhost.

Christensen said in his award acceptance, “Holy shit! Popcorn Frights has always been an important stop for every one of my films to date. I’ve met tons of amazing fans of horror who come out every time to support our films as well as the Florida horror community. It’s a total honor to take home the Jury Prize for this film, and I love you all! Until next time!”

This year’s Scariest Feature Film Prize was given to Jason Miller’s chilling saga Ghosts of the Void, a timely tale that reminds us that true terror often lies beyond the supernatural by capturing the essence of our collective fear. In its effort to shine a brighter spotlight on first-time filmmakers, Popcorn Frights created its New Nightmare Prize celebrating filmmakers making their feature film debuts. This year’s recipient is Devanny Pinn’s Florida-based true-crime thriller The Black Mass, which received its world premiere at the Festival to great acclaim.

In accepting the award, Pinn shared the following statement: “This film and the effort behind it come from a truly independent spirit and love of cinema. It’s such an incredible honor to not only have Popcorn Frights’ support as I begin my directing career, but to receive recognition for it in the form of the New Nightmare Award. I am and will continue to be grateful for this moment and inspired to continue to create more art in our genre thanks to this support.”

Winning the Jury Prize for Best Short Film was “Get Away” by Michael Gabriele, one of 67 films competing for the prize in eight short blocks. The Scariest Short Film Prize was claimed by Florida’s very own filmmaker, Jay Henric, for “Unknown”, a sinister tale that takes an incredibly simple story and delivers something truly special.

‘Big Easy Queens’

Claiming the title of Popcorn Frights’ Audience Award for Best Feature Film was Erynn Dalton’s Big Easy Queens, a made-in-Florida LGBTQ glam horror musical that also featured a live performance at its world premiere presentation. Winning the Audience Award for Best Short Film was Santiago Saba Salem’s Giallo inspired Red Gloves.

In receiving the prize, Dalton said, “Gallopin’ garfish! The Big Easy Queens team is so excited and proud to have won the Audience Award from Popcorn Frights! It is incredibly special to us that our film — made entirely in Florida — is being honored with this award (especially during a time that state leaders in Florida are trying to make drag illegal). Huge thanks to Popcorn Frights for taking a chance on such a genre-bending film and giving us the best home for our world premiere!”

The full list of the festival’s award winners can be found below:

Jury Prize for Best Feature Film: The Puppetman, dir. Brandon Christensen
Jury Prize for Best Short Film: Get Away, dir. Michael Gabriele
Scariest Feature Film Prize: Ghosts of the Void, dir. Jason Miller
Scariest Short Film Prize: Unknown, dir. Jay Henric
New Nightmare Prize for Best Debut Film: The Black Mass, dir. Devanny Pinn
Best Florida Short Film: POV, dir. Brian K. Rosenthal
Audience Award for Best Feature Film: Big Easy Queens, dir. Erynn Dalton
Audience Award for Best Short Film: Red Gloves, dir. Santiago Saba Salem