The 12th annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival returns August 6-16 for 11 days of horror fun in South Florida, and the third wave of programming is dedicated to short films.
Popcorn Frights’ hybrid festival will present 72 short films, including 13 world premieres, across seven curated programs available both in theaters and nationwide through the festival’s virtual platform.
The fest also pays tribute to two beloved cult classics with special anniversary presentations. Fans will experience the 35th anniversary restoration of Robert Kurtzman’s From Dusk Till Dawn, the original proof-of-concept teaser that ultimately inspired Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s iconic vampire tale, alongside the 30th anniversary of Michael Dougherty’s Seasons Greetings, presented in a brand-new 4K restoration of the animated short that first introduced audiences to Sam years before he became horror’s favorite pint-sized Halloween icon in Trick ‘r Treat.
Catch up with the first and second waves for more packed genre programming.
Read on for the final wave of Popcorn Frights 2026 programming:
SHORT FILM LINEUP
Animation Domination
The endless possibilities of genre animation are on dazzling display in this retina-reeling, round-the-world showcase of some of the medium’s most innovative, boundary-pushing, and mind-enhancing short films:
Butterly Kiss, dir. Zohar Dvir (Germany); Cracked, dir. Jessica Rizk (USA); The Double, dirs. Aljosha Klimov, Mitya Kokorin & Misha Sprits (Canada-Germany, North American Premiere); Eaternal Dead End, dir. Ziyaad Jina (South Africa); Find Enjoyment in Your Toil, dir. Rob Kleinschmidt (USA, U.S. Premiere); The Foley Artist, dir. Rob Aiello (USA); Hell, dir. Parker Croft (USA); Run from It, dir. Racha Kongsommart (Canada); Snacktime, dir. Alphonse Ferrari (France); Zombie Patrol, Andres Bronnimann (Costa Rica-USA)
Homegrown: 100% Pure Fresh Squeezed Florida Horror
Celebrating the cream of Florida’s homegrown crop:
Bodies of Water, dir. Biagio Gulino (USA); Cheap Meat, dir. JP Bradham (USA, World Premiere); Final Frames, dir. Michael D. Elliott (USA, World Premiere); Horror Insurance, dir. Christopher Pinto (USA, World Premiere); Hot Mess, dir. Yessica Lepe (USA, World Premiere); Mary Rich and Often, dir. Jessica Bachman (USA, World Premiere); Pumpkin, dir. Mack Reyes (USA, World Premiere)
International Midnighters
A celebration of some of the year’s most fantastic international short films from new emerging voices and established filmmakers:
Appetite of a Nobody, dir. Amanda Kaye (Australia); Banshee, dir. Peter Vass (Ireland); The Beneath, dir. Lisette Vlassak (Netherlands); Come In, dir. Peter Ricq (Canada); Freya, dir. Fredrik Lindton (Sweden); Gulp, dir. Conor McMahon (Ireland, World Premiere); Halfway Haunted, dir. Sam Rudykoff (Canada); Headphones, dir. Steven Arriagada (Australia); Heirlooms, dir. Dan Abramovici (Canada-USA); The Humbug, dir. Cole Paviour (UK); My Mother, the Zombie, dir. Samantha Pineda Sierra (Canada, World Premiere); Sweetie, dir. Taylor Olson (Canada); Wax, dir. Alexandre Forgues (Canada)
Midnighters
A celebration of new works from cinematic scaremongers that bring nightmares into waking hours with thrills, chills, and spills:
I
Artichoke, dir. Amir Moini (USA, World Premiere); Burning of a Family Tree, dir. Alison Mattingly (USA, World Premiere); Feed the Dark, dir.Rob Himebaugh (USA); House Rules, dir. Geri Courtney-Austein (USA); Inheritance, dir. Arvind Palep (USA); Rough Cut, dir. Mitchell Vincent Slan (USA); Sola, dir. Brian Hernandez (USA); Total Party Kill, dir. Alan Sanchez (USA); The Woman Is perfected, dir. Ruth Iorio Fowler (USA)
II
Blindsided, dir. P. Patrick Hogan (USA); The First Hour, dir. Harrison Thomas (USA); No.3, dir. Joe Heath (USA); The Orange Circle, dir. Mike Robinson (USA); Scissors, dir. Hannah Alline (USA); Scullion, dir. Trevor Graciano (USA); Shroomery, dir. Dane A. Benko (USA); Stay In, dir. Michael Buran (USA); Trad, dir. Dave Bekerman (USA)
III
American Cheese, dir. Kate Thulin (USA); Blossom Needs a Ride Home, dir. Tim Schwagel (USA); Carousel, dir. Christopher Kosakowski (USA); CHÄIR, dir. Chris McInroy (USA); Drones, dir. Steve Acevedo (USA); Four Itchy Boys, dir. Andrew Hebert (USA); Gimme, dir. Steven Schloss (USA); Monstrous Me, dir. Ariel Baska (USA, World Premiere); MurderBird, dir. Barrett Lesly Shuler (USA); Plain Folks, dir. Fatima Liaqat (USA); Rave, dirs. Jimmy Gruss & Riley McMahon (USA); Tapestry, dir. Jason Sheedy (USA)
IV
The Bogeyman, dir. Kenneth Thompson (USA, World Premiere); Bokeh, dir. Ivan Salcedo (USA); Earworm, dir. Ben Baraad (USA, World Premiere); Imprint, dir. Ran Jing (USA); The Last Draft, dir. Nicholas Guilak; The Me in the TV, dir. Gordon Phillips (USA); My Severed Arm, dir. Casey de Fremery (USA); Nightfall, dir. Zac Villanueva (USA); Prey for Us, dir. Zoe Kerr (USA); The Witchening, dir. MK Kopp (USA); Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done, dir. PJ Germain (USA)
Individual tickets and All-Access Badges for the in-theater experience—hosted at Savor Cinema Fort Lauderdale and Classic Gateway Theater—are now available. Virtual All-Access Passes can also be purchased for streaming access to the full digital lineup. To order an In-Theater All-Access VIP Badge, click here, to order a Virtual All-Access Pass, click here.
