Horror has been a significant force in media for decades, though it’s a genre that more prestigious organizations overlook and dismiss. This means that fans often need to look outside of major ceremonies that honor achievements in pop culture, but 2026 was a unique year. First with the Golden Globe Awards and then with the Academy Awards, genre titles like Sinners, Weapons, and Frankenstein became dominating forces at events normally reserved for straightforward dramas.
There’s another annual event that we can always rely on to honor achievements in horror, which comes in the form of Fangoria‘s Chainsaw Awards. The event launched in 1992 and, while a staple of the publisher, things went to a new level in 2021 when David Dastmalchian hosted a ceremony on Shudder, which has since become an annual event. This past weekend saw the debut of the 2026 iteration of the awards on Shudder, and now the ceremony is available to stream for free on YouTube.
Below you’ll find a list of the presenters, categories, and winners.
Best Costume Design — Spencer Williams and Kelli Maroney
- Olivier Bériot & Catherine Leterrier, Dust Bunny
- Kate Hawley, Frankenstein [WINNER]
- Carson McColl & Gareth Pugh, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- Sandy Powell, The Bride!
- David Tabbert, Queens of the Dead
Best Creature FX — John Kassir
- Legacy Effects, Dust Bunny
- Studio Gillis and Wētā Workshop, Predator: Badlands
- Millennium FX, Primate
- Werner Pretorius and Amazing Ape Productions, Backrooms
- Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 [WINNER]
Best Documentary Feature — Dr. Emily Zarka and Vander Von Odd
- 1000 Women in Horror
- Chain Reactions
- In Search of Darkness: 1995-1999 [WINNER]
- The Last Sacrifice
- Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror
Best International Movie — Aurora Perrineau
- Alpha
- Exit 8 [WINNER]
- Mārama
- Reflection in a Dead Diamond
- The Wailing
Best Limited Release Movie — Krsy Fox and Adam Marcinowski (as Big Baby)
- Dust Bunny [WINNER]
- Mārama
- Queens of the Dead
- The Serpent’s Skin
- Touch Me
Best Makeup FX — Darren Stein and Peaches Christ
- Olivier Bériot & Catherine Leterrier, Dust Bunny
- Kate Hawley, Frankenstein [WINNER]
- Carson McColl & Gareth Pugh, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- Sandy Powell, The Bride!
- David Tabbert, Queens of the Dead
Best Non-Fiction Series — Isa Mazzei and Sarah Lind
- The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans
- Grave Conversations
- The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs [WINNER]
- Monstrum
- Svengoolie
Best Score — Curtis Rx and Cerina Vincent
- Gavin Brivik, Faces of Death
- Alexandre Desplat, Frankenstein
- Hildur Guðnadóttir, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- Daniel Hart, Mother Mary
- Kane Parsons & Edo Van Breemen, Backrooms [WINNER]
Best Series — Julia Marchese and Teri Gamble
- Alien: Earth
- The Creep Tapes
- Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen
- The Vampire Lestat
- Widow’s Bay [WINNER]
Best Streaming Premiere Movie — Patrick Brice
- I Am Frankelda
- Influencers
- Mother of Flies
- Reflection in a Dead Diamond
- V/H/S/Halloween [WINNER]
Best Supporting Performance — Tracie Thoms
- Stacy Clausen, Leviticus
- Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
- Elle Fanning, Predator: Badlands
- Regina Hall, Scary Movie
- David Jonsson, The Long Walk
- Amy Madigan, Weapons [WINNER]
- Mads Mikkelsen, Dust Bunny
- Dacre Montgomery, Faces of Death
- Jack O’Connell, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- Sigourney Weaver, Dust Bunny
Best Video Game — Alanah Pearce
- Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake
- Little Nightmares III
- No, I’m Not A Human
- Resident Evil: Requiem [WINNER]
- Silent Hill f
Best Screenplay — Dr. Stephen Graham Jones
- Curry Barker, Obsession [WINNER]
- Zach Cregger, Weapons
- Alex Garland, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- Isa Mazzei and Daniel Goldhaber, Faces of Death
- Damian McCarthy, Hokum
Best Director — Mick Garris and William Malone
- Curry Barker, Obsession [WINNER]
- Zach Cregger, Weapons
- Nia DaCosta, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- Bryan Fuller, Dust Bunny
- Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Bride!
Best Lead Performance — Mink Stole
- Zazie Beetz, They Will Kill You
- Jessie Buckley, The Bride!
- Peter Dinklage, The Toxic Avenger
- Chiwetel Ejiofor, Backrooms
- Ralph Fiennes, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- Rachel McAdams, Send Help
- Inde Navarrette, Obsession [WINNER]
- Toby Poser, Mother of Flies
- Adam Scott, Hokum
- Sophie Sloan, Dust Bunny
Best Wide Release Movie — Lin Shaye
- 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- Backrooms
- The Bride!
- Faces of Death
- Forbidden Fruits
- Hokum
- Leviticus
- Obsession [WINNER]
- Send Help
- Weapons
Best Kill — Tiffany Shepis and Felissa Rose
- Obsession, Brick Kill
Best First Feature — Chris Colfer
- Backrooms [WINNER]
- Buffet Infinity
- Dust Bunny
- Iron Lung
- Queens of the Dead
Best Cinematography — Dylan Clark
- Sean Bobbitt, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- Jeremy Cox, Backrooms [WINNER]
- Andrew Droz Palermo & Rina Yang, Mother Mary
- Nicole Hirsch Whitaker, Dust Bunny
- Colm Hogan, Hokum
Editor’s Eyeball — Phil Nobile Jr. and James A. Janiss
- FANGORIA Editor-in-Chief Phil Nobile Jr. presented the Editor’s Eyeball Award to rising star Joe Bird (Talk to Me, Leviticus), recognizing his early achievements and promising future in horror.
- Phil Nobile Jr. then surprised co-presenter James A. Janisse with a second Editor’s Eyeball Award, honoring Janisse and Chelsea Rebecca, the creators of Dead Meat, for their contributions to horror fandom and for introducing a new generation to the genre.
What did you think of this year’s awards ceremony? Let us know in the comments below!