LOS ANGELES, CA (October 15, 2026) – Screamfest® Horror Film Festival, the largest and longest-running horror film festival in the United States, is excited to announce its 2026 award winners. The festival took place from October 6 to 15, 2026, at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
Screamfest wrapped tonight with the premiere screening of Briarcliff Entertainment’s Christmas at the Kringles, directed by Kevin Lewis and featuring an all-star cast including Ron Livingston (Office Space), Rachel Bilson (The O.C.), Rob Riggle (The Hangover), Thomas Lennon (Reno 911), Arden Myrin (Insatiable), Donald Faison (Scrubs), Beverly D’Angelo (Vacation) and David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer).
The 2026 awards recognized standout achievements across feature films and shorts, with KICK ON taking home Best Picture and Best Make-Up, while director Nick Kozakis earned Best Director for the film. Other top honors went to Santiago Otoya for Best Cinematography for POSTMORTEM, Javier Botet for Best Actor for GUMMY, and Laura Im for Best Actress for VALLEY VIEW MOTEL. Additional winners included NINE for Best Editing, NERVOUS for Best Musical Score, RINRADA THE INFLUENCER for Best Special Effects, IT HELPS for Best Short, NEWCOMER for Best Student Short, Avant de Rentrer, for Best Animated Short, and TV DAD, which received the Short Film Audience Choice Award.
This year’s Screamfest once again brought the horror community together for an exciting celebration of genre cinema, spotlighting innovative filmmakers, fresh perspectives, and standout films that kept audiences engaged throughout the festival.
Please see the full list of award recipients below.
Screamfest 2026 Winners
- Best Picture — KICK ON, Nick Kozakis
- Best Director — Nick Kozakis, KICK ON
- Best Cinematography — POSTMORTEM, Santiago Otoya
- Best Actor — Javier Botet, GUMMY
- Best Actress — Laura Im, VALLEY VIEW MOTEL
- Best Editing — NINE, Jeanne Signé & Edouard Alvado
- Best Special Effects — Artistaya Arriyawongsa, RINRADA THE INFLUENCER
- Best Make-Up — KICK ON, Nick Kozakis
- Best Musical Score — NERVOUS, Matthew Pusti
- Best Short – J. Zachary Thurman – IT HELPS
- Best Student Short – NEWCOMER, Sam Shapson
- Best Animated Short – Avant de Rentrer, Arthur Bonneau
- Short Film Audience Choice Award – TV DAD, Sam Ripley
