The 17th A Night of Horror International Film Festival wrapped last week at the Micon Downtown Cinema in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The festival once again served up a terrifying bounty of the best and bloodiest genre films from around the world. Today, the festival announces the winning films of its 2025 event.
A Night of Horror introduced two new awards this season: “Best Found Footage Film” and “Best Found Footage Short Film.” As films in this unique sub-genre of horror continue to thrive, A Night of Horror listened to the popular demand for such recognition. One long-time proponent for festivals to include “Best Found Footage” awards is Adrian Tofei; compiler of the popular “Top 100 Genre Film Festivals” web page, and also an award winning alum of A Night of Horror. (Tofei won “Best Film” in 2015, for his now cult classic found footage feature BE MY CAT: A FILM FOR ANNE).
The winner of the fest's inaugural “Best Found Footage” award is THE LOST EPISODE, an ingenious new example of the sub-genre. Playing like an episode of a COPS-esqe reality show, the convincing Canadian film follows two police officers on Halloween night. Their patrol uncovers the activities of a local cult and then spirals into a supernatural nightmare.
Nick Wernham director of THE LOST EPISODE winner of A Night of Horror’s inaugural “Best Found Footage Film”
“We are honored to learn that THE LOST EPISODE has won the inaugural 'Best Found Footage Film' award at A Night of Horror International Film Festival,” writes film producer Paul Fler and director Nick Wernham. “We think it is appropriate that ANOH is recognizing found footage films with a specific award. The festival has always had a great eye for programming films in this often under-appreciated subgenre. It was such a treat to screen our movie at the beautiful Downtown Micon Theatre in Eau Claire for a wonderful audience. The entire weekend will be an enduring memory as we watched many great films and met so many kind, hilarious, talented people. This festival is special and we are very thankful for the opportunity to have had our film included and for it to have received this award.”
NEW FOLLOWERS – a found footage film from New Zealand filmmaking team Guy Pigden and Harley Neville – travels with two married YouTubers whose latest hiking video leads them straight into a bloody nightmare. The short took the fest's inaugural “Best Found Footage Short Film” award.
Bari Kang, writer/directot/star of ITCH! winner of “Best Film” at the 17th A Night of Horror International Film Festival
The festival's prestigious “Best Film” award was captured by the contagious and claustrophobic ITCH! The film deftly spins the zombie sub-genre in new, skin-tingling directions, while staying grounded in a touching relationship between a father and daughter, who are trapped in a convenience store with other survivors trying to escape the apocalyptic pandemic taking place in the outside world.
“It was a true honor to screen ITCH! at A Night of Horror Film Festival,” says film's writer/director/star Bari Kang. “The incredible venue, engaged audience, and the dedicated efforts of festival director Dean Bertram transformed this into an unforgettable experience for our Midwest premiere. ITCH! is a deeply personal film, and winning 'Best Film' at ANOH inspires profound gratitude. This achievement is a testament to the passion and commitment of everyone involved in making the film.”
An overview of the festival's other award-winning films follows:
“Best Director” was taken by modern master of horror Chad Ferrin for his terrifying and at times disturbingly sympathetic biopic about titular serial killer ED KEMPER. It was co-written by Ferrin with Stephen Johnston.
LEAD BELLY, from writer/director Stephen King Simmons, captured the festival's “Independent Spirit Award”; an award which recognizes the tenacity and creativity of independent filmmakers producing amazing films, regardless of budgetary and other limitations. The film begins as a potent family drama set in 1997, focussing on a dysfunctional relationship between a father and his two sons, then slowly descends into a nightmarish third act that leaves the audience devastated.
P.J. Starks (writer/director) and Eric Huksisson (director) at the screening of NEW FEARS EVE, A Night of Horror 2025
“Best Horror Comedy” was awarded to NEW FEARS EVE - a side-splitting and gore-spilling horror comedy, that grabs the slasher sub-genre by the throat and bleeds it dry - from writer/director P. J Starks and director Eric Huskisson,
Recognizing its Australian roots, A Night of Horror reintroduced it's “Best Australian Film” award this year, which was won by THE MATRIARCH. This feature debut from Jayden Creighton, tracks a 13 year old girl's brutal battle for survival against her own drug-addicted mother, capturing that raw and visceral potency that Australia's top genre filmmakers deliver better than anyone on the planet. The “Best Australian Short Film” award, also reinstated this year, was awarded to writer/director/star Dean Butler's incredible demon-battling thrill-ride, TERROR BY NIGHT.
The darkly erotic German feature TRAUMNOVELLE - a potent adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's novel of the same title (the inspiration for Stanley Kubrick's EYES WIDE SHUT) - from director Florian Frerichs, won “Best International Film”.
While Mexico's Alejandro G. Alegre captured “Best Director” for his artful realization of the atmospheric and terrifying supernatural chiller THEY WERE WITCHES.
Anthony Grant winner of “Best Actor” for his role in THE LOST EPISODE, at A Night of Horror 2025
“Best Actor” was awarded to Anthony Grant for his pitch-perfect portrayal of a police officer, haunted by his own past just as much as the macabre case he is investigating, in “Best Found Footage” winner THE LOST EPISODE.
Scottie Thompson won “Best Actress” for her captivating role as a nineteenth century woman on the brink of committing adultery with her first husband, in the mesmerizing Gothic horror chamber piece SÉANCE, from writer/director/actress Vivian Kerr. Kerr herself captured the fest's “Best Supporting Actress” for her potent portrayal of an unloved wife, on the brink of either madness or supernatural obsession.
Talented character actor Shelley Valfer won “Best Supporting Male Performance” for his charismatic portrayal of the owner of a junk-ladened digitizing studio, in body horror chiller VIDEO VISION, from visionary writer/director Michael Turney.
For the first time in the fest's history, both “Best Practical Effects” and “Best Visual Effects” were awarded to the same film: Writer/director Stuart Ortiz's terrifyingly convincing, and at times stomach-turning, faux-documentary come horror masterpiece, STRANGE HARVEST: OCCULT MURDER IN THE INLAND EMPIRE
“Best Short Film” was won by the darkly gorgeous and paranoia inducing THE NEIGHBOURHOOD AT THE END OF THE WORLD, from producer Jon Warne and writer/director Shane Day.
While “Best Director – Short Film” was won by Elliot Louis McKee for his beautiful if disturbing film about the extremes of romantic obsession, FOREVER YOURS.
The “Best International Short” award went to the stylish and creepy STALKER from French auteur David Cholewa. And Juanjo Avi captured “Best International Director - Short Film” for his frenetic slasher come fight movie mash-up TURNO DE NOCHE: THE WRONG PLACE.
YOUR PARASITE AND YOU a hilarious “how to” video about coping with an alien parasite, from US animator Jamie Gower, won “Best Animated Short”.
The festival's long-standing “Best Lovecraft Short” award, went to the riveting cosmic body horror short THE LAST WORD, from Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Moreno.
“Best Horror Comedy Short” went to hilarious and action-packed THE MILK SITUATION, about a duo of paranormal-busters who fight everything from possessed clergy to werewolves, from UK writer/director to watch John Ferrer.
Director and animator Nick Rohr winner of “Best TV / New Media” for WEEKEND DAD - “HALLOWEEN”
While “Best TV / New Media” was awarded to an animation from director and animator Nick Rohr, for the 2nd year in a row, this time for his hilarious WEEKEND DAD – “HALLOWEEN”. And the 2025 “Best Music Video” award was won by the darkly humorous and perfectly paced HATMAN, directed by Andrew Ducky Dutkiewicz for the catchy song from indie alt-rock band Capital Vice, out of Austin, Texas.
(L) DOP Mathew Hughes (R) Writer/Director Benjamin Capps of TERMINAL EMULATOR winner of “Best of the MidWest” and “Best Practical Effects - Short Film”, at ANOH 2025.
And this year's “Best of the MidWest” is the demonically erotic sci-fi short TERMINAL EMULATOR from writer/director Benjamin Capps, and lit and shot by DP Matthew Hughes.
TERMINAL EMULATOR also won the fest's “Best Practical Effects – Short Film” award, for its stunning array of practical effect work: from space ship miniatures and retro-futuristic sets, through hideous gore, to terrifying life-size stop motion demons.
“Best Visual Effects – Short Film” was taken by the jaw-dropping steam-punk spectacle APOCALYPSE IMMORTAL from French auteur Fabrice Hourlier.
The festival's “Best Male Performance – Short Film” went to the pitch-perfect performance of Corey Walls, in the darkly comedic CHEAT MEAL from US director Drew Bierut. Walls also wrote the hilarious film's screenplay that deals with an inept man's attempts to extract his girlfriend from a cannibalistic fitness cult. While Sar Cohen won “Best Female Performance – Short Film” for her role in the hirsute shaming allegory come body horror film BUSH, from writer/director Emma Mazurek.
A Night of Horror also hosts both a feature and short screenplay competition.
Owen F. Russel writer of DILL, the winner of A Night of Horror’s 2025 Short Screenplay Competition.
"Once again, a fantastic selection of scripts to dip into for this year's ANOH,” says returning screenplay competition head, Sevé Schelenz, the writer/director known for SKEW and PEELERS. “From sadistic sibling rivalries to viral zombies, cannibal farmers to old lady serial killers, and many many more. The words of all these amazing storytellers leapt off the pages and stabbed me right in the heart. It was hard to pick the finalists alone, let alone the winners, from so many unique and ambitious screenplays."
The winning feature screenplay DOROTHEA was written by the prolific Chad Ferrin, who also won the festival's “Best Director” award, this year. Bruce Griffiths' TOILET SHARKS took the 1st Runner-up spot. And the competition's 2nd Runner-up was awarded to Adrian Castro and Georgina Neville for their screenplay THE EIBON PHENOMENON.
The short screenplay competition was won by Owen F. Russel, for DILL. The 1st Runner-up was PET by N'cee van Heerden. And Samuel Vogel-Seidenberg's THE SABBATH OF THE DEAD was awarded 2nd Runner-up.
The 18th edition of A Night of Horror International Film Festival will again take place simultaneously with MidWest WeirdFest, at the Micon Downtown Cinema in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, March 5-8, 2025.
Filmmakers and screenwriters can enter their work to the 18th A Night of Horror International Film Festival, here: https://filmfreeway.com/ANightOfHorror