Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Celebrates 10 Years of Terror

Your Complete Guide to 2025’s Most Anticipated Genre Event

The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival returns to Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg this October for a milestone 10th anniversary celebration that promises to deliver the most ambitious lineup in the festival’s history. Running October 16-25, 2025, this East Coast genre powerhouse is pulling out all the stops with 10 days of spine-tingling features, world premieres, special events, and immersive horror experiences.

Opening Night Madness: Queens of the Dead

The festival kicks off with Tina Romero’s Brooklyn-set horror-comedy Queens of the Dead, a queer zombie apocalypse film that brings the undead to a warehouse party in the borough. Starring Jaquel Spivey, Katy O’Brian, Margaret Cho, and Cheyenne Jackson, this opening night selection sets the tone for a festival that embraces diversity, innovation, and pure visceral thrills.

World Premieres and Exclusive Screenings

Brooklyn Horror 2025 boasts two highly anticipated world premieres. Adam MacDonald’s This Is Not a Test brings Courtney Summers’ beloved YA apocalypse novel to life, while Connor Marsden’s Violence promises blood-soaked thrills with Halloween Ends star Rohan Campbell.

The festival also features the North American premiere of Johanna Moder’s paranoid motherhood horror Mother’s Baby, alongside Avalon Fast’s centerpiece film Camp and the closing night feature Karmadonna.

Horror legends take center stage with a special 35th anniversary screening of Tom Savini’s uncut Night of the Living Dead remake, presented in stunning 4K restoration. Bryan Fuller’s Dust Bunny, featuring Mads Mikkelsen, arrives to delight Fannibals, while The Creep Tapes brings found-footage terror to the big screen.

Ernest Dickerson Receives the Leviathan Award

This year’s prestigious Leviathan Award honors the multitalented Ernest Dickerson, whose prolific career spans cinematography and directing. The festival celebrates with a special 30th anniversary screening of Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight, followed by an exclusive Q&A with the horror icon.

Fear in Focus: Black Horror Spotlight

Brooklyn Horror 2025 dedicates its Fear in Focus programming to Black horror, showcasing essential films like Sugar Hill, Def by Temptation, and the North American premiere of Parasomnia from director James Ross II. The festival also presents 1000 Women in Horror, a documentary based on Alexandra Heller-Nicholas’s book celebrating women’s contributions to the genre.

Beyond the Screen: Events and Experiences

The festival transforms Williamsburg into horror central with an incredible array of special events. Highlights include:

• Opening Night Zombie Bash presented by IFC/Shudder (October 16)

• NYBC Busmobile Blood Drive where you can save lives between screenings (October 18)

• Artists and Artisans Market featuring horror creators and vendors (October 18-19)

• Live Zombie SFX Makeup Tutorial with Terrifier series makeup artist Jackie Hughes (October 19)

• Closing Night Halloween Party presented by Dark Sky Films with costumes encouraged (October 25)

Horror podcast fans can attend live recordings of Certified Forgotten with Tina Romero and Blerdy Massacre featuring Ernest Dickerson. The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies returns with lectures including “Excessive Life: The Uncanny Vitality of the Zombie” and discussions on psychedelic horror and feminist film theory.

Animation Gets the Horror Treatment

The new Drawing on Fear sidebar celebrates animated horror with screenings of Belladonna of Sadness, Heavy Metal, and the Czechoslovakian stop-motion masterpiece The Pied Piper. This programming proves that horror transcends live-action boundaries.

Get Your Tickets to the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Now

Festival badges are currently available, with limited individual tickets going on sale Friday at 12 PM EST. With over 10 days of programming packed into every venue corner, early ticket purchases are essential for horror fans who don’t want to miss a moment.

Whether you’re a die-hard genre enthusiast or curious newcomer, the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2025 offers something for every fear level. From drag queens battling zombies to Black horror classics, world premieres to cult favorites, and educational panels to blood-splattered parties, this 10th anniversary celebration proves that Brooklyn remains the beating heart of East Coast horror cinema.

Mark your calendars, grab your tickets, and prepare for 10 days that will redefine what a horror film festival can be.