Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2026 (11th Annual): Dates, Tickets, Lineup and What to Know

The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival returns for its 11th edition from October 15 to 22, 2026, giving Brooklyn eight straight days of premieres, cult revivals and late-night dread at Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg right as the leaves start turning. All screenings, including Opening Night, take place at Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg. Here is what has been confirmed so far and how to plan your week of screaming.

What is Brooklyn Horror Film Festival?

BHFF is a competitive international genre film festival held every year in Brooklyn. It has grown into one of the premier horror festivals on the East Coast, and 2026 marks its 11th edition.

The programming mixes world and regional premieres with retrospective screenings and special events, which gives it a different energy from the bigger, more buttoned-up fall festivals in Manhattan. You might catch a filmmaker’s debut feature in the afternoon, then sit through a repertory classic with a room full of people who know every line.

Why does it matter? Horror is where a lot of exciting, strange and political filmmaking happens right now, and BHFF gives New York audiences an early look at titles that often don’t get a wide theatrical release. Because it’s competitive, it also gives emerging genre filmmakers a real platform. And the Nitehawk setting, where you can order food and drinks to your seat, makes even a midnight slot feel like a party.

What’s on this year

The full 2026 lineup was announced on September 15, 2026. One highlight, as Variety reported, is the Centerpiece selection: the New York premiere of Marion Le Corroller’s body-horror film Species (Sanguine). If you’re the type who likes your horror visceral and close to the skin, that’s the one to circle now.

For the Opening Night film, Closing Night film, competition titles, retrospective picks and any special guests, check the festival’s official channels.

The schedule shape is already set, according to the festival’s FilmFreeway listing and official site:

• Weekends: programming runs from morning to late night, so you can realistically stack four or five screenings in a day if you pace yourself.
• Weekdays: programming kicks off late afternoon, which makes after-work screenings easy for anyone with a day job.

Tickets and how to go

Passes

Festival passes are sold through the festival’s Eventive page, and there are three tiers:

• Splatter Package: from $120
• Horror Buff: from $275
• Possessed Package: from $475, the top tier

The festival has said pass prices go up on June 1 and again on August 1. The exact amounts after each increase have not been announced, but the takeaway is simple: if you know you’re going, buying early saves money.

What each package includes beyond the price has not been detailed in the information available here, so check the pass descriptions on Eventive before you commit. That matters most if you’re weighing the jump from Horror Buff to Possessed.

Individual tickets

Single tickets are also available through the festival’s official site. Individual ticket prices and the on-sale date for single tickets have not been announced. If you only want to see one or two films, like the Species (Sanguine) Centerpiece, watch for that announcement, because Nitehawk auditoriums are intimate and popular screenings can go fast.

Getting there

The venue is an easy subway trip.

Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg (136 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249) hosts all the primary screenings. Take the L to Lorimer St or Metropolitan Ave. It’s a short walk from either stop, and the neighborhood is packed with bars and late-night food if you need to decompress between films.

Opening Night is also at Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg, so there’s no need to head to the Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park location (188 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY 11215) for the festival.

Local tips

• Eat at the theater. Nitehawk’s in-seat dining means you don’t have to choose between dinner and a double feature.
• Pace your weekend. Morning-to-late-night programming sounds great until you’re on hour eleven. Build in a break.
• Dress for October in Brooklyn. Nights get chilly fast, especially if you’re waiting on an elevated platform after a midnight screening.

Frequently asked questions

What horror conventions are happening in 2026?

This guide only covers the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2026. For other horror conventions and fan events, your best bet is a dedicated event listings site. If a film festival is what you’re after, BHFF runs October 15 to 22 in Brooklyn.

What are the main shows on the 2026 NYFF slate?

We can’t speak to the New York Film Festival here, since this guide is focused only on the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2026. On the BHFF side, the confirmed highlight so far is the Centerpiece New York premiere of Marion Le Corroller’s Species (Sanguine).

Is Brooklyn Film Festival prestigious?

This guide only covers the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2026, so we can’t reliably weigh in on the reputation of other Brooklyn festivals. What we can say is that BHFF is a competitive international genre festival and one of the premier horror festivals on the East Coast.

How much are NYFF tickets?

We don’t cover New York Film Festival pricing. For the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, passes start at $120 for the Splatter Package, $275 for the Horror Buff package and $475 for the Possessed Package, with prices rising on June 1 and August 1. Individual tickets are also available through the festival’s official site, though single-ticket prices have not been announced yet.