Get ready Florida! Popcorn Frights is coming! The kaiju-sized festival is going to be scaring up horror fans from August 6-16, and they have made their big programming announcements. This has been one of our favorite festivals, and has one of the biggest horror-only platforms in the country. Check the lineup:
Official Press Release:
July 8, 2026 // – This summer, it’s bigger, bloodier, and bolder than ever as the 12th Annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival returns August 6-16 for an electrifying 11-day takeover of South Florida. As the Southeast’s largest genre celebration, Popcorn Frights is unleashing its most thrilling program yet with the reveal of its highly anticipated First Wave lineup—featuring 14 film premieres and 7 special presentations + live immersive events that bring together horror royalty and live events for a cinematic experience with the volume cranked all the way up.
The festival will kick off with an Opening Night Zombie-Charged Double-Bill from master filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho, who will present the premiere of COLONY, the adrenaline-fueled zombie nightmare that shocked audiences at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Paired with the premiere is a celebration of the 10th anniversary of TRAIN TO BUSAN, as Yeon Sang-ho’s genre-defining masterpiece returns in a breathtaking new 4K restoration.
Popcorn Frights also rolls out the blood-red carpet for horror royalty with the arrival of legendary actor Stephen Lang. First, he’ll introduce the gloriously over-the-top, neon-soaked Miami cult classic BAND OF THE HAND, the unapologetically explosive ‘80s action fever dream produced by Michael Mann and starring an all-star ensemble including Laurence Fishburne, Lauren Holly, and John Cameron Mitchell. Then steel your nerves for the 10th anniversary of DON’T BREATHE, one of the most intense theatrical horror experiences of the last decade that transformed a simple home invasion into pure cinematic terror. Capping off the celebration is the premiere of REMAINS, the latest film from his son, Noah Lang, making this a one-of-a-kind family affair celebrating two generations of fearless filmmaking.
But wait… there’s more!
Prepare for a psychic showdown that will Blow. Your. Mind. as Popcorn Frights celebrates the 45th anniversary of David Cronenberg’s SCANNERS with legendary actor Michael Ironside in attendance. Come for the exploding heads. Stay for the mind-melting psychic combat. Leave questioning the limits of the human mind. Ironside also blasts into Popcorn Frights for the 4K restoration of Paul Verhoeven’s sci-fi masterpiece TOTAL RECALL, where audiences can experience one of the greatest sci-fi action films ever made exactly as intended: louder, bigger, and with a crowd!
Things only get weirder from here. Dare to experience the Pope of Trash, the People’s Pervert, the Duke of Dirt, John Waters’ most gloriously grotesque film POLYESTER in sensational odorama for its 45th anniversary! Scratch. Sniff. Regret. Repeat. From stomach-turning stenches to hilariously specific suburban aromas, this is moviegoing that engages every sense. Yes—you’ll smell the filth. Yes—you’ll question your life choices. And yes—you’ll laugh anyway!
Then warm up those vocal cords, practice your best “Suddenly, Seymour,” and remember one golden rule: Whatever you do… don’t feed the plants! Popcorn Frights presents a monstrously fun 40th anniversary celebration of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS featuring a full interactive LIVE SHADOWCAST by Infinite Abyss Productions! Watch performers bring Seymour, Audrey, Orin Scrivello, and the insatiable Audrey II to life right before your eyes, transforming the beloved cult classic into a wildly interactive theatrical event.
Florida Focus:
Staying true to its South Florida roots, the festival’s beloved Florida Focus program once again shines a spotlight on homegrown horror with two made-in-Florida world premieres. First, sink your teeth into GATOR FACE, writer-director Padraig Reynolds’ ferocious Southern Gothic nightmare—a blood-soaked love letter to gritty ’70s horror shot deep in Florida’s unforgiving swamps using real alligators, jaw-dropping practical effects, and absolutely zero CGI or AI. Then discover BEST SERVED COLD: HOW A REVENGE FILM WAS BURIED FOR DECADES, the stranger-than-fiction story behind the long-lost cult revenge thriller THE FARMER. Equal parts comedy, mystery, and trainwreck you can’t look away from, it’s the kind of unbelievable story that leaves audiences asking, “How is this real?” Somehow, every outrageous moment actually happened.
Continuing its tradition of championing bold new voices, Popcorn Frights showcases a thrilling slate of premieres from festival alumni turned breakout feature filmmakers. Russell Goldman’s SENDER boasts an extraordinary cast led by SEVERANCE breakout Britt Lower alongside PLURIBUS star Rhea Seehorn, joined by horror favorite David Dastmalchian and legendary scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis in one of the year’s most inventive and deeply unsettling psychological thrillers. Meanwhile, after winning Popcorn Frights’ Scariest Short Film Award, writer-director Caleb Phillips returns with his gripping feature debut IMPOSTERS, a nerve-rattling psychological nightmare driven by relentless suspense and emotional devastation.
The festival also hosts the world premiere of MARROW, starring genre favorites Michael Ironside and Danielle Harris, a razor-sharp descent into viral obsession, internet fame, and the horrors lurking behind every screen. And proving Halloween never dies, HEREDITARY breakout Milly Shapiro stars in HALLOWARRIOR as a Halloween-obsessed survivor navigating the ashes of the apocalypse—a ferocious love letter to horror’s favorite holiday where every day is Halloween, even after the end of the world.
Virtual Program:
And for horror fans across the country, Popcorn Frights’ acclaimed virtual program returns with more than 20 streaming films, headlined by the U.S. premiere of the darkly comic supernatural road trip ARMAGEDDON ROAD, the visceral Kiwi body-horror nightmare BROKEN BEAK, the blood-soaked anthology IF IT BLEEDS featuring Doug Jones, Dee Wallace, Krsy Fox, and Catherine Corcoran, the nerve-rattling thriller INCUBATION, the haunting psychological chiller MARY KWON, MARY KWON, the emotionally devastating nightmare VARIATIONS OF VIOLENCE, and the monstrous thriller WOOZY starring Emile Hirsch—each pushing the genre envelope in thrilling new directions and designed to blow your genre-loving mind.
A second wave of Popcorn Frights 2026 titles with more than two dozen additional feature film premieres for in-theater and virtual programming will be announced next week.
Individual tickets and All-Access Badges for the in-theater experience—hosted at Savor Cinema Fort Lauderdale and Classic Gateway Theater—are now available. Virtual All-Access Passes can also be purchased for streaming access to the full digital lineup. To order an In-Theater All-Access VIP Badge, click here, to order a Virtual All-Access Pass, click here.
The Second Wave Announcement!
Tearing through the neighborhood is the hugely anticipated Warner Bros. Pictures feature THE END OF OAK STREET, the latest scare ride from acclaimed filmmaker David Robert Mitchell (IT FOLLOWS), starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor and produced by J.J. Abrams. After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings. Popcorn Frights will immerse audiences in the world of Oak Street with a tricked out screening, themed games, special photo opportunities, and an open invitation to wear your best bitchin’ ’80s attire for an unforgettable night at the movies.
Repertory Films:
The festival also celebrates the 30th anniversary of FROM DUSK TILL DAWN with writer and legendary FX artist Robert Kurtzman, who will unveil a brand-new restoration of the original short film that inspired Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s cult vampire classic. Kurtzman will remain to conjure even more nightmares with a special screening of WISHMASTER, joined by the film’s unforgettable Djinn himself, Andrew Divoff.
But the terror doesn’t end there. Following WISHMASTER, Popcorn Frights unleashes the WISH-A-THON—the ultimate overnight horror endurance event hosted by the WISHMASTER. Audiences will descend into an all-night cinematic marathon featuring a secret lineup of genre oddities, forgotten gems, and delirious cult favorites, all united by one sinister theme: wishes gone horribly wrong. The only guarantee? You’ll be sitting in a movie theater… and you won’t be sleeping. Even better, the event benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation, with all ticket proceeds helping grant life-changing wishes for children facing critical illnesses.
Attention all righteous dudes and babes! Death himself, William Sadler, joins the festival for a most triumphant celebration of the 35th anniversary of BILL & TED’S BOGUS JOURNEY, revisiting the beloved comedy that sent cinema’s favorite slackers on a wildly unforgettable trip through Heaven and Hell. Sadler will also appear for a special screening of Frank Darabont’s beloved Stephen King adaptation THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, followed by an extended in-depth conversation with audiences.
Summer camp gets gloriously deranged with a celebration of one of horror’s most infamous cult classics, SLEEPAWAY CAMP. Scream queen Felissa Rose returns for a live commentary packed with behind-the-scenes stories, outrageous memories, and uncensored laughs as the madness unfolds on screen. Fans can also browse a pop-up video market filled with VHS treasures, DVDs, collectibles, and rare discoveries before Rose hosts the premiere of THE BARN PART III, the long-awaited finale to the beloved indie Halloween franchise.
Feature Premieres:
Headlining the festival’s 16 newly announced feature premieres is the Closing Night presentation of DRAG, an outrageously original horror-thriller that crashes together serial-killer mayhem, razor-sharp comedy, and relentless chaos into one unforgettable ride. Featuring Lizzy Caplan in a fearless lead performance, a scene-stealing turn from John Stamos as a charming psychopath, and a pulse-pounding score by Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, DRAG delivers blood-soaked insanity that demands to be experienced with a crowd.
The newly announced lineup also includes some of the year’s most daring and talked-about genre discoveries, including the SXSW Audience Award-winning supernatural chiller NEVER AFTER DARK, the genre-bending thriller BREEDER, the hauntingly beautiful South African folk horror HEN, and the U.S. premiere of the zombie-fueled Christmas horror-comedy UNHOLY NIGHT, alongside a lineup of fresh nightmares guaranteed to shock and awe.
More Virtual Programming:
For horror fans beyond South Florida, the Popcorn Frights Virtual Program once again opens its crypt nationwide, bringing the festival’s signature brand of fearless genre storytelling directly into homes across the country. This year’s online lineup is led by the world premieres of the true-crime thriller HOLLOW GIRLS and the survival nightmare SAVAGE PREY, alongside the animated fever dream BIG CITY PIZZA, the wickedly funny BREAK A LEG, the unsettling CAT CAM, the neo-noir mystery THE DAUGHTERS OF THE DOMINO, the outrageous horror-comedy DEMONETIZE starring Doug Jones, haunted attraction documentary THE FRIGHT STUFF, genre-bending shocker LENORE, psychological horror tale LIFE AT SANDY’S, supernatural shocker NARCISA’S WILL, and the inventive thriller THE VANISHING TOUR.
By the numbers, this year’s festival will unveil 33 feature film premieres and 11 retro titles, including 5 world premieres, while showcasing bold and boundary-pushing horror from more than 10 countries, proving once again that fear is a universal language.
Don’t close your eyes just yet—a Third Wave of premieres and special events is still to come, promising even more carnage, chaos, and cinematic insanity!