Ready, Set, Panic! Panic Fest 2025 is Almost Here

The 13th annual Panic Fest returns to Kansas City with over 130 features and short films playing at the festival.

It’s almost time for one of the coolest, most stacked genre fests of the year—and one of my personal favorites: Panic Fest.

This year, I’m especially giddy because a wave of slasher films is taking over the festival, kicking off with a 30th-anniversary screening of Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers presented by Paramount Scares, followed by Neon’s Hell of a Summer!

Headliners include Lionsgate’s Freaky Tales, Magnolia’s 40 Acres, director David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds, and the Crispin Glover-starring fantasy film Mr. K!

“There is a major emphasis on bringing the fun back into horror this year at the festival. From a cat sitting gone wrong to a twisted grave robber looking for love and multiple takes on the summer camp slasher genre, the line up is packed with quirky premises and a whole lot of WTF did you just watch,” said Adam Roberts, Festival Director.

Additional highlights for this year’s programming include the world premieres of Chad Archibald’s It Feeds, Daniel DelPurgatorio’s Marshmallow, Nick Funess’s The Hedonist, and Tim Cruz’s Don’t Let The Cat Out.

Returning for their highly anticipated annual Mystery Movie are filmmakers Joe Lynch and Rebecca Howard, who always bring a deep cut to the festival.

Meanwhile, this year’s wickedly fun podcast lineup includes Cult Podcast, Horror Virgin, and Nightmare Junkhead.

One of the things I’m incredibly excited about and grateful for is that Panic Fest is continuing its commitment to accessibility. It will again be a hybrid festival, allowing genre fans to enjoy programming in-person or experience some of the magic at home with virtual programming.

Festival attendees enjoying a weekend packed with horror and sci-fi can sneak away from the action into Rewind Video and Dive Bar. This blast of nostalgia is ripped straight from your parents’ ’90s basement! It features a full-service bar, board games, retro gaming systems, a neon-infused atmosphere, and shelves of VHS tapes. All podcasts, meet-and-greet events, and after-parties will be held in this unique bar located in the theater’s basement.

Can’t make it to the fest in person but still want to hang out at the VHS store? Join virtual attendees on Gather, the festival’s 16-bit isometric festival experience. Design your avatar and hop into our virtual theater to network, discuss the films you have seen, or play some board games.

FEATURE FILM PROGRAMMING

1978 (Nicolás Onetti, Luciano Onetti)

During the World Cup final between Argentina and Holland, in times of military dictatorship, a group of torturers violently breaks into a home and kidnaps a group of young people to take them to a clandestine detention center. What begins as an inhumane interrogation turns into a true martyrdom: the wrong group of people have been kidnapped. They turn out to be part of a macabre cult guided by an unknown supernatural force.

40 Acres (R.T. Thorne)

In a post-apocalyptic world with food scarcity, a Black family of Canadian farmers descended from American Civil War migrants defend their homestead against cannibals trying to seize their resources.

A Desert (Joshua Erkman)

While on a road trip, a photographer befriends a young couple whose reckless ways turn his world upside down and into a nightmare in this unpredictable and horror-tinged neo-noir knockout.

Abduct (Chris Riggi)

A woman’s peaceful mountain getaway takes a bizarre turn when her boyfriend disappears and a random naked man shows up claiming to be him.

Beyond the Drumlins (Daniel W. Bowhers)

The leaves have already started to change, but Professor Jonathan Rust is still woefully ill-prepared for the coming semester. This weekend, he is scouting a suitable location for the archeology department’s fieldwork course. With the help of fellow academics and hired hands, the team heads out at first light. The trip presents a rare opportunity for Jonathan to get his hands dirty, and success could mean publication and, just maybe, tenure. The expedition is quickly derailed when a Teaching Assistant mysteriously vanishes. Soon, the group finds themselves at the intersection of reality and the afterlife in a haunting descent into madness.

Black Spines (Jordan Foss)

The film follows Cameron, a high school photographer who investigates a series of murders in his small town. But when mysterious videotapes begin to appear, leading Cameron to clues about the killer’s identity, he is forced to reckon with the very terrifying possibility that the killer may be closer than he ever imagined.

Black Theta (Tim Connolly)

Andy is haunted years after his brush with death when a mysterious and murderous cult returns to target him, throwing him onto a rollercoaster of chaos and terror.

The Book of the Witch (Joshua Sowden)

Driven by her fear of death, Victoria hunts a mythical Witch, determined to steal her book that grants eternal life—but at a sinister price.

Carry the Darkness (Douglas Forrester)

In 1993, Travis Baldwin is a misunderstood metalhead teenager amidst a world steeped in the Satanic Panic. Lured by a mysterious entity that begins wreaking havoc, can Travis protect himself and his friends while being blamed for the atrocities surrounding him? Besides a few friends and a newcomer detective, the town eagerly accuses Travis while remaining blind to the true evil in their midst.

Chain Reactions (Alexandre O. Philippe)

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’s impact on five artists — Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, Karyn Kusama -—through interviews, outtakes, exploring how it shaped their art, psyche from childhood trauma.

Chainsaws Were Singing (Sander Maran)

Adventures await when new lovers get separated by a chainsaw killer in the wonderfully weird and riotous Chainsaws Were Singing.

Cover (Cameron Francis)

When a traveling stamp dealer gives a ride to a woman on the run from her abusive boyfriend, he soon discovers that their dark pasts are inextricably linked, and that she isn’t just after a ride–she’s after revenge.

Dead Lover (Grace Glowicki)

A lonely gravedigger who stinks of corpses finally meets her dream man, but their whirlwind affair is cut short when he tragically drowns at sea. Grief-stricken, she goes to morbid lengths to resurrect him through madcap experiments.

Descendent (Peter Cilella)

A troubled LA school guard, haunted by family tragedy, experiences strange visions after a mysterious light appears in the sky. As his wife’s due date approaches, he races to face his demons before his growing obsession consumes him.

Don’t Let the Cat Out (Tim Cruz)

A feline-obsessed couple find their next human vessel to transfer the soul of their beloved cat into.

Dooba Dooba (Ehrland Hollingsworth)

Amna expected a relaxed night of babysitting, but when she arrives, she learns that her ward is not only a sheltered sixteen-year-old girl who goes by Moony but that she is being watched at all times by in-home security cameras. It quickly becomes apparent that Moony is unaccustomed to socializing and has a grave misunderstanding of friendship.

For God’s Sake Wake Her Up (Wayne Moreheart)

In a quest for redemption, Rizz faces a malevolent entity to save April’s life by deciphering the chilling secrets within her video diaries.

Freaky Tales (Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck)

Four interconnected stories set in 1987 Oakland, CA. will tell about the love of music, movies, people, places, and memories beyond our knowable universe.

Frewaka (Aislinn Clarke)

Follow a student of nursing palliative care who is plagued by a trauma from her past that has a disorienting effect on her present, her relationship, her career, and her ability to function.

The G (Karl R. Hearne)

A mysterious older woman seeks revenge on the corrupt legal guardian who destroyed her life.

Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (30th Anniversary 4K) (Joe Chappelle)

Six years after Michael Myers last terrorized Haddonfield, he returns there in pursuit of his niece, Jamie Lloyd, who has escaped with her newborn child, for which Michael and a mysterious cult have sinister plans.

Head Like a Hole (Stefan MacDonald-Labelle)

In financial dire straits, a man accepts a strange, high-paying job where he must take up residence in a home and measure a hole in the wall of the basement to determine whether or not it’s growing in size.

Hell of a Summer (Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk)

The counselors of a summer camp are terrorized by a masked killer.

House of Ashes (Izzy Lee)

Grieving widow Mia must survive psychological and supernatural horrors while under house arrest in House of Ashes.

It Feeds (Chad Archibald)

After a young girl bursts into their home psychiatry practice claiming an entity is feeding on her, Jordan and her clairvoyant mother must find a way to stop the force before the girl is taken completely.

Lead Belly (Stephen King Simmons)

Flashback to 1997. LEAD BELLY is a coming of age horror film about two younger brothers visiting their recently divorced and estranged father during summer vacation. With plenty of bumps, twists and terrifying turns along the way. LEAD BELLY will keep the audience guessing until the final frame.

The Lost Episode (Nick Wernham)

Assembled by XPU$HER and made available through the Black-Torrent Release Group, The Lost Episode offers a raw and unsettling look at unaired footage captured during a police ride-along on Halloween night, 2004. The film follows officers Paul Massaro and Terrence Williams as they navigate the sleepy streets of Franklin, uncovering a chain of horrifying events and a disturbing conspiracy rooted in the heart of the small town they swore to protect.

Marshmallow (Daniel DelPurgatorio)

When a once-fabled campfire tale becomes real, a group of campers uncover a profound secret that questions their very existence.

Mr. K (Tallulah Hazekamp Schwab)

After spending the night in a remote hotel, Mr. K is stuck in a claustrophobic nightmare when he discovers that he can’t leave the building.

Old Wounds (Steven Hugh Nelson)

A couple on a road trip encounter a mysterious stalker who forces them to confront their past.

The Only Ones (Jordan Miller)

A group of friends’ weekend plans unravel when a string of misfortunes spirals into bloodshed. Trust crumbles and the body count rises as the survivors are forced to confront the truth that sometimes, the deadliest threats come from within.

Play Dead (Charly Goitia)

Alison wakes up in a basement, surrounded by the bodies of dead women. To survive and escape, she must play dead—until she discovers the chilling truth about what’s happening upstairs.

Psyche (Stephon Stewart)

Adrift in limbo, a young woman and computer embark on a quest to uncover the meaning of life.

The Rebrand (Kaye Adelaide)

Nicole, an eight-months-pregnant bisexual videographer, is hired by a lesbian lifestyle influencer couple to film a redemption documentary after they’ve been publicly canceled, but Nicole quickly discovers that the couple has nefarious ulterior motives.

Rolling (Robert Deboucher, Ethan Spotts)

After a confrontation with their landlord goes horrifically wrong, two flustered young women find themselves in a dire race to profit from his tragic demise.

Self Driver (Michael Pierro)

Facing mounting expenses and the unrelenting pressure of modern living, a down-on-his-luck cab driver is lured on to a mysterious new app that promises fast, easy money.

The Severed Sun (Dean Puckett)

Magpie lives in an isolated church community ruled over by her father, The Pastor. When a man is murdered, paranoia sets in, and people start to whisper about a strange ‘Beast’ that lives in the forest.

Shadow Reaper (Richard Terrasi)

William Bradshaw and his film crew embark on a journey to the town of Devensville, Indiana, in search of clues to a series of mysterious murders that have taken place for over two hundred years and the roots of the legendary Shadow Reaper. Their search ends in tragedy!

She Loved Blossoms More (Yannis Veslemes)

Three brothers build an unusual time-machine in order to bring their long-dead mother back to life. When their delusional father comes into the picture, the experiments go awry, and they descend into a psychedelic hellscape where the past and present fuse in a comedic yet deeply disturbing exploration of grief.

The Shrouds (David Cronenberg)

Karsh, an innovative businessman and grieving widower, builds a device to connect with the dead inside a burial shroud.

The Silent Planet (Jeffrey St. Jules)

An aging convict serving out a life sentence alone on a distant planet is forced to confront his past when a new prisoner shows up and pushes him to remember his life on Earth.

Somnium (Racheal Cain)

At an experimental sleep clinic, Somnium, your dreams are made real. Side effects may include hallucinations, confusion, paranoia, sleep paralysis, detachment from reality, a lost sense of self, and permanent nightmares.

The Spirit of Halloweentown (Brett Whitcomb, Bradford Thomason)

After serving as the location for a beloved Disney Channel movie in 1998, a tiny Oregon town grapples with its reputation as the real Halloweentown.

Stalkers (Paul Thompson)

Sometimes, a phone call can change your life. Once a small-town girl from Michigan, Kate Swanson ran away as a teen and reinvented herself in California as cult porn star Tabitha Swann. But everything changes when a call from Michigan Child Services reveals that Charlotte, the daughter Kate gave up for adoption in high school, has been orphaned in a brutal double homicide.

Straight on Til Morning (Craig Ouellette)

Two dreamers, small-town musician Dani and waitress Kaitlin, start falling for each other on a spontaneous road trip. The future is bright — until they cross paths with a twisted family, led by matriarch Lilly (Maria Olsen, Paranormal Activity 3, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lightning Thief), with something much, much darker in mind. A unique blend of romance and horror, filled with nail-biting tension and highlighted with original songs sung by Dani, Straight On Till Morning weaves the beautiful and terrible things people do for love into an unforgettable, edge-of-your-seat journey into darkness.

Strange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire (Stuart Ortiz)

Strange Harvest is a faux true-crime documentary about two detectives in pursuit of an infamous serial killer named Mr. Shiny, who terrorized Southern California for almost two decades.

Super Happy Fun Clown (Patrick Rea)

To escape a life of oppressed obscurity, a battered former wunderkind weaponizes her obsession with clowning, serial killers, and classic movie monsters into a night of shocking infamy.

Tie Die (Morgan Miller)

When a series of mangled bodies begin appearing in the park, Ranger Jones (Lloyd Kaufman, President of Troma Entertainment and creator of the Toxic Avenger) and a state trooper (Joe Bob Briggs, Shudder’s The Last Drive-In) are baffled by the attacks. It’s been a long time since a black bear has gone rabid in the park, and never to this degree. The timing couldn’t be worse as the area is filling up with young musicians, hippies, and earth children. Can they stop the killings before things get worse, or will Ranger Jones miss the encore?

Ugly Stepsister (Emilie Blichfeld)

Follow Elvira as she battles against her gorgeous stepsister in a realm where beauty reigns supreme. She resorts to extreme measures to captivate the prince amidst a ruthless competition for physical perfection.

What Happened to Dorothy Bell? (Danny Villanueva Jr)

After uncovering disturbing revelations from her early childhood involving her late grandmother, Dorothy Bell, Ozzie Gray sets out to video document her investigation into these past events. Desperate for answers, she attempts to communicate with Dorothy’s spirit but unwittingly awakens something malevolent in the chilling What Happened to Dorothy Bell?

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The festival kicks off in person and virtually on March 27 and runs through April 2 in person. The virtual lineup remains available until April 6.