The fourth edition of Dark Scream Film Festival will open on October 24 at Veda Black Box, Versova, featuring nine international short films from seven countries, including five Asian premieres and four South Asian premieres, followed by Mudit Nayar’s found-footage psychological horror feature Gulshan Palace.
Mumbai, October 23, 2026: The fourth edition of Dark Scream Film Festival, organised by FilmyBees Cine Club, is set to begin on October 24, 2026, at Veda Black Box in Versova, Mumbai. Dedicated to horror, thriller, science fiction, noir, dark fantasy and unconventional genre storytelling, the two-day festival will bring independent films from around the world to Mumbai audiences.
The opening evening will begin with a festival ceremony at 5:00 PM, followed by an international short-film programme from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. The opening feature presentation will be Gulshan Palace, an Indian found-footage psychological horror film directed by Mudit Nayar.
Opening Shorts: Nine Films Exploring Horror, Suspense and the Supernatural
October 24, 2026 | 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
The opening shorts programme features nine films from New Zealand, Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Argentina and Italy. Spanning creature horror, psychological thrillers, cosmic horror, supernatural encounters and dark comedy, the selection explores fear through different cultural and cinematic perspectives.
Billy — Asian Premiere
New Zealand | 7 min 6 sec | English | Found Footage, Creature Horror
Directed and written by Michele Powles, Billy begins when an Uber breaks down near a deserted bridge. As police investigate the driver’s disturbing account, recovered footage reveals a series of terrifying encounters beneath the bridge, where mysterious bells signal the presence of something monstrous.
What initially appears to be a desperate struggle for survival gradually reveals a darker story involving a supernatural bargain, grief and the terrible cost of an impossible wish.
Produced by Michele Powles, the film features Tessa Mitchell, Marion Prebble, Paul Lewis, Jesse Miller and Huxley Winton.
Festival Category: Horror Short Films – Nightmare Shorts.
Hellwriting — South Asian Premiere
Spain | 59 sec | English | Comedy, Horror
Directed by Abril Garcia and Guilliana Ramirez, Hellwriting is a one-minute student horror short built around a deceptively simple warning: Watch out for the bad handwriting.
Combining comedy and horror in an extremely short format, the film represents the festival’s dedicated platform for micro-horror storytelling.
Festival Category: One Minute Horror Films – Scream in Sixty.
Hide — South Asian Premiere
United States | 16 min 4 sec | English | Horror, Suspense, Cosmic Horror, Monster
Directed by Brenden Hubbard, Hide follows a grieving father and daughter who rely on a nightly bedtime routine to protect themselves from an unimaginable horror visiting their town after dark.
Still struggling with a devastating loss, the two must maintain their fragile sense of safety as an unfathomable threat approaches night after night.
The film comes from the Academy Award-winning team behind Curfew and stars Ionie Nieves and Alejandro Rose-Garcia, also known as Shakey Graves.
Written by Brian Barnes, the film is produced by Mylissa Fitzsimmons, Parth Marathe, Damon Russell, Brenden Hubbard, Bennett Krishock, Bryan Matthews and Shawn Christensen.
Festival Category: Horror Short Films – Nightmare Shorts.
Lupus — South Asian Premiere
Spain | 3 min | Spanish | Horror, Drama, Social
Directed by Alejandro Herrera, Lupus follows a young boy who awakens in the middle of the night to the sound of breaking glass.
Sensing a mysterious creature inside his home, he picks up a lamp and ventures into a dark hallway to discover what is hiding beyond the light.
The student short uses a domestic setting and the fear of the unknown to build a compact horror experience.
Festival Category: Horror Short Films – Nightmare Shorts.
The Belladonna — Asian Premiere
United Kingdom | 15 min 41 sec | English | Thriller, Drama, Horror
Directed and written by Javid Rezai, The Belladonna centres on a burlesque dancer haunted by visions of her deceased mother.
As her paranoia intensifies, she becomes convinced that another performer is conspiring to take her place as Queen of the Belladonna Club. The film explores jealousy, psychological instability and the blurred boundary between perceived threats and reality.
Produced by Stella Talpo and Javid Rezai, the film stars Stella Talpo, Janiq, Se Carr and Anna Tymoshenko.
Festival Category: Thriller Short Films – Twisted Reels.
The Awakening of the Shadows — Asian Premiere
Mexico | 13 min 16 sec | Spanish | Film Noir, Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Directed and written by Pedro Salgado Ferrusquia, The Awakening of the Shadows begins with a confrontation between Vanessa and her husband, Héctor, after she discovers his infidelity.
A carefully prepared drink and a seemingly calculated act of revenge lead to a much darker transformation. Héctor awakens in an unfamiliar, ruined house, discovering that his punishment has taken him beyond the boundaries of ordinary human existence.
Blending betrayal, supernatural transformation and psychological manipulation, the film explores revenge as a terrifying and potentially eternal consequence.
Produced by Pedro Salgado Ferrusquía and Victor Audiffred Bazaldúa, the film features Sol Sabina, Hector Illanes and Estefanía Silva.
Festival Category: Horror Short Films – Nightmare Shorts.
The Nightmare of Moonfish Island — South Asian Premiere
Italy | 10 min | Italian | Cosmic Horror
Directed and written by Mirko Fois, The Nightmare of Moonfish Island follows a young woman trapped between reality and nightmare on a mysterious island.
After experiencing an ominous dream, she begins undergoing an inescapable physical transformation. The film turns themes of fertility and bodily change into a disturbing exploration of cosmic horror, where the promise of life becomes a warning of impending destruction.
Produced by Mirko Fois and Francesco Lughi, the film stars Veronica Di Bussolo and Samuele Ferri.
Festival Category: Horror Short Films – Nightmare Shorts.
I’ll Never Leave — Asian Premiere
Argentina | 13 min 17 sec | Spanish | Supernatural Horror
Directed by Gabriel Maffia, Andrés Damonte and Bernardo Artica, I’ll Never Leave follows Pedro, whose consciousness becomes trapped in a supernatural limbo after a failed séance.
There, he encounters Natalia, his deceased wife, who has become a vengeful spirit. As his friends seek help from a medium to rescue him, sinister forces threaten to cross from the spirit world into reality.
Written by the three directors and produced by David Brakin, the film features Karen Medina, Juano Arana, Graciela Neugovsen, Antonella Pais, Sofía Lopez, Erasmo Moncada and Jorge Luis Cassais.
Festival Category: Horror Short Films – Nightmare Shorts.
Out Of Her Head — Asian Premiere
United Kingdom | 8 min | English | Psychological Horror
Directed, written and produced by Philip Henry, Out Of Her Head explores the physical manifestation of emotional distress.
Following a painful breakup, a woman’s depression begins to take on a tangible form, transforming her psychological suffering into something increasingly disturbing.
Starring Christine Clark, the film approaches horror through emotional vulnerability, using psychological themes to explore the relationship between mental suffering and the body.
Festival Category: Horror Short Films – Nightmare Shorts.
Opening Feature: Gulshan Palace — A Found-Footage Nightmare Set Inside a Hotel
October 24, 2026 | 7:15 PM | Veda Black Box, Mumbai
The opening evening will continue with the screening of Gulshan Palace, a 76-minute Indian found-footage psychological horror feature directed by Mudit Nayar. Set inside a newly constructed hotel in Prayagraj, the film transforms an ordinary professional assignment into a terrifying exploration of manipulation, isolation and inherited violence.
Film Information
- Title: Gulshan Palace
- Director: Mudit Nayar
- Country of Origin: India
- Languages: English, Hindi
- Duration: 1 hour 16 minutes 21 seconds
- Genre: Found-Footage Psychological Horror, Thriller
- Festival Category: Thriller Feature Films – Suspenseful Shadows
- Cast: Yatharth Agnihotri, Shreya Jain, Anand Kumar, Mudit Nayar
- Screening Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026
- Screening Time: 7:15 PM
- Venue: Veda Black Box, Versova, Mumbai
About the Film
Gulshan Palace follows Chirag, a financially struggling videographer who accepts a lucrative but confidential assignment at a newly built hotel in Prayagraj. Accompanied by his girlfriend, Mitali, Chirag is hired to document the property and its owner, Joginder “Jogi” Mutreja.
At first, the assignment appears straightforward. Chirag is expected to film the hotel, follow its owner and record daily activities. However, soon after arriving, the couple begins noticing unsettling irregularities. The gates remain locked, hotel employees are strangely absent, communication signals are restricted, and guests are encouraged to disconnect from the outside world.
Jogi presents himself as a generous but lonely hotel owner grieving the death of his father, Gulshan Mutreja. His father’s presence dominates the property through photographs, rituals and stories of family inheritance.
As the day progresses, Jogi’s hospitality becomes increasingly intrusive. Personal boundaries are ignored, and attempts to leave are repeatedly delayed.
When night falls, a seemingly friendly dinner takes a violent turn, revealing the extent of Jogi’s control. Chirag and Mitali find themselves trapped inside the hotel, desperately searching for an escape through dark corridors, surveillance rooms and locked floors.
What initially appears to be an isolated act of violence gradually reveals a disturbing legacy that has been carefully preserved and passed down through generations.
The hotel itself becomes more than a setting. It functions as a controlled environment where victims are documented, memories are manipulated and the evidence of violence becomes part of an ongoing system.
Horror Through the Camera Lens
Unlike conventional horror films, Gulshan Palace unfolds entirely through footage recorded on a handheld camcorder.
The found-footage approach places audiences directly inside Chirag’s experience, making the camera both a storytelling device and a witness to the events unfolding around him.
The film explores themes of power, surveillance, deception and the terrifying consequences of being trapped in an environment where every movement is controlled.
Through its claustrophobic setting and psychological tension, Gulshan Palace brings a distinctly Indian setting to the found-footage horror format.
Its selection as the opening feature places Indian independent genre filmmaking alongside the festival’s international programme of horror and thriller shorts.
A moderated Q&A session with the cast and crew is planned following the screening, giving audiences an opportunity to engage with the filmmakers and discuss the film.
A Festival Dedicated to International Genre Cinema
The fourth edition of Dark Scream Film Festival will take place across October 24 and 25, 2026, featuring more than 30 films spanning horror, thrillers, science fiction, noir, fantasy, crime and queer genre cinema.
The festival provides a platform for independent filmmakers to present their work to audiences in Mumbai, with screenings, filmmaker interactions and opportunities for conversations around genre storytelling.
With five Asian premieres and four South Asian premieres in its opening shorts programme, the festival’s first evening will introduce audiences to films making their regional debut.
Festival Schedule and Ticket Information
Dark Scream Film Festival 2026 — 4th Edition
Saturday, October 24
- 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM: Festival Opening Ceremony
- 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM: Opening Shorts
- 7:15 PM: Opening Feature – Gulshan Palace
- Followed by filmmaker Q&A
Sunday, October 25
- Festival screenings from 3:30 PM onwards
- Closing Feature: Ghost Light – Asian Premiere, 9:30 PM
Venue: Veda Black Box, 120, Aram Nagar-2, Versova, Andheri West, Mumbai.
Tickets: Weekend Pass ₹300 | Saturday Pass ₹175 | Sunday Pass ₹175
Tickets are available through District.
Organised by FilmyBees Cine Club, Dark Scream Film Festival brings together international and Indian independent genre films, celebrating filmmakers who explore fear, suspense, imagination and unconventional cinematic storytelling.
Dark Scream Film Festival 2026 | October 24–25 | Veda Black Box, Mumbai