Dark Scream Film Festival 2026 to Close with Asian Premiere of American Horror Feature ‘Ghost Light’ in Mumbai
Directed by Dan Blakeman, the 82-minute supernatural horror feature Ghost Light will make its Asian Premiere on October 25, 2026, at Veda Black Box, Versova, bringing the fourth edition of Dark Scream Film Festival to a terrifying conclusion. Mumbai, October 23, 2026: The fourth edition of Dark Scream Film Festival, organised by FilmyBees Cine Club, will conclude on Sunday, October 25, 2026, with the Asian Premiere of Ghost Light, an American supernatural horror feature directed by Dan Blakeman. Scheduled to screen at 9:30 PM at Veda Black Box, Versova, Mumbai, the film will serve as the festival’s official closing feature, bringing two days of international horror, thriller, science fiction, noir and dark fantasy cinema to an end. Set on Halloween night in the 1980s, Ghost Light follows four college students whose visit to an abandoned theatre turns into a deadly encounter with supernatural forces. Blending classic haunted-house storytelling with the atmosphere of an old theatre, the film pays homage to the supernatural horror cinema of the 1980s. Closing Feature: Ghost Light — A Halloween Nightmare Inside an Abandoned Theatre Sunday, October 25, 2026 | 9:30 PM | Veda Black Box, Mumbai The festival’s closing presentation will feature Ghost Light, a supernatural horror film that combines an eerie theatrical setting, murderous apparitions and an unsettling mystery buried in the past. Film Information Key Cast: Linnea Quigley, Ariel Myren, Alec Anderson-Carrasco, Sarah Polednak and Mason Eaglin. About the Film Set on Halloween night in the 1980s, Ghost Light follows four college students who sneak into an old theatre for an evening of drinking, smoking and frightening one another with ghost stories. Among them is Mike, a drama student who decides to entertain his friends with a disturbing story about a murderer and his vi
Dark Scream Film Festival 2026 to Open with Nine International Shorts and Indian Horror Feature ‘Gulshan Palace’ in Mumbai
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
4th Dark Scream Film Festival Announces Dates and Venue for 2026 Edition
Dark Scream Film Festival, India’s genre-focused film festival, has announced the dates and venue for its 2026 edition. The festival will take place on 24 and 25 October 2026 at Veda Black Box, 120, Aram Nagar – 2, Versova, Andheri West, Mumbai. Returning to Mumbai for another edition, Dark Scream Film Festival will once again bring together independent genre films from India and around the world. The festival is dedicated to cinema across Horror, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Noir, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Zombie, and Queer Horror, providing a platform for filmmakers working with darker, unconventional, and genre-driven stories. One of the distinctive aspects of Dark Scream Film Festival is its dedicated space for genres that are still rarely represented at Indian film festivals. The festival features dedicated programming for Zombie films and Queer Horror, alongside its broader horror, thriller, science-fiction, fantasy, and noir selections. The 2026 festival will begin on Saturday, 24 October at 5:30 PM, with screenings and festival activities continuing through the evening. The second day, Sunday, 25 October, will begin at 3:30 PM. The two-day programme is expected to feature a diverse selection of short and feature-length films, bringing different approaches to genre filmmaking together under one roof. From supernatural and psychological horror to thrillers, dystopian science fiction, dark fantasy, noir, zombie stories, and queer horror, the festival aims to showcase the expanding landscape of independent genre cinema. The complete 2026 festival lineup and screening schedule will be announced soon, along with the audience registration link. With the dates now confirmed, genre film enthusiasts can mark 24–25 October 2026 on their calendars for another weekend of dark cinema in Mumbai. Dark Scream Film Festival 202624–25 October 2026Veda Black Box, 120, Aram Nagar – 2, Versova, Andheri West, Mumbai Further announcements regarding the official selections, programme, registration, and other festival updates will be released soon.
Final Call for Filmmakers: Dark Scream Film Festival Submissions Close 25 September
Dark Scream Film Festival – India’s Genre Film Festival is approaching its Final Submission Deadline, giving filmmakers one last opportunity to enter their films for the upcoming edition. The Final Submission Deadline is 25 September, and filmmakers submitting during the final call can use the special discount code DARKSCREAM26 to receive 20% off their submission fee. Your Film. Your Nightmare. Our Screen. Dark Scream Film Festival is dedicated to celebrating bold, unconventional, and atmospheric genre cinema from India and around the world. The festival welcomes filmmakers who aren’t afraid to explore the strange, frightening, mysterious, fantastical, and darker corners of storytelling. Submissions are open across genres including Horror, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Noir, Zombies, Crime, Queer Horror, and other forms of genre-driven cinema. Whether your film is a terrifying one-minute experiment, an unsettling horror short, a twisted thriller, a dark animated story, an AI-created nightmare, or a full-length feature, Dark Scream Film Festival offers a platform to bring your work in front of a genre-loving audience. Final Submission Details Final Deadline: 25 SeptemberSpecial Discount: 20% OFFDiscount Code: DARKSCREAM26Submit the film with Filmfreeway and Festhome This is the final call for filmmakers. Once the deadline closes, submissions for this edition will come to an end. If you’ve been waiting to send us your nightmare, now is the time. Hurry up. Submit your film before the final deadline and become part of Dark Scream Film Festival – India’s Genre Film Festival. FINAL DEADLINE: 25 SEPTEMBER | USE CODE: DARKSCREAM26