The nominees for the 2026 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards have arrived, celebrating the best of the best in horror — including some of our favorite up and coming screenwriters, as well as old favorites making brilliant new stories. From young prodigies to beloved auteurs, horror featured all kinds of voices this past year, telling some of the most gruesome stories you’ve ever seen, and one will take home the award for Best Screenplay.
Last year’s award went to Ryan Coogler for his work on Sinners, which also took home the award for Best Wide Release. But who will take home the crown this year? Before you vote, check out all the nominees for Best Screenplay here.
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Obsession — Curry Barker
Curry Barker on set of OBSESSION (Credit: Focus Features) It’s the movie every teen you know has been talking about, and every indie filmmaker dreams of achieving. After writing and directing the viral hit Milk & Serial, twenty-six year old Curry Barker made Obsession for under $1 million and catapulted himself to viral stardom with his story of supernatural coercion, earning over $350 million and becoming Focus Features’ highest grossing film ever.
Obsession also earned Chainsaw nominations for Best Wide Release, Best Lead Performance, and Best Director, as well as becoming the eighth highest grossing film of 2026.
Weapons — Zach Cregger
Zach Cregger on set of WEAPONS (Credit: Warner Bros.) Barbarian director Zach Cregger’s second film became so famous that it was parodied at the Academy Awards, where one of its stars even took home a statue. While it may be heavily memed, Cregger’s sophomore feature launched him to enough success that he landed a Resident Evil film, as well as spawning a prequel film set to release in 2028.
Weapons also earned Chainsaw nominations for Best Wide Release, Best Supporting Performance, and Best Director, as well as winning star Amy Madigan a Golden Globe nomination and an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple — Alex Garland
Ralph Fiennes as Dr Kelson in 28 YEARS LATER (Credit: Sony) After earning praise for writing the original 28 Days Later and its sequel, 28 Weeks Later, Ex Machina director Alex Garland returned to write both 28 Years Later and its sequel, creating one of the scariest zombie films we’ve ever seen — and not because of the Infected. The Bone Temple introduces us to the Jimmies and opens up even more of the world originally created in 28 Days Later, as Spike, Jimmy Ink, and more try to find out how to survive.
The Bone Temple also earned Chainsaw nominations for Best Wide Release, Best Lead Performance, Best Supporting Performance, Best Makeup FX, Best Director, Best Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Costume Design.
Faces of Death — Isa Mazzei & Daniel Goldhaber
Faces of Death (Credit: IFC/Shudder). Even as a remake of the infamous shockumentary classic, Faces of Death doesn’t pull any of its punches in its attempts to live up to the original. Isa Mazzei and Daniel Goldhaber reimagine the 1978 horror film as a meta commentary on modern social media, with gruesome, unforgiving scenes of death and destruction that question what exactly we’re willing to watch when it shows up on our FYP, and how we react to the increasing violence of our everyday lives.
Faces of Death also earned Chainsaw nominations for Best Wide Release, Best Supporting Performance, and Best Score.
Hokum — Damian McCarthy
HOKUM (Credit: NEON) If you want to be truly, properly scared by a horror movie, throw on anything by writer-director Damian McCarthy. His latest, the Irish folklore-inspired Hokum, throws you into a darkened, haunted hotel room and locks the door behind you, forcing audiences to live in an eerie, silent space much like he did with Oddity, which won last year’s Chainsaw Award for Best International Movie. Only this time, there’s infinitely more to be scared of.
Hokum also earned Chainsaw nominations for Best Wide Release, Best Lead Performance, and Best Cinematography.
