The 2026 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards are just around the corner and it’s time to vote! Horror fans can now make their voices heard by throwing their weight behind the movies and TV shows they’ve loved from this past year in horror. The nominees have been revealed and you can now weigh in. The ceremony is coming up in October but the time to cast your vote is now.
The full list of nominees in every category has already been revealed and you can check that out right here. Today though, we’re taking the chance to highlight the nominees in the Best Documentary Feature category, offering a thorough look at the movies vying for the prize. Let’s get into it.
1000 Women in Horror – Directed by Donna Davies
What on Earth would horror be without women? 1000 Women in Horror exists to highlight their contributions to the genre. The documentary offers a deep dive into how women pioneers revolutionized horror cinema through their groundbreaking work as directors, actors and creators since 1895, leaving an indelible mark on the genre’s evolution.
Writing for Fango, Lindsay Traves called it “an overdue conversation starter.” Not for nothing, the doc also boasts a perfect 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Director Donna Davies absolutely deserves recognition and the Chainsaw Awards are here to give it to her.
Chain Reactions – Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe
Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is one of the most infamous and influential horror movies ever made. Chain Reactions offers a deep drive into its profound impact and lasting influence on five great artists – Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller- Nicholas, Stephen King, and Karyn Kusama – through early memories, sensory experiences, and childhood trauma.
Using contemporary footage and never-before-seen outtakes, director Alexandre O. Philippe’s doc gets to the heart of how this no-budget independent film made its way into our collective nightmares and permanently made its mark on the genre.
In Search of Darkness: 1995-1999 – Directed by David A. Weiner
There are deep dives into horror, then there’s In Search of Darkness. This series has exhaustively examined horror through the decades and its most recent installment, In Search of Darkness: 1995 – 1999, takes a look at the genre during the second half of the ‘90s. Director David A. Weiner painstakingly looks at everything from the slasher revival brought on by Scream to The Sixth Sense.
Featuring exclusive interviews and leaving no stone unturned, this is a true love letter to late ‘90s horror and a truly worth chapter in this impressive series chronicling the genre’s various eras.
The Last Sacrifice – Directed by Rupert Russell
The Last Sacrifice examines an infamous murder that took place in Britain in the 1940s. The doc delves into the real-life 1945 witchcraft killing of Charles Walton, the event that went on to inspire The Wicker Man, ultimately birthing the folk horror genre as we know it. Directed by Rupert Russell, this is an unsettling true-crime interrogation.
The movie takes a good hard look at the events that shaped the 1970s folk horror genre. True crime is everywhere these days, but this isn’t just another run of the mill true crime doc.
Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror – Directed by Linus O’Brien
For more than 50 years, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has been a wholly unique staple for genre fans. Directed by Linus O’Brien, Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror offers a very deep dive into the phenomenon. From its origins as a London theater play to becoming one of the biggest cult films of all time, this is the definitive story behind Rocky Horror. It features intimate access to creator Richard O'Brien and other major players such as Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon and Lou Adler.
The documentary explores what makes the play and film so singular, from its groundbreaking and transgressive themes to its epic songs that remain fixtures in the pop culture landscape.
The polls are now officially open and close on July 15 at 11:59 PM PST. Vote now, horror fans! The FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards will be broadcast October 25 on Shudder, so be sure to tune in.
