It’s that time of year, horror fans! The 2026 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards are nearly upon us and the nominees have been revealed. It’s now time to make your voice heard and to highlight the movies you want to see taking home the night’s biggest prizes when the ceremony happens in October.
The full list of nominees for this year’s Chainsaw Awards have been revealed, and you can check out that right here. Today though, we’re going to highlight the nominees from the Best Streaming Premiere category. Yes, we’re big champions of the theatrical experience around these parts, but some of the best horror these days is happening in the realm of streaming. As evidence of that, here are the nominees…
I Am Frankelda – Directed by Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz
Stop-motion animation holds a special place in the hearts of many horror fans of a certain age, thanks to The Nightmare Before Christmas. Enter director Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz’s I Am Frankelda. Stop-motion animation is a bit of a dying art but Netflix put up the dough that allowed this one to exist. It centers on Frankelda, a frustrated young Mexican writer from the 19th Century who travels in the form of a ghost to a kingdom of her own invention, populated by all the monstrous characters she created.
Hailed by critics and unique amongst this year’s field of nominees, this is the kind of movie the Chainsaw Awards was designed to celebrate.
Influencers – Directed by Kurtis David Harder
We live in the age of influencers. They inhabit every corner of our lives. It was only a matter of time before someone made a horror movie about it. That man was Kurtis David Harder and his movie, the aptly-titled Influencers, was dubbed one of the best streaming premieres of this last year. It takes place in Southern France and focuses on a young woman's chilling fascination with murder and identity theft, which sends her life into a whirlwind of chaos.
Starring Veronica Long and Cassandra Naud, this one made its way to the world thanks to the folks at Shudder and is a very timely look at modern life through the horror lens.
Mother of Flies – Directed by John Adams, Toby Poser and Zelda Adams
Another shudder joint, Mother of Flies is what happens when horror ventures into the realm of fairytales. It focuses on a young woman who faces a deadly cancer diagnosis. In desperation, she seeks dark magic from a witch in the woods. Naturally, this sort of cure comes with a heavy price.
A true family affair, this one was met with widespread acclaim on the festival circuit before making its debut on Shudder in January of this year. This is the kind of movie that the streaming ecosystem allows to exist, which is one of the better parts about the system. Niche audiences can be served and original cinema can exist.
Reflection in a Dead Diamond – Directed by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani
It’s hard to imagine a French mystery/thriller thriving as a theatrical release in North America, it’s sad to say. Thankfully though, streaming allows all sorts of things to thrive in their own way. That’s why Reflection in a Dead Diamond was able to make its way onto this list. It picks up after the mysterious woman in the room next door disappears, with a debonair 70-year-old ex-spy living in a luxury hotel confronted by the demons of his past where moviemaking, memories and madness collide.
Directed by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, this is the kind of movie that might well be overlooked by many other awards ceremonies. Not around these parts though. This is what the Chainsaw Awards are for.
V/H/S/Halloween – Directed by Bryan M. Ferguson, Anna Zlokovic, Paco Plaza, Casper Kelly, Alex Ross Perry, Micheline Pitt and R.H. Norman.
Last, but certainly not least, we arrive at V/H/S/Halloween. This has largely been the defining horror anthology series of the modern era and, quite frankly, it’s surprising it took them this long to make an entry that fully takes place on Halloween night. Better late than never though as the collection of directors they assembled put together a wonderfully twisted collection of shorts, making this one more than worthy of recognition at this year’s Chainsaw Awards.
Oozing with practical effects and delivering some of the best segments in the history of this long-running anthology series, this one proved that the concept still has a lot of gas left in the tank.
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.
