Pittsburgh is the home of some of the greatest horror films ever made, and yet it hasn’t had a genre film festival — until now. Nightcrawler Film Festival has zombie-shuffled its way to the city for the first time ever, and FANGORIA is excited to partner with the brand new event to reveal their inaugural lineup, featuring some big names as well as up and coming filmmakers in the horror scene.
Taking place at the end of August in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood, Nightcrawler Film Festival “celebrates the city’s undying love for the undead (and beyond), with a lineup of international films ranging from panic-inducing found footage to gore-filled queer slashers.” The festival is organized by Livia Rappaport and Cara Popovich, both of whom strive to highlight Pittsburgh’s growing horror scene — Rappaport runs the popular Instagram account @horrorpgh, while Popovich co-hosts Cult-O-Rama, a popular film series showing the best in B-movie magic.
“The horror fans in Pittsburgh are incredibly passionate, even beyond just the Romero-heads,” says Rappaport. “We started this festival because we believe this community is the perfect place to showcase the newest in horror cinema.”
The festival’s lineup includes eight feature films, including Our Effed Up World from director Alice Maio Mackay (T Blockers) and producer Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow), and Danielle Harris and Scout Taylor-Compton’s Last Chance Motel (starring Heather Langenkamp), as well as Divine Hammer, The Devil Whispered My Name, Don’t Look in the Dark, Cramps! A Period Piece, The Barn Part III, and Lujuria. They’ll also be hosting two shorts blocks featuring sixteen shorts, including locally-made titles like Thrift Store Ouija Board and A Canadian Weresphynx in London, Ohio.
“I’m so proud of the lineup that we were lucky enough to program for our first year,” says Popovich, “Indie horror is alive and thriving, and the selections for Nightcrawler’s lineup are proof that a new crop of talent is on the way to scare, shock, and gross you out.”
Nightcrawler Film Festival will run from August 28-30 at Rowhouse Cinema in Pittsburgh, and tickets will be available from Rowhouse’s website in the coming weeks. For more information, you can check out the festival’s website, and get a look at the full lineup below:
Nightcrawler Film Festival 2026 Lineup:
Our Effed Up World (67 min) (USA)
Sheri thought her biggest problem in life was dealing with the recent loss of her beloved grandma. But when a mysterious entity crash lands in the woods, only she and her group of friends are what stands in the way of an insatiable, intergalactic hunger.
Last Chance Motel (86 min) (USA)
A newlywed couple whose dream wedding spirals into a bloody nightmare when they uncover that their secluded venue – a desolate motel deep in the Nevada desert – is run by a relentless bloodthirsty family with dark secrets.
Divine Hammer (72 min) (USA)
Two maladapted young women, both part of the same internet gore enthusiast community, formulate a plan to meet in person with the intent that one will kill the other, film the killing, and then sell the cameras that “watched” to unsuspecting customers online in the hopes of spurring on a “new era of death.”
The Devil Whispered My Name (80 min) (Argentina)
A decade after a tragic ancestral ritual claimed the life of her best friend, a young woman returns to her hometown in the mountains of Córdoba—only to discover that the evil forces she thought she'd left behind are still haunting her.
Don’t Look in the Dark (71 min) (USA)
When a couple's phones begin recording on their own during a camping trip, what they capture isn't just darkness. It's something that wants to be seen.
Cramps! A Period Piece (89 min) (USA)
A blossoming young woman, Agnes Applewhite, gets a job as a shampoo girl at lively beauty salon, which goes against the wishes of her traditional family which includes her sanctimonious mother and tightly wound sister. As she begins this newfound journey, she starts to deal with debilitating menstrual cramps which blurs the line between reality and nightmare.
The Barn Part III (90 min) (USA)
It’s been years since anything spooky has happened in the town of Helen’s Valley, and for good reason. Josh Harper (Courtney Gains of ‘Children of the Corn’) has dedicated his entire life to making sure those barn dwelling monsters never come back from hell for anyone in the town or his sister, Heather (Kelli Maroney of ‘Chopping Mall’). However, something far sinister is lurking in the shadows, trying to resurrect the legend once again.
Lujuria (78 min) (Spain, United Kingdom)
Stranded in Spain after a robbery, 22-year-old Mateo finds refuge with Dolores, a beguiling woman who leads him to a rural ranch. But the haven hides a violent, celibate Catholic cult. As forbidden love ignites between them, the cult spirals into madness, trapping Mateo in a brutal battle between desire, faith, and survival.
SHORT FILMS – MAIN LINEUP:
Necrosectos
Directed by Javier Lozano (10 min) (Spain)
Housewife
Directed by Greta Guthrie (5 min) (USA)
The Fool
Directed by Adjahni Dèsirè (10 min) (USA)
The Black Tooth
Directed by Anita Serrano (24 min) (Argentina)
BORGLESQUE
Directed by G. Wilson (7 min) (USA)
Brian Won’t Wear Condoms
Directed by Genna Edwards (11 min) (USA)
The Binding|
Directed by Ryan Kennedy (10 min) (USA)
Bugaboo
Directed by Benjamin Morehead (5 min) (USA)
LOCAL SHORTS:
Thrift Store Ouija Board (7 min)
Directed by Rebecca Gruss
Video Encounters Ltd. (16 min)
Directed by Aaron J Shelton
Black Pines (8 min)
Directed by James Reinhardt
North of Nowhere (6 min)
Directed by Kate Myers
The Monkey Claw (9 min)
Directed by Jamie Lockhart
Don’t Open the Door (13 min)
Directed by Christopher John Rudnick
Balloon Day (2 min)
Directed by Willa Shine Quinlan
A Canadian Weresphynx in London, Ohio (9 min)
Directed by Joe Wilson
