Bari Kang’s Itch! captured the Best Film award at the 17th A Night of Horror International Film Festival which wrapped last week in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The zombie film captures a touching relationship between a father and daughter, who are trapped in a convenience store with other survivors trying to escape the apocalyptic pandemic taking place in the outside world.
“It was a true honor to screen Itch! at A Night of Horror Film Festival,” says the film’s writer/director/star Bari Kang. “The incredible venue, engaged audience, and the dedicated efforts of festival director Dean Bertram transformed this into an unforgettable experience for our Midwest premiere. Itch! is a deeply personal film, and winning ‘Best Film’ at ANOH inspires profound gratitude. This achievement is a testament to the passion and commitment of everyone involved in making the film.”
The German film Traumnovelle from director Florian Frerichs, won “Best International Film, and The Matriarch, the feature debut from Jayden Creighton won “Best Australian Film” award
A Night of Horror introduced two new awards this season: “Best Found Footage Film” and “Best Found Footage Short Film.”
The winner of the fest’s inaugural “Best Found Footage” award is The Lost Episode. Playing like an episode of a COPS-esqe reality show, the Canadian film follows two police officers on Halloween night. Their patrol uncovers the activities of a local cult and then spirals into a supernatural nightmare.
New Followers – a found footage film from New Zealand filmmaking team Guy Pigden and Harley Neville – travels with two married YouTubers whose latest hiking video leads them straight into a bloody nightmare. The short took the fest’s inaugural “Best Found Footage Short Film” award.
The 18th edition of A Night of Horror International Film Festival will again take place simultaneously with MidWest WeirdFest, at the Micon Downtown Cinema in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, March 5-8, 2026.
Other award-winning films follows:
“Best Director” was taken by modern master of horror Chad Ferrin for his terrifying and at times disturbingly sympathetic biopic about titular serial killer Ed Kemper. It was co-written by Ferrin with Stephen Johnston.
Lead Belly, from writer/director Stephen King Simmons, captured the festival’s “Independent Spirit Award”; an award which recognizes the tenacity and creativity of independent filmmakers producing amazing films, regardless of budgetary and other limitations. The film begins as a potent family drama set in 1997, focusing on a dysfunctional relationship between a father and his two sons, then slowly descends into a nightmarish third act that leaves the audience devastated.
“Best Horror Comedy” was awarded to New Fears Eve – a side-splitting and gore-spilling horror comedy, that grabs the slasher sub-genre by the throat and bleeds it dry – from writer/director P. J Starks and director Eric Huskisson,
Recognizing its Australian roots, A Night of Horror reintroduced it’s “Best Australian Film” award this year, which was won by The Matriarch. This feature debut from Jayden Creighton, tracks a 13-year-old girl’s brutal battle for survival against her own drug-addicted mother, capturing that raw and visceral potency that Australia’s top genre filmmakers deliver better than anyone on the planet.
The “Best Australian Short Film” award, also reinstated this year, was awarded to writer/director/star Dean Butler’s incredible demon-battling thrill-ride, Terror by Night.
The darkly erotic German feature Traumnovelle – a potent adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s novel of the same title (the inspiration for Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut) – from director Florian Frerichs, won “Best International Film”.
While Mexico’s Alejandro G. Alegre captured “Best Director” for his artful realization of the atmospheric and terrifying supernatural chiller They Were Witches.
“Best Actor” was awarded to Anthony Grant for his pitch-perfect portrayal of a police officer, haunted by his own past just as much as the macabre case he is investigating, in “Best Found Footage” winner The Lost Episode.
Scottie Thompson won “Best Actress” for her captivating role as a nineteenth century woman on the brink of committing adultery with her first husband, in the mesmerizing Gothic horror chamber piece Séance, from writer/director/actress Vivian Kerr. Kerr herself captured the fest’s “Best Supporting Actress” for her potent portrayal of an unloved wife, on the brink of either madness or supernatural obsession.
Talented character actor Shelley Valfer won “Best Supporting Male Performance” for his charismatic portrayal of the owner of a junk-ladened digitizing studio, in body horror chiller Video Vision, from visionary writer/director Michael Turney.
For the first time in the fest’s history, both “Best Practical Effects” and “Best Visual Effects” were awarded to the same film: Writer/director Stuart Ortiz’s terrifyingly convincing, and at times stomach-turning, faux-documentary come horror masterpiece, Video Visionstrange Harvest: Occult Murder in the Inland Empire
“Best Short Film” was won by the darkly gorgeous and paranoia inducing The Neighbourhood at the End of the World, from producer Jon Warne and writer/director Shane Day.
While “Best Director – Short Film” was won by Elliot Louis McKee for his beautiful if disturbing film about the extremes of romantic obsession, Forever Yours.
The “Best International Short” award went to the stylish and creepy Stalker from French auteur David Cholewa. And Juanjo Avi captured “Best International Director – Short Film” for his frenetic slasher come fight movie mash-up Turno De Noche: The Wrong Place.
Your Parasite and You a hilarious “how to” video about coping with an alien parasite, from US animator Jamie Gower, won “Best Animated Short”.
The festival’s long-standing “Best Lovecraft Short” award, went to the riveting cosmic body horror short The Last Word, from Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Moreno.
“Best Horror Comedy Short” went to hilarious and action-packed The Milk Situation, about a duo of paranormal-busters who fight everything from possessed clergy to werewolves, from UK writer/director to watch John Ferrer.
While “Best TV / New Media” was awarded to an animation from director and animator Nick Rohr, for the 2nd year in a row, this time for his hilarious Weekend Dad – “Halloween”.
The 2025 “Best Music Video” award was won by the darkly humorous and perfectly paced Hatman, directed by Andrew Ducky Dutkiewicz for the catchy song from indie alt-rock band Capital Vice, out of Austin, Texas.
And this year’s “Best of the MidWest” is the demonically erotic sci-fi short Terminal Emulator from writer/director Benjamin Capps, and lit and shot by DP Matthew Hughes. The film also won the fest’s “Best Practical Effects – Short Film” award, for its stunning array of practical effect work: from space ship miniatures and retro-futuristic sets, through hideous gore, to terrifying life-size stop motion demons.
“Best Visual Effects – Short Film” was taken by the jaw-dropping steam-punk spectacle Apocalypse Immortal from French auteur Fabrice Hourlier.
The festival’s “Best Male Performance – Short Film” went to the pitch-perfect performance of Corey Walls, in the darkly comedic Cheat Meal from US director Drew Bierut. Walls also wrote the hilarious film’s screenplay that deals with an inept man’s attempts to extract his girlfriend from a cannibalistic fitness cult. While Sar Cohen won “Best Female Performance – Short Film” for her role in the hirsute shaming allegory come body horror film BUSH, from writer/director Emma Mazurek.
A Night of Horror also hosts both a feature and short screenplay competition.
The winning feature screenplay Dorothea was written by the prolific Chad Ferrin, who also won the festival’s “Best Director” award, this year. Bruce Griffiths’ Toilet Sharks took the 1st runner-up spot. And the competition’s 2nd runner-up was awarded to Adrian Castro and Georgina Neville for their screenplay The Eibon Phenomenon.
The short screenplay competition was won by Owen F. Russel, for Dill. The 1st runner-up was Pet by N’cee van Heerden. And Samuel Vogel-Seidenberg’s The Sabbath of the Dead was awarded 2nd runner-up.