Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival (VHS)

Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival (VHS) 2026

The Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival returns for its ninth year with five days of premieres, filmmaker Q&As, industry events, and the best in independent horror cinema. From emerging Canadian voices to international genre programming, VHS is built around bold films, engaged audiences, and meaningful connections between filmmakers and the horror fans who support their work. The 2026 festival features 15 feature films, more than 60 short films in six short programs, and 15 festival events, including panels, table reads, parties, and the Golden Tape Awards.

• When: Wednesday, October 14 – Sunday, October 18, 2026 | Launch party Tuesday, October 13
• Where: Cineplex Cinemas International Village, 88 West Pender Street (3rd floor), Vancouver, BC | Parties at Greta Bar YVR and The Pint Public House
• Cost: Festival passes from $109 + tax; full ticket and pass details on the festival website
• Hosted by: The Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival
• Website: Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival

Festival Passes

All passholders receive a personalized pass and lanyard, with details due by September 15, 2026 (after that, a pass and lanyard are still included but personalization isn’t guaranteed). Programming runs across multiple screens, with some events overlapping. Passholders can attend the vast majority of events and get advance access to reserve seats, with Early Bird passholders getting the first reservation window.

For Horror Fans: $209 + tax

All feature films, all short programs, the Golden Tape Awards ceremony, and a personalized festival pass.

The Complete VHS Experience: $329 + tax

All feature films, all short programs, all industry panels, table reads, the Golden Tape Awards ceremony, a festival T-shirt and tote bag, the launch party and industry party, and a personalized festival pass.

For Horror Creators: $109 + tax

All industry panels and table reads, the Golden Tape Awards ceremony, the industry party, and a personalized festival pass.

Festival Schedule

Tuesday, October 13

• 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM: VHS Launch Party at Greta Bar YVR

Wednesday, October 14

• 6:30 PM – 9:15 PM: Trick ‘r Treat, a 19th anniversary screening that opens the festival with writer-director Michael Dougherty in attendance. It includes a new 4K restoration of the animated short Season’s Greetings and an onstage conversation with Dougherty about moving from original genre work to studio films like Krampus and Godzilla: King of the Monsters
• 9:30 PM – 11:00 PM: The Glorious Dead

Thursday, October 15

• 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM: “We Are the Weirdos, Mister” Student Shorts Program
• 11:10 AM – 12:50 PM: Drag
• 1:00 PM – 2:50 PM: Imposters
• 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM: Inside the Casting Room: Horror & Genre Film Edition (industry event)
• 5:00 PM – 7:05 PM: “Molly, You in Danger, Girl,” Shorts Program 1
• 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM: VHS Indie Mixer at The Pint Public House
• 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM: Ithaqua, Hammer Films’ first original monster in 60 years, starring Luke Hemsworth in a frozen 19th-century Canadian outpost besieged by hunger, cold, and an ancient flesh-eating evil
• 9:30 PM – 11:00 PM: Sleep No More

Friday, October 16

• 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM: The First Five Minutes of Horror (industry panel with Zach Lipovsky, Eli Craig, Rachel Talalay, and editor Greg Ng)
• 12:45 PM – 2:45 PM: “I See Dead People,” Shorts Program 2
• 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM: Indie Horror Distribution: From Festival Buzz to Theatrical Release (industry panel with Sean Harris Oliver and Kurtis David Harder)
• 5:00 PM – 7:05 PM: “Wouldst Thou Like to Live Deliciously?” Shorts Program 3
• 7:10 PM – 9:00 PM: Unholy Night
• 9:10 PM – 11:10 PM: Talking to a Stranger

Saturday, October 17

• 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Indigenous Protocols & Stories (industry panel)
• 11:10 AM – 1:00 PM: Drag (encore screening)
• 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Ancestral Beasts
• 3:15 PM – 5:00 PM: Encryption, the world premiere of a B.C.-shot sci-fi mystery
• 5:15 PM – 7:15 PM: “We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes,” Shorts Program 4
• 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM: Frogman Returns
• 7:00 PM: VHS Industry Party
• 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM: Yaga
• 9:10 PM – 11:00 PM: Friday the 69th

Sunday, October 18

• 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM: They Always Come at Night
• 11:10 AM – 1:00 PM: Imposters (encore screening)
• 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM: Yaga (encore screening)
• 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM: “Sometimes, Dead Is Better,” Shorts Program 5
• 3:25 PM – 5:25 PM: Table Read Series (industry event), with the live table-read series featuring Karen Lam and Dennis Heaton
• 3:45 PM – 5:35 PM: Remnant
• 6:00 PM – 7:45 PM: Golden Tape Awards ceremony
• 8:15 PM – 11:30 PM: Slither 20th anniversary screening, with the Inside Slither: 20 Years of Vancouver’s FX Classic talk, celebrating the Vancouver-made effects classic

What You’ll Find at VHS

Watch New Horror

Discover award-winning features, impactful shorts, premieres, and hidden gems from around the world on the big screen with fellow horror fans.

Meet Filmmakers and Special Guests

Walk the red carpet, attend filmmaker Q&As, and meet the writers, directors, cast, and special guests who bring horror to life.

Industry Programming

Filmmaker panels, live table reads, networking events, and the BC Screenwriter Development Program help writers, directors, and emerging creators build skills and connections.

Celebrate After the Credits

Filmmaker parties, networking events, and the annual Golden Tape Awards ceremony round out the festival.