Screamfest returns to Los Angeles this October, bringing a lineup jam-packed with content for horror fans. 

Considered the “Sundance of Horror,” Screamfest will host its 23rd annual film festival from October 10-19. Now, we know which films will debut during the festival.

Opening night will kick off with the premiere of Divinity, from writer/director Eddie Alcazar and executive producer Steven Soderbergh. Set in an otherworldly human existence, Divinity follows scientist Sterling Pierce (Scott Bakula) who dedicated his life to the quest for immortality, slowly creating the building blocks of a groundbreaking serum named “Divinity.” 

“For over 20 years, Screamfest has brought the best independent horror and genre films to our thriving Los Angeles film community. This October, we are excited to continue our legacy of presenting our audiences with high-caliber festival frights kicking off with the thrilling Divinity by visionary Eddie Alcazar,” said festival founder Rachel Belofsky. 

Features making their world premiere during the festival include William Kresch’s Alone Together, William Brent Bell’s Lord of Misrule, and Erlingur Thoroddsen’s The Piper. 

Check out the full lineup of films headed to Screamfest below.

Screamfest Feature Lineup

Divinity (US, 2023 ) –  LA Premiere

Directed by Eddie Alcazar

Written by Eddie Alcazar

Produced by Eddie Alcazar, Raphael Gindre, Javier Lovato, Steven Soderbergh, Johnny Starke

Cast:Bella Thorne, Stephen Dorff, Caylee Cowan, Scott Bakula, Moises Arias,

Karrueche Tran, Michael O’Hearn, Emily Willis

Centers on two mysterious brothers, who abduct a mogul during his quest for immortality. Meanwhile, a seductive woman helps them launch a journey of self-discovery.

Alone Together (US, 2023) – World Premiere

Directed by William Kresch

Written by William Kresch, AV Bach      

Produced by Eric Reitz, DeAnna Wright     

Cast:  DeAnna Wright, Matthew Kresch 

After fleeing their pandemic-ravaged city for the safety of a remote family cabin, a physically and emotionally abused woman and her volatile boyfriend are forced to face the vengeful spirit that haunts it—and each other.      

The Deep Dark (2023, France) – West Coast Premiere

Directed by Mathieu Turi          

Written by Mathieu Turi         

Produced by Eric Gendarme, Thomas Lubeau, Samuel Le Bihan             

Cast: Samuel Le Bihan, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Diego Martin, Amir El Kacem, Thomas Soliveres, Marc Riso, Bruno Sanches, Phillippe Torreton            

1956, northern France. When a group of miners find themselves trapped in the depths of a coal mine, they quickly realize that they are not the only ones. 

Eight Eyes (US, 2023) – US Premiere

Directed by Austin Jennings                       

Written by Austin Jennings, Matt Frink             

Produced by Justin A. Martell, Matt Manjourides               

Cast: Emily Sweet, Bradford Thomas, Bruno Veljanovski      

A mysterious local crashes a couple’s vacation through the former Yugoslavia, pulling them deeper into his web of psychic rituals.   

Empire V (2023) –  US Premiere        

Directed by Victor Ginzburg         

Written by Victor Ginzburg, Victor Pelevin           

Produced by Victor Ginzburg, Andrei Trubitsyn, Maria Kapralova, James Steel, Alexei Tylevich                                  

Cast: Pavel Tabakov, Miron Fyodorov, Taya Radchenko, Vera Alentova     

Set in modern-day Moscow, “Empire V” is a metaphysical vampire story and a reflection of a world ruled by the cult of beauty, money, and blood. A dark satire on contemporary Russian culture and global capitalism. A universal coming-of-age story of an average young man challenged by a Faustian gift of power and knowledge, forced to make his way in a post-moral world.
Based on a novel by Russia’s leading contemporary writer Victor Pelevin.    

Faceless After Dark (US, 2023) – West Coast Premiere

Directed by Raymond Wood                    

Written by Jenna Kanell, Todd Jacobs           

Produced by Jenna Kanell, Randall Blizzard              

Cast: Jenna Kanell, Danny Kang, Danielle Lyn, Michael Aaron Milligan, Jason MacDonald, Catherine Corcoran      

Following her breakout success as the star of a killer clown horror flick, Bowie now finds herself struggling to capitalize on its success. But when she is suddenly held hostage by an unhinged fan posing as that same killer clown, horror becomes her reality as she fights to survive the night and escape before he completes his sinister plan to recreate the film’s fatal plot.     

Howdy, Neighbor! (US,2023) – LA Premiere

Directed by Allisyn Snyder                   

Written by Matthew Scott Montgomery                    

Produced by Dylan Snyder, Charles M. Barsamian Esq.                          

Cast:  Debby Ryan, Matthew Scott Montgomery, Alyson Stoner, Grant Jordan, Sterling Sulieman, Adam Faison, Tim Bagley, Greer Grammer, Kevin Chamberlin      

When former child actor, Benjamin (Matthew Scott Montgomery), is recognized by his new neighbor (Grant Jordan), the lines between friend and fan become blurred, turning his number one fan into his number one nightmare. With no help from law enforcement, Benjamin begins investigating the oddly familiar man with his best friend Harley (Debby Ryan).                  

Loop Track (New Zealand, 2023) – North American Premiere

Directed by Thomas Sainsbury            

Written by Thomas Sainsbury     

Produced by Gabriel Lunte, Jonathan Potton, Milon Tesiram       

Cast: Thomas Sainsbury, Hayden J. Weal, Tawanda Manyimo, Kate Simmonds, Noa Campbell, Bianca Seinafo, Gaby Solomona   

A man on the verge of a nervous breakdown retreats to the bush, only to encounter other trampers—and someone or something else entirely—in this psychological thriller.

Lord of Misrule (UK, 2023)  –  World Premiere            

Directed by William Brent Bell (The Devil Inside, The Boy)

Written by Tom de Ville             

Produced by William Brent Bell, Nik Bower, Deepak Nayar, Jason Newmark, Laurie Cook, James Tomlinson, Alison Brister         

Cast: Tuppence Middleton, Ralph Ineson, Matt Stokoe, Evie Templeton           

LORD OF MISRULE is a pagan horror story set in a rural English village, where Rebecca Holland has recently taken over the parish church. When her young daughter goes missing at a winter festival, villagers and local police join in the desperate search. However, the closer they edge towards finding the girl, the more secrets emerge from the town’s dark past; soon Rebecca must decide just how much she is willing to sacrifice to rescue her daughter from the grip of evil.                                             

Masacre en Teques (Mexico, 2023) – International Premiere

Directed by Rodrigo Hernandez Cruz                  

Written by Rodrigo Hernandez Cruz, Solrac Niram, Alfredo Mendoza                          

Produced by Rodrigo Hernandez Cruz                        

Cast: Tatiana Del Real, Florencia Rios, Danae Reynaud, Juan Ugarte, Jerry Velazquez, Francisco de la Reguera, Ramon Medina

Mimi the Prince of Darkness (Italy, 2023)  – North American Premiere

Directed by Brando De Sica                     

Written by Ugo Chiti, Brando De Sica, Irene Pollini Giolai                         

Produced by Marco Cohen, Benedetto Habib, Fabrizio Donvito, Daniel Campos Pavoncelli                            

Cast: Domenico Cuomo, Sara Ciocca, Mimmo Borrelli, Giuseppe Brunetti, Abril Zamora, Dino Porzio, Daniele Vicorito 

Mimì is an orphaned teenager born with deformed feet who works at a pizzeria in Naples. One fateful day, he meets Carmilla, a young girl convinced she is a descendant of Count Dracula. Together, they decide to escape the cynical and violent world they live in.                  

Monolith (Australia, 2023) –  LA premiere

Directed by Matt Vesely            

Written by Lucy Campbell           

Produced by Bettina Hamilton               

Cast: Lily Sullivan              

A headstrong journalist whose investigative podcast uncovers a strange artifact, an alien conspiracy, and lies at the heart of her own story. 

My Mother’s Eye (Japan, 2023) – North American Premiere

Directed by Takeshi Kushida           

Written by Takeshi Kushida              

Produced by Shin Nishimura, Yosuke Sato                 

Cast: Akane Ono, Mone Shitara, Takuma Izumi, Shusaku Uchida              

A mother and daughter share a single vision of the universe through the use of a new,
futuristic contact lens device with a built-in camera inserted into the eyes and set up together with VR Goggles. This is a psycho-fantasy that weaves together the lives of the mother and daughter with their shared vision as they ultimately find a true bond while transcending the boundaries of body and mind.

Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls (US, 2023) – Cineverse/Bloody Disgusting Special Screening

Directed by Andrew Bowser       

Written by Andrew Bowser              

Produced by Andrew Bowser, Michael Mobley              

Cast: Andrew Bowser, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Rivkah Reyes, Terrence “TC” Carson, Arden Myrin, Melanie Chandra 

The story follows fledgling occultist Marcus J. Trillbury (Onyx) as he attends a once-in-a-lifetime ritual at his idol Bartok the Great’s dark mansion. Once there, Marcus meets a group of other occultists and they are led in a series of rituals meant to “better them.” But as terrible things begin to happen, it soon becomes clear that Bartok’s intentions are more nefarious. As Onyx and his new friends battle to keep their souls, a question of great destiny looms over Onyx’s head: is he doomed to be a nobody or will he rise to defeat Bartok and save his friends from damnation? The film is based on director Andrew Bowser’s viral character of the same name, Onyx, who has racked up over 300 million views online and has over 1 million TikTok followers.      

Pandemonium (France, 2023) – US Premiere

Directed by Quarxx              

Written by Quarxx             

Produced by Isabelle Guenezan, Sandra Ianigro, Martine Melloul                

Cast: Hugo Dillon, Arben Bajraktaraj, Manon Maindivide, Ophélia Kolb, Sidwell Weber, Carl Laforêt             

Following a car accident Nathan realizes he is dead. He will discover Hell and encounter the sufferings of the tormented souls that he will meet there. Will he be able to escape?

The Piper (UK, 2023 )  –  World Premiere

Directed by Erlingur Thoroddsen

Written by Erlingur Thoroddsen

Produced by Tanner Mobley, Bernard Kira, Les Weldon, Jeffrey Greenstein, Jonathan Yunger, Yariv Lerner, Avi Lerner (EP), Boaz Davidson (EP), Trevor Short (EP)

Cast:  Charlotte Hope, Julian Sands, Aoibhe O’Flanagan, Oliver Savell, Kate Nicols, Philipp Christopher, Alexis Rodney, Louise Gold, Pippa Winslow

A young composer is given the opportunity of a lifetime when she is tasked with finishing her late mentor’s concerto. But she soon discovers that playing the music summons deadly consequences, leading her to uncover the disturbing origins of the melody and the evil force it has awakened… The Pied Piper. 

The Puppetman (US, 2023 ) – West Coast Premiere

Directed by Brandon Christensen                

Written by Brandon Christensen, Ryan Christensen                   

Produced by Matt Manjourides, Justin Martell                      

Cast: Alyson Gorske, Kio Cyr, Michael Pare, Anna Telfer    

The Puppetman, a convicted killer on death row, always maintained his innocence and that it was an evil force controlling his body as he slaughtered his victims. Now Michal, the killer’s daughter, begins to suspect that there may be some truth to her father’s claim when those around her begin to die in brutal ways. She must try and break the curse of The Puppetman before all her loved ones are killed.                    

The Wait (Spain, 2023) – West Coast Premiere  

Directed by F. Javier Gutiérrez

Written by F. Javier Gutiérrez                           

Produced by Antonio Perez Perez, Adrian Guerra, F. Javier Gutiérrez,                

Cast: Victor Clavijo, Ruth Diaz, Pedro Casablanc          

Eladio, a hunting estate keeper, takes a bribe from a veteran hunter. Weeks later, his whole life falls apart. What looked like the opportunity of a lifetime turns into a macabre descent to hell, where Eladio will test his boundaries. 

The Well  (Italy, 2023)– North America Premiere        

Directed by Federico Zampaglione                 

Written by Federico Zampaglione and Stefano Masi                    

Produced by Stefano Masi                             

Cast: Lauren Lavera, Claudia Gerini

When novice art restorer Lisa Gray goes to a small Italian village to bring a medieval painting back to its former glory after fire damage, little does she know she is placing her life in danger from an evil curse of myth and brutal pain.                                

You’ll Never Find Me (Australia, 2023) –  Premiere

Directed by Josiah Allen, Indianna Bell                   

Written by Indianna Bell                 

Produced by Josiah Allen, Indianna Bell, Jordan Cowan, Christine Williams                  

Cast: Brendan Rock, Jordan Cowan, Elena Carapetis            

A sharp and twisted thriller featuring outstanding central performances from Jordan Cowan & Brendan Rock. An isolated man living in the back of a desolate caravan park is visited by a desperate young woman seeking shelter from a violent storm. As the savage storm worsens, these solitary souls begin to feel threatened- but who should be afraid? A bold directorial debut from the filmmaking duo Josiah Allen & Indianna Bell.

What You Wish For (US, 2023) –  LA premiere

Writer/Directed by Nicholas Tomnay

Produced by Nicholas Tomnay, Kevin Chinoy, Francesca Silvestri

Starring: Nick Stahl, Tasmin Topolski, Randy Vasquez, Penelope Mitchell

A chef with gambling problems flees to the Latin American villa of an old friend who appears to be living an extraordinary life. Envy soon turns to greed and then to something more unsettling for the chef when he assumes his friend’s life and discovers the truth.

About Screamfest

Formed in August 2001 by film producer Rachel Belofsky, Screamfest Horror Film Festival is a female-run \non-profit organization that gives filmmakers and screenwriters in the horror and science fiction genres a venue to have their work showcased in the film industry. The festival has launched a number of films, including Paranormal Activity, Trick ‘r Treat, 30 Days of Night, and Tragedy Girls. 

This year’s festival will take place at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles from October 10-19. To buy tickets and learn more about the festival, visit screamfestla.com.

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