Hysteria Fest 2025 Brings Four Days of Fear, Film & Prom Night Chaos to St. Louis

Travis moderates live filmmaker Q&As as Hysteria Fest 2025 returns with 60+ films and horror-themed events across St. Louis.

HYSTERIA FEST 2025: FEAR, FILM, AND PROM NIGHT CARNAGE DESCEND ON ST. LOUIS

July 10–13 • Over 60 Films • Prom Night II Under the Stars • Travis Moderates the Madness at The Heavy Anchor

Horror freaks, thrill-seekers, and midnight movie lovers—it’s time. Hysteria Fest returns to St. Louis for its fourth and most fear-fueled year yet, and the lineup is more unhinged than ever. Running July 10–13, 2025, this four-day genre blowout features over 60 films, including chilling world cinema, razor-sharp short blocks, retro madness, and the kind of immersive, community-driven events that have made Hysteria one of the boldest horror fests in the Midwest.

Tickets and weekend badges are on sale now at www.hysteriafilmfest.com. Expect sellouts—many blocks are free or deeply discounted, but the weirdest ones always fill up fast.

🎬 FEATURES THAT GO FOR THE THROAT

Festival Favorite "Dead Lover" plays at Hysteria Fest

2025’s feature lineup doesn’t just cut deep—it dismembers. From surreal slow-burns to splatter-drenched chaos, this year’s films include:

• Dooba Dooba – A Pakistani surveillance thriller steeped in tension and dread.

• Dead Lover – Gothic, gory, and grief-ridden: think Mary Shelley meets Death Becomes Her.

• The Hedonist – A visually rich descent into addiction and disorientation.

• Play Along – A captive’s nightmare turns theatrical in this darkly clever psychothriller.

• Girls Just Wanna Kill – Feminist time-travel splatter soaked in neon and vengeance.

Plus: a local block (Blood in the Bevo), the haunting music-meets-horror showcase (The Melody and the Madness), and a secret retro screening of Massacre at Central High that might just blow your mind.

👻 SHORT FILMS THAT BITE BACK

Short blocks are where Hysteria gets freaky. This year’s programming includes:

• Opening Acts & Final Gasps – Scene-setting carnage and endgame nightmares

• The Blood and the Bizarre – Horror-comedy, dream logic, and delicious absurdity

• El Terror y La Tristeza – A groundbreaking Spanish-language block with soul

• The Shadows and the Screams – Haunted grief, cursed books, and entities that don’t blink

Expect killer babies, haunted trailers, and at least one spaghetti monster. Bring a drink and your dark side.

🍷 PROM NIGHT, PANELS & PURE PANIC: THE EVENTS

Movies are just the beginning. Hysteria Fest 2025 packs a full slate of events that make it feel like a family… of monsters:

• The Horror Prom (Saturday Night) – Come in costume, get your cards read, share your worst prom story at the open mic, and see who gets crowned royal.

• Filmmaker Q&As – Honest, unfiltered insights after select screenings.

• Outdoor Screenings – Including Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II under the July sky.

• Vendor Market & Mixers – Local horror artists, meetups, food, drinks, weird vibes.

• Special Events at The Heavy Anchor – Trivia, FX tutorials, live podcast tapings, and more hosted and moderated by our very own Travis from HMU. That’s right—Travis will be moderating filmmaker Q&As and leading the insanity at The Heavy Anchor all weekend long.

🍁 CELEBRATING CANADIAN HORROR

This year’s national spotlight belongs to the north. The fest opens with a rare double screening of David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers, then continues with Indigenous horror knockout The Damnation, and climaxes with the horror prom screening of Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II—a cult fave we still can’t believe is real.

🎟️ GET YOUR BADGES — OR GET LEFT OUTSIDE

Don’t be the person reading about it later. Get your weekend badges or individual tickets now at hysteriafilmfest.com. Many events are free or dirt cheap, but the premium seats go quick. All-access badges get you priority entry, merch discounts, and all the extra weirdness you can handle.

Come for the blood. Stay for the community. Hysteria lives in St. Louis. July 10–13.

And don’t forget—Travis will be on deck moderating The Heavy Anchor’s late-night chaos and filmmaker Q&As throughout the fest. Come say what’s up.