Screamfest 2026 Adds ‘Christmas at the Kringles,’ ‘Crawlers’ and More to Second Wave
The 26th annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival has unveiled the second wave of its 2026 lineup, adding 10 films to the program ahead of the festival’s return to Hollywood this October.
Screamfest will run Oct. 6-15 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, with the latest additions bringing projects from Argentina, Spain, Thailand, Australia, Belgium and the United States. The newly announced selections range from supernatural and creature horror to found footage, social-media-driven stories and a particularly sinister take on Christmas.
Briarcliff Entertainment’s Christmas at the Kringles will serve as the festival’s Closing Night film. Directed by Kevin Lewis, the film stars Ron Livingston, Rachel Bilson, Rob Riggle, Thomas Lennon, Arden Myrin, Donald Faison, Beverly D’Angelo and David Wain.
The story follows the Severson family as they attempt to make a fresh start in a quiet suburban neighborhood. Their new neighbors, the Kringles, initially appear eccentric but harmless, celebrating Christmas throughout the entire year. The situation becomes increasingly disturbing when Mark and Julie Severson notice their son becoming unusually attached to the family next door.
A confrontation eventually exposes the Kringles’ plans to hypnotize and indoctrinate the family, sending Mark into a rescue mission that includes an unlikely alliance with a rogue Santa. The film will make its World Premiere at Screamfest before Briarcliff releases it exclusively in theaters Oct. 30.
The second wave also includes the North American Premiere of Crawlers, directed by Ángel Gómez Hernández and written by Jayson Rothwell. Matilda Lutz leads the creature feature as Serena, the manager of an apartment building placed under police quarantine following a catastrophic infestation of venomous spiders.
With the creatures rapidly multiplying and residents trapped inside, Serena’s knowledge of the building becomes an important part of their fight to survive. Gary Stennette, Andrea Scott, Isabella Egizi, Sam Lucas Smith, Gregg Sulkin, Melina Matthews, William Miller, Lexey Salvador, Chris Rogers and Estela Aniorte round out the cast.
Argentina’s Bonded, directed by John Mathis and written by Mathis and Emilia Cotella, will receive its World Premiere. Clara Kovacic and Bianca Mitnik star as two sisters who return to their childhood home following the unexpected death of their elderly parents, only to encounter disturbing secrets buried within the house.
Belgian filmmaker Thomas Ancora will also bring The Crimson Order to Screamfest for its World Premiere. The film follows a group of privileged students who cover up the death of a young student during an initiation ritual at an elite Belgian university. One year later, the participants begin receiving evidence that someone knows what happened and is seeking revenge.
Scott Milam’s dATE joins the World Premiere slate with a cast led by Olivia Rose Keegan, Maddie Phillips, Mishel Prada and Alexander Bertrand. Described as a horror pulp fairy tale, the film centers on a model whose appearance conceals a gruesome secret. Michael Paré, Zach Tinker, Dot-Marie Jones and Derek Mears also appear.
Rocko Zevenbergen’s Flapjax will receive its West Coast Premiere following its festival run earlier this year. The horror satire follows an ambitious fast-food manager tasked with bringing back an addictive menu item in an attempt to save his employer from bankruptcy. He recruits his estranged mother, a former pop star known as Popo, to help promote the product before discovering the corporation has more troubling intentions.
Zevenbergen co-wrote the film with Estevan Muñoz, with Gabriel Cagan, Georgia Kate Haege, Madeline Barbush, Muñoz, Kaoru Koide, Takumi Mitobe, Daniel Berkey and Ty Anderson among the cast.
Spanish horror also has a significant presence in the new wave. Javi Prada’s Gummy will make its International Premiere, following serial killer Mauro as he heads out in search of another victim and encounters a young woman at a roadside bar who may not be the easy target she initially appears to be. Javier Botet stars as Mauro, with the cast also including Jan Cornet, Macarena Gómez, Rubén Tejerina and Fernando Soto.
Killer Cut, from writer-director Stiff Sullivan, will receive its World Premiere. The film follows seven friends on a road trip documented by a social media influencer. What begins as online content develops into footage at the center of a murder trial, raising questions about the increasingly unstable boundary between evidence, confession and entertainment.
Australia’s Kick On, directed by Nick Kozakis from a screenplay by Phil Kilmek, is set for its West Coast Premiere. Markella Kavenagh, Nikolai Nikolaeff, Ras Samuel and Jacek Koman star in the story of four friends whose night of partying leads them into the drug-fueled compound of a mobster’s reckless son, where paranoia, violence and betrayal quickly take over.
Thailand’s Rinrada the Influencer will receive its North American Premiere. Directed by Arm Athit Ariyawongsa, the supernatural horror film follows Rinrada, a prominent influencer who dies by suicide following a campaign of cyberbullying. Her digital presence subsequently returns as a vengeful entity capable of infiltrating screens throughout Bangkok and targeting the people responsible for tormenting her.
Yoshi Rinrada Thurapan stars alongside Khunnarong Prathetrat, Natcha Nina Jessica Padowan and Sutirod Seepach. The film uses its supernatural premise to explore cyberbullying, online misinformation and the consequences of social media notoriety.
The latest additions expand a Screamfest program that now includes 13 World Premieres, eight North American Premieres, one International Premiere, one U.S. Premiere and five West Coast Premieres across its broader 2026 lineup.
In addition to screenings, the 10-day festival will feature filmmaker Q&As, special events and appearances from filmmakers and talent, with further programming still to be announced.
The 26th annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival runs Oct. 6-15, 2026, at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood.
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