HorrOrigins Film Festival
Enter Now
Enter on or before October 31st to save $2.5
Oct 4th
Open
Oct 15th
Halloween I
Oct 31st
Halloween II
Jan 1st
Holiday I
Feb 14th
Holiday II
Apr 15th
Early Spring
May 31st
Late Spring
Jun 30th
Early Summer
Jul 31st
Late Summer
Aug 31st
Last Chance
HorrOrigins
HorrOrigins Film Festival
2025
Reads in Coverfly
Active Since 2019
HorrOrigins Film Fest is in its 7th year focused on making an event that is beneficial to writers & filmmakers via networking, screenings & more.
Accepting Features, Shorts, TV Pilots, Graphic Novels, Book/Manuscripts, Short Stories, Treatments, Pitches, Series Bibles, and Podcasts
Enter Now
Enter on or before October 31st to save $2.5
About
HorrOrigins Film Festival is an awesome genre film festival in its seventh year. We're focused on making an event that is beneficial to screenwriters & filmmakers alike via networking, screenings and mentor opportunities.
Horror, Sci-fi & Thrillers are WELCOMED!
HorrOrigins Film Festival will hold an in-person fest only in 2025.
HorrOrigins Film Festival screenings will be held Galaxy Theatres in Tucson, AZ.
About:
HorrOrigins is founded by Brandon Waites. Brandon founded HorrOrigins in 2019 as a means for genre screenwriters and filmmakers to have the opportunity to network and screen their films in theatrical settings. After screenings, HorrOrigins hosts networking opportunities.
Social media hashtags: #HorrOrigins #WhereHorrorIsBorn #WhereHorrorBegins
More announcements on events will be coming soon!
Prices & Deadlines
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Oct 31st
Halloween II
|
Jan 1st
Holiday I
|
Feb 14th
Holiday II
|
Apr 15th
Early Spring
|
May 31st
Late Spring
|
Jun 30th
Early Summer
|
Jul 31st
Late Summer
|
Aug 31st
Last Chance
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Horror Feature Screenplay
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$22.50
|
$25.00
|
$27.50
|
$30.00
|
$32.50
|
$35.00
|
$37.50
|
$40.00
|
|
Sci-fi Feature Screenplay
|
$22.50
|
$25.00
|
$27.50
|
$30.00
|
$32.50
|
$35.00
|
$37.50
|
$40.00
|
|
Thriller Feature Screenplay
|
$22.50
|
$25.00
|
$27.50
|
$30.00
|
$32.50
|
$35.00
|
$37.50
|
$40.00
|
|
Horror Short Screenplay
|
$17.50
|
$20.00
|
$22.50
|
$25.00
|
$27.50
|
$30.00
|
$32.50
|
$35.00
|
|
Sci-fi Short Screenplay
|
$17.50
|
$20.00
|
$22.50
|
$25.00
|
$27.50
|
$30.00
|
$32.50
|
$35.00
|
|
Thriller Short Screenplay
|
$17.50
|
$20.00
|
$22.50
|
$25.00
|
$27.50
|
$30.00
|
$32.50
|
$35.00
|
|
Pilot (Horror, Scifi, Thriller)
|
$17.50
|
$20.00
|
$22.50
|
$25.00
|
$27.50
|
$30.00
|
$32.50
|
$35.00
|
|
Graphic Novels
|
$17.50
|
$20.00
|
$22.50
|
$25.00
|
$27.50
|
$30.00
|
$32.50
|
$35.00
|
|
Books / Manuscripts
|
$22.50
|
$25.00
|
$27.50
|
$30.00
|
$32.50
|
$35.00
|
$37.50
|
$40.00
|
|
Short Story
|
$17.50
|
$20.00
|
$22.50
|
$25.00
|
$27.50
|
$30.00
|
$32.50
|
$35.00
|
|
Treatments
|
$17.50
|
$20.00
|
$22.50
|
$25.00
|
$27.50
|
$30.00
|
$32.50
|
$35.00
|
|
Pitch Decks
|
$17.50
|
$20.00
|
$22.50
|
$25.00
|
$27.50
|
$30.00
|
$32.50
|
$35.00
|
|
Series Bibles
|
$17.50
|
$20.00
|
$22.50
|
$25.00
|
$27.50
|
$30.00
|
$32.50
|
$35.00
|
|
Podcasts
|
$17.50
|
$20.00
|
$22.50
|
$25.00
|
$27.50
|
$30.00
|
$32.50
|
$35.00
|
|
Logline or Synopsis
|
$7.50
|
$10.00
|
$12.50
|
$15.00
|
$17.50
|
$20.00
|
$22.50
|
$25.00
|
Benefits
We hold great networking opportunities for screenwriters and filmmakers, alike. Attend our festival to meet filmmakers getting their work seen, network and collaborate!
Winners of certain category will win our O'Scare awards.
Certificates and/or Awards will be given for:
*Best Independent Overall Feature Director (Feature & Short) from all genres
*Best Independent Overall Film (Feature & Short) from all genres
*Best Overall Feature Screenplay
*Best Overall Short Screenplay
*These categories are up for the O'Scare awards.
HorrOrigins does reserve the right to remove O'Scare awards from any category at any time.
Certificates will be given to categories like Best Actors, Actresses, Cinematography, Composers, Editors, International Films and more!
HorrOrigins will assign certain winners a one-time meeting with a Hollywood mentor. Mentors will be assigned to the winners at a later time but are subject to change due to scheduling conflicts. More mentors could be added at a later time.
2025 Mentors will be assigned after the festival.
Our past mentors and special guests have included:
Barbara Muschietti producer of "IT" and "IT: Chapter 2"
Patrik Andersson producer of "MIDSOMMAR"
Carter Smith, director of "THE RUINS", "SWALLOWED" & "THE PASSENGER"
Cameron Burns, Director of Development at Paper Street Pictures
Savannah Abrishamchian, Development Coordinator at Monkeypaw
Micah Haley, partner at Intercut Capital
Jed Shepherd, producer of "HOST" and "DASHCAM"
Jay Scott Goldberg, producer of "GLORIOUS"
James Kniest cinematographer of "Annabelle," Netflix’s "Hush" and the upcoming "The Haunting of Bly Manor"
Peter Schink screenwriter of “Legion”
Jennfer Trent co-producer of "Happy Death Day 2 U" and "Ma"
Xavier Neal-Burgin director of the horror documentary "Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror"
HorrOrigins will also give our prizes from our sponsors to select winners.
Past & Present sponsors have included: FilmTucson, MovieMaker Magazine, Alter, Bloody Disgusting, Screambox, Veterans in Media & Entertainment, Legendary Fest, Nightmarish Conjurings, Dread Central, Tucson Slaughterhouse, Horror Press, Backstage, Ermantourage, Cinema Concepts and more
Announcements
Sep 14th
Official Selections
Oct 5th
Finalists
Oct 5th
Winners
Rules
Please read all rules & conditions before submitting.
By submitting, you acknowledge that you give HorrOrigins Film Festival the authorization to utilize any excerpts, images or biographical information of the filmmakers from any film submitted for promotional purposes.
Premieres and attendance are not required but will for considered in the final programming decisions.
Acceptable screening formats for exhibition are:
DCP's
HorrOrigins does not pay screening fees.
HorrOrigins reserves the rights to disqualify any submission without refund or reason.
HorrOrigins does not allow any refunds.
Screenings & awards ceremony will be scheduled by the HorrOrigins staff.
Any films not in English must be subtitled.
Screenplays must be in English.
Please submit the version of your film or screenplay that you want to be judged, as we do not allow for these to be updated at a later time. If you require an updated (revised) screenplay or film to be viewed, submission fees will apply.
Films & Screenplays are only accepted via online submission platforms. Finalists will be announced during the event. Winning screenplay(s) will be announced at the conclusion of the festival event.
Filmmakers & Screenwriters will acquire one VIP pass.
Films that have been acquired, produced, financed or distributed by any major motion picture studios or production companies are not eligible for our competitive awards (with exception to our mainstream category) but are eligible for screenings. It is the sole responsibility of the submitting filmmaker to attain all permissions required from the major motion picture studios or production companies prior to submitting and screenings.
Submitting filmmaker/screenwriter has full legal rights to submit film and/or screenplays.
Notifications will be made by social media, email and/or phone.
HorrOrigins doe not offer any waivers.
HorrOrigins reserves the right to omit any awards should the festival not receive enough entries for specific categories or if no of the submissions meet the judging standards.
HorrOrigins reserves the rights to give out any additional specialty awards should the judging team feel any of the films/screenplays deserve it.
Certificates will be sent out after the festival. Certificate will be emailed to filmmakers.
HorrOrigins holds the right to change screening venue or platform for any reason but will make notifications should this occur.
HorrOrigins holds the right to change selections at any time due to any reason.
HorrOrigins reserves the right to change prizes, awards and/or mentors at any time.
HorrOrigins requests that you do not submit any YouTube or any other public videos. Doing so could result in immediate disqualification.
It is the sole responsibility of the submitting filmmaker to secure any authorization and rights for copyrighted materials used within the film.
By submitting, you acknowledge and accept the rules & conditions of HorrOrigins Film Fest. The submitter also agrees to hold harmless HorrOrigins Film Fest from any and all claims resulting from my entry.