The Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival (VHS) is back bigger, better, and scarier than ever! Join for two full weekends of screenings featuring 9 feature films and 47 shorts, along with 4 panel discussions, filmmaker Q&A sessions, parties, and awards on October 18 – 20 (Burnaby Edition) and October 25 – 27 (Vancouver Edition). Discover the program highlights below.
Photo Credit: CARVED
CARVED
The festival kicks off with the Canadian Premiere of CARVED, directed by Justin Harding, who will be joining a conversation about all things CARVED after the screening.
CARVED tells the tale of a group of survivors who get trapped in a reenactment village on Halloween and must fight against a vengeful pumpkin creature. This hilarious Halloween masterpiece is going to become the new favourite seasonal watch.
Date: October 18
Showtime: 7:00pm PT
Venue: Cineplex Cinemas Metropolis at Metrotown
Get your ticket here.
VHS Talks Panel Series – The Writers
VHS Talks Panel Series continues with the writers of horror. VHS artistic director Meghan Hemingway sits down with horror writers to discuss their journeys in this industry and answer the questions such as: What inspires them? How do they select their projects? How do they create their characters? What specific challenges does this genre present?
Date: October 19
Time: 12:00pm – 1:30pm PT
Venue: Cineplex Cinemas Metropolis at Metrotown
Get your ticket here.
Photo Credit: CLOSE AND LOCK THE PATIO DOOR
CLOSE AND LOCK THE PATIO DOOR
The first of Friday night in Vancouver Edition is a screening of the short film CLOSE AND LOCK THE PATIO DOOR, based on the hit CBC podcast “Let’s Make a Horror”. The film features a struggling alcoholic heads to a remote cabin only to discover that it’s not just his inner demons he has to wrestle with.
After screening, there will be a live in-theatre podcast taping of the “Let’s Make a Horror” CBC podcast. Lauded by The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Vulture Magazine, this podcast takes the audience inside a real writers’ room where three comedians attempt to make a seriously good script.
Date: October 25
Showtime: 6:00pm PT
Venue: Cineplex Cinemas International Village
Get your ticket here.
VHS Talks – Indigenous Voices in Horror
The discussion aims to amplify Indigenous representation and highlight Indigenous storytelling in the horror genre. It will deep dive into how Indigenous creators are reclaiming their narratives, challenging stereotypes, and reshaping the horror genre through culturally specific stories that often intertwine horror with tradition, history, and lived experiences. Moderated by Sasha Mark.
Date: October 27
Time: 12:00pm – 1:30pm PT
Venue: Cineplex Cinemas International Village
Get your ticket here.
View the festival schedule and buy passes here.
