Gateway Film Center to host 10th annual Nightmares Film Festival with new frights and a weekend of spine-chilling cinema

Reegan Davis
Wed, 15 Oct 2025 02:15:34 +0000
Arts & Life, Entertainment, Events, Instagram Page, Movies, News, off-campus, Pop culture, Afar film, campus arts and entertainment, chris hamel, Columbus, Columbus arts and entertainment, Columbus culture scene, Columbus entertainment guide, Columbus weekend events, cult classics, film premieres at Gateway, film screenings Columbus, filmmakers, gateway film center, Gateway Film Foundation, horror and thriller films, independent cinema Ohio, indie film festival Columbus, jason tostevin, Jason Trost, local films, movie festival coverage, new movies, Nightmares Film Festival, Ohio horror community [and 7 more]

Director Jason Trost will host a live, interactive screening of his film “Afar,” which premieres at the festival, according to Deadline. Credit: Courtesy of Jason Tostevin

With Halloween right around the corner, Gateway Film Center’s Nightmares Film Festival returns this fall with new scares for moviegoers.

The event, now in its 10th year, is deemed one of the top film festivals in the world, according to the festival’s website. It gives viewers the opportunity to view films and shorts before they are released to the public and provides a welcoming environment to indulge in the horror genre.

The festival will take place Thursday through Sunday. 148 films will be shown, with 18 feature-length films and 130 shorts, said Chris Hamel, the film festival’s co-founder and current CEO of Gateway Film Foundation.

“There’s a really nice mix this year of films that are being seen for the first time, and also films that will be in big commercial venues in the next few weeks or months,” Hamel said. “The best part about Nightmares Film Festival is getting to spend time with the filmmakers and screenwriters who are in attendance.”

From indie movies to highly-anticipated studio films, attendees will have the opportunity to see a wide variety of horror subgenres throughout the duration of the festival. The mix of genres offers something for everyone, Jason Tostevin, a filmmaker and the other co-founder of the festival, said.

“What people can expect is really, really cool, surprising, fresh, bold genre films from all around the world,” Tostevin said. “And when I say genre, that means horror, but it also means thriller and horror-comedy. We have a horror category we call ‘midnight’ which is the very strange and absurd movies, so there’s a mix of stuff for really anybody who’s into the genre.”

The festival will host the world premiere of Matthew Hersh’s “If It Bleeds” on Friday, which follows a young, ambitious news reporter and her cameraman as they hunt for the perfect leading news story, chasing brutal murders and crime scenes, according to IMDb.?

Another showing is “Afar,” a world premiere for the interactive film by Jason Trost, best-known for “The FP” franchise. “Afar” is a choose-your-own-adventure film and video game about the disappearance of a survival reality show cast and the paranormal investigation that follows, according to IMDb. Trost will be in attendance Thursday through Saturday with PCs and Steam Decks for guests to play before the game version officially releases Oct. 23 on Steam, according to his Facebook.

Hamel said films that are submitted to the contest undergo a particular selection process for the festival, with a jury of experienced individuals watching every film submitted and scoring them based on several different measurements. The highest scoring films are deemed the best fit for the festival, he said.

“It’s done in a way we’re really proud of, and what that means for the viewers is you can count on the fact that you’re watching the best and most interesting and most exciting films that were submitted for consideration,” Hamel said.

Hamel said the festival’s community has grown exponentially, with more than 5,000 people slated to attend this year. With such a large turnout, a lively and welcoming atmosphere is expected.

“[The expected attendees] will be a good blend of filmmakers, people who want to come watch great movies and also a lot of people who were excited for something interesting to do over the spookiest of holiday months,” Hamel said. “It’s a great opportunity to meet filmmakers and meet people in the central Ohio film community.”

Everyone is welcome to attend, including students. Hamel said he hopes to see a strong turnout of students from the university.

“Whether they’re an aspiring filmmaker, seems like all of us are a little bit of creators at this point,” Hamel said. “If they’re just looking for something fun to do, really, everyone’s welcomed. And I really hope we get a great turnout from the university and from students this year.”

Tostevin said if viewers plan on attending a large portion of the festival, VIP badges are also available for $149 on the festival’s website, but typically sell out in advance. VIP badges give viewers access to the VIP lounge as well as private doors into the theaters.

Tickets for each individual film shown are available to purchase on the Nightmares Film Festival website, as well as the Gateway Film Center website.