2025 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Recap- 5 Movies from the New York Horror Festival

There is one film festival that always hits at the right time and has a way of celebrating the best horror movies of the year. The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival is where it is at. Happening smack dab in the middle of October, there really is no better time to dig into a festival that fits with the season. One of the biggest highlights is the Opening Night film, Queens of the Dead, directed by none other than Tina Romero, the daughter of the legendary George A. Romero. Kicking it off with zombies and horror royalty seems like a good start. There is also a long list of exciting new films to see, from Bryan Fuller’s Mads Mikkelsen-led film Dust Bunny, the much-anticipated social media obsession sequel Influencers, and the already highly praised Adams Family film Mother of Flies. There are also plenty of repertory screenings and so much more. Here are five movies that I think you should not miss at what should be another exciting Brooklyn Horror Film Festival:

MOVIE: AFFECTION

STARRING: JESSICA ROTHE, JOSEPH CROSS, JULIANNA LAYNE

DIRECTOR: BT MEZA

SCREENING: SATURDAY OCTOBER 18TH 1:45PM @ DARK SKY FILMS THEATER

There is a bit of hilarity and a bit of serendipity that Jessica Rothe is the star of Affection. The actress from the hit horror film Happy Death Day returns to another horror movie, where her reality is once again impacted. Her character is struck with a condition where her memory resets every day, leaving her to piece together what is going on in her life. Director BT Meza has the perfect lead, and you throw on top of that a terrifying premise where your memory is against you, and when you do have recollections, it’s of a life that is much scarier than what you remembered. That should be a perfect movie to kick off the fun of the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. 

MOVIE: EVERY HEAVY THING

STARRING: JOSH FADEM, JAMES URBANIAK, VERA DREW, BARBARA CRAMPTON

DIRECTOR: MICKEY REECE

SCREENING: SUNDAY OCTOBER 19TH 1:45PM @ DARK SKY FILMS THEATER

One film that caught my eye at the Fantasia Film Festival this year was Every Heavy Thing. It’s another independent gem from director Mickey Reece, who welcomes a cast that features Vera Drew and Barbara Crampton. The premise involves an advertisement salesman who becomes deep into a conspiracy after he witnesses a murder. In typical Reece fashion, he’s often working with darker and unique themes that make his films entirely his own. He blends genres of mystery and comedy, and the results are typically a movie you never forget from a festival. See Agnes or Country Gold, his last two films that I loved, which makes Every Heavy Thing a must-see for sure. 

MOVIE: VIOLENCE

STARRING: ROHAN CAMPBELL, MADDIE HASSON, GREG BRYK

DIRECTOR: CONNOR MARSDEN

SCREENING: SUNDAY OCTOBER 19TH 9:45PM @ DARK SKY FILMS THEATER

What you often hope for from a film festival is to discover a new voice. You want to walk away saying, “Boy, I hope to see so much more from that new director”. That is how audiences will feel seeing Connor Marsden’s Violence. It’s an original punk set world, where the main character, named Henry Violence (played excellently by Rohan Campbell), finds himself caught between a world of drug-dealing mobsters and his drug addicted girlfriend (Maddie Hasson). Clearly inspired by films such as True Romance or the visual style of David Lynch, Violence is filled with unique characters, along with sets that bring the entire world to life. Make it the one movie you put on your watchlist from the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival.  

MOVIE: BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL

STARRING: JOHN BOORMAN, LINDA BLAIR, JOE DANTE, MIKE FLANAGAN

DIRECTOR: DAVID KITTREDGE

SCREENING: WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 22ND 9:15 @ DARK SKY FILMS THEATER

One would think having a documentary on the list for a horror film festival would not be what you do. Most of the time, they are movies for the hardcore fans of things such as the Evil Dead or Texas Chainsaw Massacre series. Boorman and the Devil is not just about the great director John Boorman, but also about his successes and the difficult failure of making Exorcist II. This documentary fits more into the making-of-style of documentary, giving the audience specific details about how a follow-up film can become such a colossal failure and derail the career of a great director for some time. You have to check it out.  

MOVIE: LUCID

STARRING: CAITLIN ACKEN TAYLOR, GEORGIA ACKEN, AMBER DANDELION

DIRECTOR: DEANNA MILLIGAN, RAMSEY FENDALL

SCREENING: FRIDAY OCTOBER 24TH 9:05PM @ DARK SKY FILMS THEATER

I think any artist or someone who appreciates the arts will understand Ramsey Fendall and Deanna Milligan’s film Lucid. The premise is simple: Mia Jones (Caitlin Acken Taylor) is a college art student, working on her M.F.A., always looking for inspiration, and currently struggling with a deep-rooted block. When a classmate introduces her to a drug called Lucid, it opens her mind to all sorts of wild dreams, which is good, until she can’t break out of it. From a craft and style standpoint, Lucid has the right approach, with a committed performance from the impressive Taylor, but unfortunately lost me halfway through. The narrative becomes too redundant without much for the audience to engage with. I always like a trippy, psychedelic experience, but sometimes you need a horror movie to be deeper than just that.