About the Festival

We know how much heart, grit, and late-night caffeine goes into making an independent film. You pour your budget and sanity into every frame, hoping your work finds an audience that truly appreciates it.

Movie Mortuary was built by indie filmmakers, for indie filmmakers. As a newly launched streaming network, our mission is simple: build a passionate community that celebrates the obscure, the bizarre, and the delightfully weird.

The Winter Horror Short Film Festival is all about the films that bring fright to the holiday season. Whether it’s killer Santas, festive folklore, or cold-climate psychological terror, we want the stories that ruin Christmas.

We watch every single frame of every submission. Whether your short is a polished masterpiece or a wild, low-budget splatterfest, your vision will be seen and respected. Every single filmmaker who submits will receive constructive feedback from our screening team.

You spent the time making it. We will spend the time watching it. So unwrap your worst holiday nightmares and show us what you’ve got.

Welcome to the Mortuary—let’s raise some hell this holiday season.

Categories & Entry Tiers

Submission Categories

  • Krampus & Holiday Monsters: Creature features, dark folklore, demonic festive entities.
  • Slay Bells & Slashers: Holiday-themed slashers, home invasions, killer Santas.
  • Psychological & Winter Chill: Cold-climate horror, isolation, festive madness, dark thrillers.
  • Horror-Comedy & Twisted Parody: Dark holiday humor, satirical horror shorts, campy splatter.
  • Micro-Shorts (Under 5 Minutes): Ultra-short bites of holiday terror.

Pricing Tiers & Calendar Deadlines

  • Early Bird Deadline (September 25, 2026): $15 (Micro-Shorts: $10)
  • Final Deadline (October 16, 2026): $25 (Micro-Shorts: $15)

$5.00 discount offered across all tiers for FilmFreeway Gold Members.

Key Event Timeline

  • September 25, 2026: Early Bird Submission Deadline
  • October 16, 2026: Final Submission Deadline (11:59 PM EST)
  • November 1, 2026: Winner Notifications & Master File Requests Sent Out
  • November 6, 2026: Hard Deadline for High-Res Master File Delivery, Signed Releases & Tax Forms
  • November 14, 2026: Live Broadcast, Awards Ceremony & Streaming Launch on moviemortuary.com

Awards & Prizes

Grand Prize Winner (Best in Show)

  • $200 USD Cash Prize.
  • 2-Year Non-Exclusive Streaming Distribution Deal on moviemortuary.com.
  • Featured placement on the Live Broadcast Event on November 14, 2026.
  • Swag Bag (including branded merch), and a 1-Year Free Subscription.

Audience Choice Award (Voted Live by Viewers)

  • $50 USD Cash Prize Bonus.
  • Special "Audience Choice" Feature Placement on moviemortuary.com.
  • Swag Package.

Category Winners & Official Selections (12+ Selected)

  • Featured Winners ("12 Nights of Fright"): The top 12 selected shorts will air during the live broadcast on November 14, 2026, and be featured in our primary streaming block on moviemortuary.com.
  • Official Selections & Honorable Mentions: Additional outstanding entries beyond the core 12 may be awarded Official Selection status and offered platform distribution on moviemortuary.com, social media spotlights, and official festival laurels.
  • All category winners receive an Official Movie Mortuary Swag Bag and a 1-Month Free Subscription to moviemortuary.com.

Rules & Regulations

Eligibility & Runtime

Open to original horror short films with a holiday, winter, or festive theme.

Running time: Up to 30 minutes (including credits). No minimum runtime required. Feature-length films are strictly ineligible.

Prior Release Status & Language Requirements

Works previously screened at other festivals or published online remain fully eligible, provided the submitter holds unencumbered authority to grant streaming and promotional rights.

Non-English dialogue must include hardcoded English subtitles or an attached synced .srt / .vtt file.

Key Deadlines

  • Submission Deadline: October 16, 2026 (11:59 PM EST).
  • Notification Date: November 1, 2026.
  • Master File & Release Delivery Deadline: Within 5 business days of notification (November 6, 2026).
  • Live Broadcast & Event: November 14, 2026.

Master Technical Specifications & Delivery Requirements

Initial screeners must be submitted via FilmFreeway.

Selected winners must provide downloadable high-resolution master files (1080p HD minimum; 4K ProRes/MP4 strongly preferred) within 5 business days of notification.

Strict Access Rule: Failure to deliver a working, downloadable master file within 5 business days will result in immediate disqualification and forfeiture of selection, placement, and prize eligibility.

Audio must be clean, balanced stereo or 5.1 surround sound mixed to broadcast standards.

Terms & Conditions (Legal & Rights Agreement)

By submitting an entry to the 2026 Winter Horror Short Film Festival, the Submitter agrees to all terms outlined below:

1. Mandatory Release Execution, Pre-Event Deadline & Tax Liabilities

Selection as a winner, official selection, or cash prize recipient is strictly contingent upon the execution and return of Movie Mortuary’s electronic release form (E-signature) and applicable tax documentation (IRS Form W-9 for US residents or Form W-8BEN for non-US residents). Selected filmmakers must complete and return these forms along with their master file deliverable no later than November 6, 2026 (11:59 PM EST).

The Submitter agrees that they are solely responsible for all federal, state, local, or international taxes, duties, and reporting liabilities associated with the receipt of any cash prizes, physical awards, swag packages, or free subscriptions. Movie Mortuary will not withhold taxes from payouts. International cash prize recipients are additionally responsible for any applicable currency conversion fees or international transaction charges. Failure or refusal to execute and return required agreements and tax forms by November 6, 2026, will result in immediate disqualification, forfeiture of all prizes, and removal from both the live broadcast event and streaming lineup so an alternate film may be selected.

2. Universal Distribution & Compensation Structure (Zero-Royalty Terms)

All distribution deals awarded through this competition (including Grand Prize, Category Winners, Official Selections, and Honorable Mentions) consist of a 2-year, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to exhibit and stream the full film on moviemortuary.com and associated brand applications. The awarded contest prizes (cash, physical trophies, swag, broadcast exposure, and subscriptions) constitute full, final, and complete consideration for this 2-year license. No additional royalties, backend revenue shares, per-view compensation, or residual fees shall accrue or be paid to any winning filmmaker during its tenure on the platform. Submission terms for this festival operate independently of any standard or non-festival licensing agreements offered elsewhere on Movie Mortuary. Filmmakers retain underlying copyright ownership.

3. Judges' Discretion & Award Allocations

Movie Mortuary reserves the right to adjust the final number of winners, honorable mentions, and official selections at its sole discretion based on submission volume and quality. Movie Mortuary is under no obligation to award a specific minimum or maximum number of prizes in any given category. Audience Choice voting mechanisms will be executed via live broadcast poll, and all tally decisions are final.

4. Irrevocable Promotional & Syndication License

The Submitter grants Movie Mortuary a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, and irrevocable license to edit, publish, broadcast, and distribute excerpts (up to 60 seconds), trailers, still images, audio, titles, and promotional materials from the submitted work across all social media platforms, live broadcast streams, promotional reels, and syndicated marketing materials without further approval or financial compensation.

5. Termination of Distribution

Movie Mortuary reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to terminate or remove the hosting, streaming, or broadcast of any film at any time, with or without cause, or if technical, legal, or copyright issues arise.

6. Ownership Warranties & Complete Chain of Title Clearance

The Submitter explicitly warrants and represents that they are the sole and exclusive copyright owner (or duly authorized legal representative with full chain of title) of the submitted work in its entirety.

The Submitter certifies that they hold all necessary permissions, sync licenses, master licenses, public performance rights, literary clearances, union/guild clearances (including SAG-AFTRA), and talent releases for all music, score, sound effects, artwork, trademarks, script content, and personnel appearing in the film. The Submitter shall be solely responsible for any residual, deferral, union, guild, or backend financial obligations owed to actors, crew, or third parties. The Submitter warrants that the film does not infringe upon any third-party copyright, trademark, right of privacy, or right of publicity, nor is it subject to any active or pending litigation.

7. Indemnification (Hold Harmless)

The Submitter agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Movie Mortuary, its parent entity, streaming platforms, live broadcast outlets, officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any and all third-party claims, damages, liabilities, losses, or legal expenses (including reasonable attorney fees and court costs) arising out of or in connection with the exhibition of the film or any breach of the submitter's warranties or copyright representations.

8. Limitation of Liability & Force Majeure

In no event shall Movie Mortuary, its parent entity, affiliates, streaming platforms, or event partners be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages resulting from technical glitches, stream outages, server failures, transmission delays, platform downtime, or event cancellations caused by circumstances beyond reasonable control (including acts of God, network failures, or cyber-attacks) during the live broadcast or streaming licensing period.

9. Assignment & Transferability

Movie Mortuary shall have the unrestricted right to assign, transfer, license, or sublicense any or all of its rights, licenses, and obligations under this Agreement—in whole or in part—to any successor, affiliate, parent entity, acquirer, or third party in the event of a merger, acquisition, corporate restructuring, sale of assets, or change of control, without requiring prior notice to or additional consent from the Submitter.

10. Governing Law, Severability & General Terms

Submission fees are strictly non-refundable. Selection decisions made by the Movie Mortuary judging panel are final.

This agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which Movie Mortuary operates, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

If any provision of these Terms & Conditions is held to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision shall be deemed severable, and all remaining provisions shall remain in full legal force and effect.