Access:Horror film festival will return this year, a hybrid festival and industry summit, both online and live in New York City, to celebrate disability in horror and genre cinema. Named as one of the most accessible film festivals in the nation by Forbes, Access:Horror will kick off events on August 1, 2025, with a 6-hour program at DCTV Firehouse Cinema in New York City. The festival is happening in partnership with the George A. Romero Foundation and features the tagline, “So Inclusive, It’s Scary.”
For the first time, Shudder will make all of the Access:Horror short films available on the streaming platform.
Access: Horror was founded by acclaimed filmmaker, author, podcaster, and horror activist Ariel Baska. Beyond films, the event will host panels, discussions, and Q&As from various luminaries from horror and disability advocacy communities.
This year’s festival will have a heightened relevance in the wake of attacks on Medicaid, Medicare, and fundamental disability rights legislation.
“Access:Horror is a celebration of disability that flies in the face of the existential threats posed by RFK, Jr., the attacks on Medicaid, and a rising tide of eugenics supporters,” says Baska.
What To Expect From This Year’s Festival
Access: Horror will be hosted by Baska, alongside Sharai Bohannon and Xero Gravity of the Blerdy Massacre Podcast. Phil Nobile Jr., the editor-in-chief of Fangoria, will preside over the awards ceremony. The event will feature a panel on Blackness and Disability in Horror and a collection of 10 short horror films.
Highlights include The Shadow Wrangler by filmmaker and actor Grace Rex, noted for her recurring role on the Apple TV hit Severance; Lady Parts, directed by Ariel McCleese, editor-in-chief of BloodLetter Magazine; and Tight by Jessica Barr, which had its premiere at SXSW.
“I am here to create a way for community to come together and defiantly celebrate inclusivity wherever we can, however we can,” says Baska. “We are extending our reach from New York City to the wilds of Virginia and the coastal Bay Area this fall, through partnerships with Lost Weekend Film Festival at the Alamo Drafthouse Winchester, and Superfest Disability Film Festival at the San Francisco Disability Cultural Center.”
At the live event in New York, a silent auction, including items such as a piece of the Blair Witch house, a tour of the Horror Archive in Pittsburgh, and a consultation with the Adams Family of Hellbender fame, among other items and experiences. All proceeds from the silent auction will go directly to the filmmakers of Access:Horror in an effort to build sustainability for filmmakers in the festival landscape.
Finally, the festival will feature a live performance premiere of a new song by acclaimed singer-songwriter Maya Azucena. That song is to be featured in Monstrous Me, the upcoming new documentary by festival founder Ariel Baska about their relationship with horror, disability, and the movie monster, Freddy Krueger. Monstrous Me is being produced by Lilly Wachowski.
The festival’s full schedule and tickets go live on their website on July 7, 2025.
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