The Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival (VHS) has announced the first look at programming for the 9th edition. Running October 14 to 18, at Cineplex International Village the festival will feature a special presentation of the cult classic Trick ’r Treat with director Michael Dougherty in attendance, four feature-film premieres and acclaimed filmmakers and special guests, plus a slate of creator-focused industry programming.
October 14th, a 19th anniversary screening of Trick ’r Treat opens the festival, with acclaimed writer and director Michael Dougherty (Krampus, Godzilla: King of the Monsters) in attendance. The special presentation screening will feature an all-new 4K restoration of Season’s Greetings, Dougherty’s original animated short film that first introduced audiences to Sam, the mysterious trick-or-treater who would later become the modern horror icon at the centre of Trick ’r Treat.
photo: Kharen Hill
The first wave films feature four premieres including:
- The World Premiere of Encryption, an inventive sci-fi mystery from award-winning filmmaker Brayden DeMorest-Purdy.
- The Western Canadian Premiere of Sleep No More, an Indonesian body-horror nightmare from acclaimed filmmaker Edwin.
- The British Columbia premiere of Ithaqua, Hammer Films’ chilling return to creature horror starring Luke Hemsworth
- The British Columbia premiere of The Glorious Dead, the latest apocalyptic vision from celebrated DIY filmmaking team the Adams Family.
The first wave also includes four creator-focused events bringing established filmmakers and industry professionals together with emerging talent: an in-depth In Conversation with Michael Dougherty about building a career from original genre filmmaking to major studio franchises; The First Five Minutes of Horror, featuring filmmakers Zach Lipovsky (Final Destination Bloodlines, Freaks), Eli Craig (Clown in a Cornfield, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil) and Rachel Talalay (Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, Tank Girl, YAGA) and editor Greg Ng (Backrooms, Longlegs); Indie Horror Distribution: From Festival Buzz to Theatrical Release, featuring producers Sean Harris Oliver (Hunting Matthew Nichols) and Kurtis David Harder (Influencer, Influencers); as well as the return of VHS’s Live Table Read Series, with Karen Lam (Armageddon Road) and Dennis Heaton (Murder in a Small Town) among the participating industry panelists.
All this is just the first peak at the VHS line-up, more feature films, short-film programs, guests, events and festival programming will be announced as the complete 2026 program is revealed.
Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival screens screams October 14 to 18, 2026, just in time for Halloween season at Cineplex Cinemas International Village, 3rd Floor-88 West Pender Street.
Visit vancouverhorrorshow.com for full festival line-up announcements and for festival passes and tickets.