Join the live pitch at Ethereal Horror Fest

Seven years after launching, Ethereal Horror Fest is betting that the best way to discover new horror voices is to watch them sell their nightmares in real time. The Oct. 16–18, 2026 event at Austin’s Violet Crown Cinema debuts its first live pitch competition, “Pitch or Perish,” as the centerpiece of opening night. Six filmmakers will stand before judges and an audience, pitching original projects in a format that blends industry showcase and public spectacle. The move reflects the festival’s ongoing mission to turn discovery into something immediate and participatory.

Pitch format and stakes

Six filmmakers will each deliver a timed pitch to a panel of industry guests. The format is open to the public as well as weekend pass holders. A single winner will receive the festival’s top prize. The event begins at 7 p.m. on Oct. 16, immediately signaling that Ethereal Horror Fest intends to foreground risk and immediacy rather than simply program finished work.

The live format is designed to surface projects still in development. Filmmakers must convey tone, cast potential, and market angle without finished footage or polished reels. Judges will evaluate clarity, originality, and viability. The audience will witness the process in real time, gaining a rare look at how genre stories move from concept to greenlight.

By making the pitch public, the festival shifts the traditional gatekeeping model. Viewers who normally encounter horror at the finished stage can observe the moment when a project either gains momentum or stalls. The competition also positions Ethereal Horror Fest as a practical resource for emerging creators who need exposure and feedback before they enter the broader festival circuit.

Queer horror at the forefront

Among the announced features is Hollow Lake, Troy Escamilla’s fourth film and the centerpiece of the returning Pride of Terror block. The story follows a newlywed gay couple whose lake-house retreat turns into a brutal home-invasion slasher. Escamilla has described it as “a home invasion horror film that also happens to be really, really gay.” The film has already screened at Toronto Indie Horror Film Fest and Soho Horror Pride.

Escamilla’s earlier features—Party Night, Mrs. Claus, and Teacher Shortage—established his reputation for lean, gory independent productions. Hollow Lake was shot in Ohio and stars Anthony Dain, Santiago Sky, and Roger Conners. It won Best Produced Screenplay at the Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival. The project continues the festival’s commitment to queer horror that refuses to soften its violence or its identity.

The Pride of Terror program also includes He’s Sick, Itch, Get Into the Spirit, Nowhere Coast, and The Widowmaker. Together they demonstrate that LGBTQ+ horror at Ethereal Horror Fest is not a niche sidebar but a recurring, central strand. Audiences can expect work that is raw, personal, and unafraid of genre conventions.

International reach and ritual horror

The Ritual of Huasao marks Peruvian director Isaac Berrocal Bravo’s first solo feature. The 82-minute Spanish-language film follows a woman who returns home after a spiritual cleansing in Huasao, Peru, and finds herself haunted by the ritual’s aftermath. Produced by El Ritual Producciones, the film was shot in Spain in 2024 and carries an age rating of not recommended for under 16.

Berrocal previously contributed a segment to the anthology Vampus Horror Tales. His debut feature leans into folk horror and supernatural unease rather than jump scares. The cast includes Carles Moreu, Esther Ramos, Sarah Sanders, and José Varela as the shaman. The film arrives as part of the festival’s Global Signals block, broadening the program beyond domestic perspectives.

By including The Ritual of Huasao, Ethereal Horror Fest signals its interest in horror that travels across borders and belief systems. The story’s focus on ritual and consequence aligns with the festival’s stated interest in work that is socially conscious and culturally specific. American audiences will encounter a tradition of horror that treats spiritual practice as both protective and dangerous.

True crime meets modern media

Marrow brings recognizable genre talent to a story rooted in real events. Director Mitch McLeod’s second feature stars Jessica Dawn Willis, who also co-wrote and produced, alongside Danielle Harris and Michael Ironside. The plot follows a fading true-crime podcaster who invites her suspected stalker onto her show, only to face escalating danger.

McLeod has cited early-2000s Texas stalking incidents from his own life as inspiration. The film was shot in Texas and Oklahoma and is being distributed by Scatena & Rosner Films. It explicitly engages with America’s fascination with serial killers and the podcast economy that monetizes trauma. The project sits within the festival’s Texas After Dark block, grounding national themes in regional experience.

The presence of Harris and Ironside gives Marrow immediate visibility, yet the film’s core remains intimate and unsettling. By placing a true-crime host at the center of the narrative, McLeod examines how personal safety and public performance intersect. The story reflects broader anxieties about visibility, obsession, and the blurred line between content and consequence.

Additional programming and access

The weekend schedule includes more than features. A live table read of the screenplay competition winner will give audiences a chance to hear new work performed. The filmmaker conference, “The Offering,” offers panels and workshops. Q&As follow most screenings, and informal networking events run throughout the three days.

Passes are priced at $25 for a single day and $40 for the weekend. The venue, Violet Crown Cinema at 434 W 2nd St, sits in downtown Austin and is easily accessible for local and visiting audiences. The festival remains a nonprofit, keeping costs low while maintaining a full slate of screenings and events.

Additional titles announced include Friday the 69th, The Barn Part 3, and Séance. Shorts programs cover themes from the supernatural to regional Texas stories. The combination of live events, competitive elements, and curated blocks creates multiple entry points for different viewer interests.

Founder’s vision and continuity

Founder and president Elizabeth Lloyd has framed Ethereal Horror Fest as a space where risk is rewarded. In the official press materials she stated, “For seven years, we’ve wanted Ethereal to be a place where filmmakers can take risks and audiences can discover something they weren’t expecting.” The live pitch competition is the clearest expression of that philosophy to date.

Lloyd has long emphasized that horror can be frightening, funny, heartbreaking, surreal, socially conscious, or deeply personal. The 2026 lineup tests that range across queer slashers, Peruvian folk horror, and true-crime psychological thrillers. The festival’s structure—screenings, Q&As, live events—supports both emerging voices and established genre names.

By keeping ticket prices accessible and programming eclectic, the event maintains its identity as an alternative to larger genre festivals. The addition of a public pitch competition extends that identity into the earliest stages of project development, giving audiences a seat at the table before cameras roll.

Industry implications and audience role

The live pitch format creates a direct pipeline between creators and potential collaborators. Judges and industry guests will see projects at the moment they need support, not after they are finished. This early visibility can accelerate funding, casting, and distribution conversations that typically happen behind closed doors.

For audiences, the competition offers a different kind of engagement. Viewers who attend the pitch event become part of the selection process, witnessing which ideas resonate and which stall. The experience reframes the festival pass as more than a ticket to screenings; it becomes an invitation to participate in the genre’s next wave.

The model also reflects broader shifts in how independent horror reaches viewers. With traditional distribution routes narrowing, festivals that create direct connections between filmmakers and audiences gain practical value. Ethereal Horror Fest’s decision to open the pitch process aligns with that reality.

What happens next

The winner of “Pitch or Perish” will leave Austin with momentum and a festival endorsement. The other five filmmakers will gain feedback and exposure that can shape future revisions. Meanwhile, the completed features on the slate will continue their festival runs and distribution conversations.

For attendees, the weekend offers a compressed view of horror’s current range. From queer home-invasion slashers to Peruvian ritual horror to true-crime media thrillers, the program tests how the genre absorbs personal and cultural anxieties. The live pitch adds a forward-looking element that keeps the focus on what comes next rather than only what already exists.

The seventh edition of Ethereal Horror Fest therefore functions as both showcase and incubator. By making the pitch public and keeping the rest of the program eclectic, the festival continues to position itself as a place where horror’s next phase can be seen taking shape in real time.

Tickets and schedule

Weekend and day passes are available now through FilmFreeway. The full schedule, including exact times for the live pitch and all screenings, is posted at etherealhorrorfest.com. The event runs Oct. 16–18, 2026, at Violet Crown Cinema in Austin, Texas. Early registration is recommended for those planning to attend the opening-night competition.