Rats Reign Supreme at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival's Thrilling 10th Edition

In 2025, the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary with a thrilling and expanded program. What started a decade ago as a quaint movie club in the backroom of a bar has now grown into a ten-day affair held at several venues, attracting an estimated 5,000 guests – a 20% increase from the previous year.

The festival, co-founded by creative director Justin Timms, has established itself as a premier destination for unconventional, genre-bending films that defy the traditional boundaries of horror. This year's winners, selected by a panel of expert judges, demonstrate the festival's commitment to showcasing the diverse and innovative storytelling within the genre.

The top accolades went to Mickey Reece's "Every Heavy Thing," Emilio Portes' "Don't Leave the Kids Alone," and the short film "Last Call," directed by Winnie Cheung. These films, along with the festival's other programming, aim to challenge the mainstream perception of horror, which has often been limited to the slasher sequels of the 1980s.

According to the festival's senior programmer, Joseph Hernandez, the goal is to reflect the rich history and breadth of the horror genre, which has long been a platform for marginalized communities to tell their stories. The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival continues to push the boundaries of what constitutes award-worthy cinema, celebrating the bold and the unconventional.