{Popcorn Frights 2025} Ride The Wild Second Wave

Things just got a whole lot scarier — and way more fabulous. Popcorn Frights, South Florida’s annual screamfest, is back with a vengeance for its 11th year, unleashing a second wave of programming that’s as wild as it is wicked. Running August 7–17, this year’s festival is bringing undead drag queens, cult horror legends, immersive fog-filled nightmares, and over 25 fresh premieres to Savor Cinema Fort Lauderdale and Cinema Paradiso Hollywood. And if you’re watching from your couch? The virtual program is fully loaded too.

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Tina Romero Channels the Dead… and the Divine

Tina Romero, daughter of the zombie maestro George A. Romero, is rising from the horror crypt to deliver the Southeast premiere of her undead drag spectacle Queens of the Dead. Think RuPaul’s Drag Race meets Return of the Living Dead. This gory, glam, and gloriously queer horror show is pairing up with a live drag performance that promises to leave audiences gagging for more brains. Romero’s also bringing along a restored 4K print of her dad’s Day of the Dead, celebrating its 40th anniversary and returning zombies to their Floridian roots.

Dee Wallace Triple Threat

Horror royalty Dee Wallace is making her way to the festival for a triple dose of terror. She’ll be live and in the flesh to introduce three of her iconic genre hits: Cujo, The Hills Have Eyes, and The Howling — the latter newly restored in 4K. With other horror legends like Barbara Crampton, Lloyd Kaufman, and Linnea Quigley in the mix, Popcorn Frights is shaping up to be less film fest and more horror hall of fame.

You’ve Heard of 4D… But Are You Ready for Fog-O-Vision?

John Carpenter’s The Fog is getting an anniversary treatment like no other. This year’s fest will roll out a 4K restoration of the ghostly classic in full-blown “Fog-O-Vision.” Yes, actual fog machines will shroud the audience as the film plays. It’s immersive horror at its best — and worst, depending on your comfort with spectral sea captains creeping out of the mist.

Fresh Nightmares Take Center Stage

The second wave brings 25 new films to the in-person lineup, with standouts like Americana starring Sydney Sweeney, the trippy rotoscope nightmare Dog of God, and the pastel-soaked, darkly comic Fucktoys. Other buzz-worthy entries include:

• Good Boy: A loyal dog battles supernatural forces in a remote farmhouse.
• Influencers: A young woman in France gets dangerously deep into murder and identity theft.
• The Mannequin: A haunted fashion mystery with a ghostly serial killer twist.
• Slanted: A Chinese-American teen’s quest for whiteness takes a terrifying turn.
• Test Screening: Teens discover the new horror flick at their local theater is actually a mind-control experiment.

And yes, Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead headlines the slate like the glam apocalypse it is.

Horror from Home: The Virtual Program

For those streaming from the safety of their bunkers, the virtual lineup is no less stacked. Astral Plane Drifter kicks off the freaky space horror vibes, while Carry the Darkness channels The Blair Witch Project by way of West Memphis. Harvey Guillén stars in Crossword, where grief and puzzles collide into something sinister.

Also on deck:

• Custom: Erotic filmmaking goes full Lynchian.
• Don’t Hang Up: Wedding guests vs. ghosts from the Tulsa Massacre.
• Killer Rental: Hidden cameras. Creepy Airbnb. You know the drill.
• Tie Die: Joe Bob Briggs and Lloyd Kaufman hunt a killer bear. Enough said.

Documentary heads can dive into The Dark Fantastic, a sonically immersive look at composer Simon Boswell, or Exorcismo, a deep-dive into Spain’s censored cinematic sleaze. True crime meets media critique in Predators, about the rise and fall of To Catch a Predator, while Shadowland explores cult filmmaker Richard Stanley’s controversial descent.

Icons Talk Shop

Popcorn Frights is hosting a “Masters of Horror” panel featuring Barbara Crampton, Lloyd Kaufman, Stephen Susco, and A Quiet Place writers Scott Beck & Bryan Woods. Moderated by Fangoria’s Kimberly Leszak, this promises to be a brainy and bloody deep-dive into the craft of genre storytelling.

More to Come…

And just when you think it’s safe to go back in the cinema, Popcorn Frights teases a third wave of premieres and events still on the way. If the first two waves are any indication, expect more chaos, creatures, and cinematic carnage.

Tickets, Badges, and Streaming Passes

In-theater All-Access Badges and individual tickets are on sale now. Virtual All-Access Passes will get you the entire streaming lineup, perfect for horror fans nationwide. Filmmakers still looking to jump in can submit their projects via Film Freeway through July 18.

Get all the gory details at PopcornFrights.com, and follow @popcornfrights on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for updates.

Whether you’re braving the fog or screaming from your sofa, Popcorn Frights 2025 is the summer horror event you don’t want to miss.