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Banner: the 60th Chicago International Film Festival

Genre: Horror


A bloody policeman sits in front of a fridge next to a girl holding her phone and drinking soda through a straw.

Addiction [short film]

Tzuhsuan Peng  |   Taiwan
Mandarin Chinese  
Horror, Social Commentary, Thriller

On a scorching afternoon along an isolated stretch of road, a lone police officer watches a girl running a small store. His gaze is sharp and relentless, searching for any sign of guilt like a predator stalking its prey. But as he scrutinizes her every move, he isn’t the only one on the hunt.

A person stands in front of a black background wearing a bloody turtleneck and jacket with blood on their mouth and forehead.

Chomp [short film]

Suki-Rose, Crickett Arrison  |   United States
English  
Horror, Thriller, Women-Centered

A news studio becomes the ideal breeding ground for an unexpected new monster. As the cameras roll, something sinister begins to take shape behind the scenes.

A black-haired woman stands close to camera with a black lace face mask looking off to the right.

Faces [short film]

Blake Simon  |   United States
English  
Horror, Social Commentary, Thriller

A group of friends bring a newcomer named Judy to a certified jerk’s house party.
Judy is sweet, wears a nice dress — and she’s a shape-shifter battling an identity crisis while targeting her next victim.

A woman with dark hair and blood on her cheek looks off camera left.

Fréwaka

Aislinn Clarke  |   Ireland
English, Irish  
Horror, Mystery, Women Centered

What appears to be a simple home-care assignment turns into a supernatural identity crisis for an Irish nurse in this terrifying folk-horror film.

A woman, holds something to her neck with blood running down her hand.

Grafted

Sasha Rainbow  |   New Zealand
Chinese, English  
Horror, Women Centered

A young scientist struggling to fit in in a new country uses her experimental skin-grafting research to get vengeance on those who wronged her.

A woman in a denim jumpsuit stands on a street corner holding an acoustic guitar and staring into camera.

Kombucha! [short film]

Jake Myers  |   United States
English  
Comedy, Horror, Social Comentary

A musician stuck in a monotonous office job decides to try the free kombucha that keeps his coworkers cheerful and productive. But the drink comes with a host of unsettling side effects, bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase “consumed by your work.”

A red-headed woman jogs down a street at night, dogs following her.

Nightbitch

Marielle Heller  |   United States
English  
Comedy, Horror, Literary Adaptation, Women Centered

A woman (Amy Adams) pauses her career to be a stay-at-home mom, but her new domesticity takes a surreal turn. In this penetrating, funny, and outrageous look at the realities of being an American mom, Marielle Heller has crafted a wildly entertaining tale of female struggle and strength.

Three kids look at something bloody in the foreground. One of them has blood on their face.

Párvulos

Isaac Ezban  |   Mexico
Spanish  
Action, Coming of Age, Horror

Young brothers hiding a dark and disturbing secret in their basement fight for survival in a post-apocalyptic world.

Two old men in a hospital room. One works on a baby doll.

The Rule of Jenny Pen

James Ashcroft  |   New Zealand
English  
Action, Horror

John Lithgow stars as a sadistic menace who terrorizes a retirement home with an unusual doll-based game. Will Stefan (Geoffrey Rush) be able to stop him?

A woman looks down with her right hand over her chest and the left raised while bright green circles float in front of her.

She Stays [short film] (Ella se queda)

Marinthia Gutiérrez  |   Mexico
Spanish  
Horror, Noir, Women-Centered

As Laura spends a night out in downtown Tijuana, she anxiously awaits the arrival of her destiny. The vibrant city buzzes around her, but her thoughts are consumed by what lies ahead.

In black and white, a baby lies on its back beneath a framed window of space with a white orb gleaming at its center.

Space Plug [short film]

Marcus Anthony Thomas  |   United Kingdom
No Dialogue  
Drama, Horror, Science Fiction

A baby is born into a mysterious white room in outer space. There, they grow up nourished by an extraterrestrial creature, but plagued by a desperate desire to break free. Deeply unnerving and wildly inventive, this one-of-a-kind sci-fi journey bursts with style and intrigue.

In a dark room, a young girl stands in front of a breezy open window wearing a high-collared red cape.

Transylvanie [short film]

Rodrigue Huart  |   France
French  
Comedy, Horror, Women-Centered

When a 10-year-old vampire realizes that she will be living alone for eternity, she plans to turn a neighborhood boy into her immortal companion. In an effort to prove her immortality, she reveals something much more sinister.

A forlorn woman stands out in a wintery forest wearing a leather headdress with gray hair wisping across her face.

Where the Mountain Women Sing [short film]

Juefang Zhang  |   Hong Kong, Taiwan, United States
Chinese  
Horror, Social Commentary, Women-Centered

As a desolate community prepares for the succession of a shaman in Northeastern China, a pair of filmmakers recording the process find themselves intertwined in the deadly ritual. Combining found footage with an omniscient perspective, a nightmare unfolds.