Halloween Int. Film Festival 2025 Award Winners Announced
The Halloween International Film Festival returned from the grave in October 2025 to haunt the historic Outer Banks, North Carolina, with over 25 independent horror shorts and feature films from around the world and many special guest filmmakers in attendance, and this year’s award winners have been announced.
The Halloween slasher Haunt Season from writer and director Jake Jarvi takes home the Best Feature Film honors, while the wickedly clever Whitch from writer and director Hoku Uchiyama is awarded Best Short Film.
The horror short Just Stay In from writer and director Noah J. Welter wins Best Halloween Film; while the screenlife feature Groupchat, written and directed by Dan Brownlie and filmed in the U.K., wins Best International Film following its World Premiere on opening night of the festival; and the twisted short The Talk, written and directed by Cameron Voris and shot in Charlotte, NC, wins Best North Carolina Film.
Kayla Cromer scores Best Lead Performance for her outstanding work bringing the character Tiffany and her “Scared Stiff with Tiff” online show to life in the slasher short Rough Cut, written and directed by three-time HIFF alum and previous award winner Mitchell V. Slan (Balloon, Snake Eyes).
Sara Zinsser takes Best Supporting Performance honors for her role as the titular creepy Grandma in the horror short Grandma, May I, from writer and first-time director Gage Zanghi, who also wins Breakthrough Filmmaker for his Halloween-set debut Grandma, May I.
The Scariest Film award goes to the coming of age terror tale Scratch, from four-time HIFF alum and previous award winning writer and director Michael Trainotti (In My Room, One Dark Night, Nocturne).
HIFF 2025 AWARD WINNERS
Best Feature Film – HAUNT SEASON (dir. Jake Jarvi)
Best Short Film – WHITCH (dir. Hoku Uchiyama)
Best Halloween Film – JUST STAY IN (dir. Noah. J. Welter)
Best International Film – GROUPCHAT (dir. Dan Brownlie)
Best North Carolina Film – THE TALK (dir. Cameron Voris)
Scariest Film – SCRATCH (dir. Michael Trainotti)
Best Lead Performance – KAYLA CROMER (Rough Cut / dir. Mitchell V. Slan)
Best Supporting Performance – SARA ZINSSER (Grandma, May I / dir. Gage Zanghi)
Breakthrough Filmmaker – GAGE ZANGHI (Grandma, May I)
The Halloween International Film Festival took place October 2-4, 2025 at The Pioneer Theater in Manteo, on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, presented by Halloween Daily News and sponsored by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, Gallop Funeral Services, the Halloween & Costume Association, Haunted Pamlico, Let’s Talk Terror, Weird Darkness Podcast, Toxic Coffin, Fright-Rags, Lake Hickory Haunts, Halloween Island (which has events continuing every weekend through October in Manteo), and the 12th Annual Outer Banks Halloween Parade.
Stay tuned to Halloween Daily News for exclusive coverage from the 2025 Halloween International Film Festival, including Q&A panel discussions, orange carpet photos, and more, coming soon.
Related:Â Outer Banks, NC Becomes Halloween Island in October 2025
