Queer Fear Film Festival celebrates queer stories from the dark, weird, and wild end of the genre spectrum. Now in our 5th year, Queer Fear is proudly the oldest queer genre film festival in the world and the only queer genre film festival in the South. What started as a niche idea has grown into an international celebration of LGBTQIA+ voices in horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and all the beautifully strange spaces in between.

On Saturday, February 21, 2026, we’re taking over a/perture cinema in downtown Winston-Salem with 41 short films from 11 countries. That’s dozens of fearless filmmakers, haunting visions, and genre stories that explore identity, survival, transformation, and otherness in ways only queer cinema can.

Every Queer Fear screening is followed by a live filmmaker Q&A, where artists and audiences connect face-to-face, swap ideas, and build real community. If you love bold queer stories, fearless genre cinema, and connecting with other queers, freaks, and horror fans, join us!

All-Access Passes $45 (four screening blocks for the price of 3!) 

Single Tickets $15 

BUY PASSES

Passholder Perks

• Access to all screening blocks
• Cool Badge and Swag Bag

Screening Blocks: Saturday, February 21

Film Block 1: Light Horror Shorts @ 11:30 a.m.

Film Block 2: Horror Comedy Shorts @ 2:30 p.m.

Film Block 3: Horror Shorts @ 6:45 p.m.

Film Block 4: Weird & Wild Shorts  9:30 p.m.

Queer Fear Film Festival is a nonprofit founded in 2021 with a vision of spotlighting LGBTQ+ representation in genre films, and bringing together filmmakers and fans through screenings and discussions. The queer community and the horror community have so many intersections and overlaps, including how welcoming and supportive they both are! If you identify as queer, as a filmmaker, or as a horror fan, you belong here.