The first film festival I ever attended was the International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival. It was an eternity ago, and my husband and I saw a horror shorts block with friends. I couldn’t tell you what we saw because this was before either of us had Letterboxd, but the festival bug took, and the rest is history. So without further delay, here are this year’s gastro offerings!
The International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival 2026 Gastro Offerings
- Last Call (2026)- A shady Hollywood producer gets trapped in a dive bar while out for a casual night on the town. (Horror Shorts A)
- The Companions (2024)- A young couple walks down the street. They have left the children at home and are going out to dinner. A crowd gathers around something. (Horror Shorts A)
- Pocket Change (2025)- When a remote diner loses power, a drifter and his seemingly worthless quarter become key to stopping a deadly threat. (Sci-Fi Shorts A)
- The Cauldron (2025)- In 1918, during the Spanish flu pandemic, a young man must protect his family from an unknown threat in their remote home. As fear closes in, he confronts both external dangers and the darkness within himself. This haunting folk horror’s ominously beautiful cinematography and deliberate pacing really let the dread seep in. (Horror Shorts B) Editor’s Note: This may be more of a stretch to call it gastro horror, but it involves a cauldron, so why not?
I hope this has whet your appetite, as it were, for this year’s festival! As always, you can find my festival coverage here on the site! Be sure to check back here and on my socials for all the latest! Also, be sure to follow Geeks Who Eat on Facebook because we’ll be giving away a pair of Flex Passes for this year’s Phoenix Film Festival!
The International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival (IHSFF) takes place in conjunction with the annual Phoenix Film Festival. The International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival 2026 will run from April 9th through the 19th. Additionally, IHSFF is a program of the 501c(3) non-profit Phoenix Film Foundation. If you’re in the Phoenix area and interested in attending, the full schedule can be found here, and tickets can be purchased here. Happy watching and hope to see you there!