Dustin Staggs

NWA Democrat-Gazette

It’s been two months since around 600 people gathered for the first-time festival, Nightmare in the Ozarks, in Eureka Springs, and next year’s sequel has already been scheduled with an extra day of programming. Taking place Oct. 22-25, 2025, the Nightmare in the Ozarks Film Festival’s tickets are on sale and currently accepting film submissions for its lineup.

“We had so many high-quality submissions than we expected for this first year,” Festival Director Coltan Scrivner said. “We wanted to be sure to include as many films as we could, and so, in order to do that, we had to cut some of the intermissions out. So part of the reason for the additional day is maybe to add another film or two, but really to also give a little more room for breaks and side events throughout the week.”

The film festival is currently accepting film submissions until April 1, 2025, and ticket prices are 20% off until March 1, 2025.

Scrivner also said if you live or work in Eureka Springs, email ozarknightmare@gmail.com or message the Nightmare in the Ozarks social media, and there is a 50% code you can use for tickets.

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Recognized by The New York Times as one of the five Halloween film festivals worth traveling to, the Nightmare in the Ozarks Film Festival is placed among the most prestigious horror celebrations in the U.S., like Los Angeles Scream Fest and Telluride Horror Show.

Set to take place in Eureka Springs’ historic City Auditorium — lovingly known by the locals as “The Aud” — the festival invites attendees into its 900-seat theater, where films will be shown on a large 26-foot screen with a brand new 14K projector.

Festival Director Coltan Scrivner, a behavioral scientist and horror expert, understands the dark appeal that draws people to these horrific stories.

Scrivner views the Nightmare in the Ozarks Film Festival as providing an opportunity to explore the genre’s tremendous possibilities and providing a useful inspiration for other aspiring filmmakers.

When it came to picking the lineup of films, Scrivner said, “being a first-year film festival, I was initially just a little bit happy to have anything, in the sense that you often don’t get to be very choosy your first year, but I think we had a very untraditional first year as a film festival.”

They received about 300 film submissions from 21 different countries, and it was hard to narrow them down to just two and a half days of screenings.

THE SCHEDULE

The opening night Thursday featured Nikola Petrovic’s “Mudbrick,” a dark drama about pagan cults and hidden truths that hadn’t been shown anywhere in the U.S. yet, according to Scrivner.

The roster of that first festival day concluded with “The Invisible Raptor,” a film about an unseen dinosaur wreaking havoc on a small village.

Friday had sci-fi short films, moody mysteries and the debut of the film, “He Sees You When You’re Sleeping.” The Christmas slasher was shown two weeks before its theater release.

Saturday was packed with events, from slasher shorts in the morning to thrilling shorts in the afternoon. After the last thriller of the day, spectators could watch the Brain Buffet, where costumed zombies compete to gobble gelatin brains in Basin Spring Park.

In true festival fashion, Saturday night concluded with a red carpet event in which festival-goers in their undead attire mingled, took pictures and made their way back into The Auditorium, where the howler trophies were presented to the winning filmmakers.

The awards recognized the finest in feature and short films, performances and the film with the best kill. The audience also got their own choice by voting for their favorite film.

After the ceremony, the night ended with its last film screening of George A. Romer’s legendary 1968 picture, “Night of the Living Dead.”

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FAQ

Nightmare in the Ozarks Film Festival 2025

WHEN — Oct. 22-25, 2025

WHERE — City Auditorium, 36 S. Main St., Eureka Springs

COST — $40 for all-access pass. $15 for Wednesday; $20 for Thursday-Saturday. 20% discount available until March 1, 2025.

INFO — nightmareintheozarks.com