Last year, I began an arduous task, ranking all the movies I watched at Panic Fest. I didn’t get around to all the films, and this year was no different at all. There’s so little time to get through the dozens of films served up at Panic Fest, much less the nearly dozen short film blocks filled with aspiring and future directors.
After, what feels like a delight brain rot marathon, this year’s iteration of Panic Fest, I’ve decided to keep my best films of 2025’s Panic Fest short and pithy.
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN SPACE AND TIME: MR. K This film sits somewhere in the ether between good and baffling. Either way, this film is sure to spark something—confusion, awe, annoyance. Maybe all three.
#43: COVER A woman needs help escaping. Why? Just keep watching until the film feels like telling you. But by then, do we even care? “Cover” has the right ingredients, but it can’t bring them together in a way that makes us care about its characters or plot.
#42: THE ONLY ONES This film felt like it was building toward something great—from the campfire ghost story to the “we all know who’s next to die” setup. But it doesn’t follow through. It’s like it is half-heartedly committed to everything.
#41: ROLLING As someone recently burned by a bad landlord, I should’ve loved “Rolling.” But the film feels more obsessed with twists than its solid core concept.
#40: THE BOOK OF THE WITCH There’s no denying the small-budget feel of this film, which I can respect. Unfortunately, “The Book of the Witch” quickly exhausts its setting and characters. By the end, I was just checked out.
#39: THE G I really wanted to like this. It’s a female-led “Death Wish,” but without Bronson’s grim charm or justification. Grounded in reality, yes—but too much so. It loses all punch.
#38: DEAD LOVER Points for ambition, but “Dead Lover” often feels like a parody of stage performances—like a rushed dress rehearsal. Bold, yes. But it never clicked for me.
#37: DON’T LET THE CAT OUT Cat soul transfer? Great premise. But the execution lacks bite. Like a roadside attraction, the promise is more exciting than the reality.
#36: PSYCHE I was in for the first third. Tech mystery, unsettling visuals. Then it veered off the rails and lost all my investment. “Psyche” ends up empty.
#35: TIE DIE With Troma and Drive-In nods, I wasn’t expecting brilliance—but I was hoping for fun. “Tie Die” delivers mild amusement and little else.
#34: STALKERS I love the idea behind “Stalkers,” a more modern stalker thriller about a mother and her daughter she’s attempting to reconnect with, but I found it to be a misfire.
#33: SELF DRIVER As a part-time Uber driver, I thought this would be my thing. A creepy app that pays big? Sign me up. But the movie meanders and never does good on its premise.
#32: TOMORROW I DIE It lays out its cards early, which can be risky. The intrigue kept me watching, but when my theory proved right, I wasn’t sure the journey was worth it.
#31: DOOBA DOOBA Think “Paranormal Activity” meets “This House Has People In It.” Babysitting becomes surveillance horror, with deeply American undertones. Uneven, but creepy.
#30: THE HEDONIST If Gen Z made “Tim and Eric,” this might be it. It doesn’t always land, but I admire the audacity. Humor is generational—I’m just old enough to feel it.
#29: HOUSE OF ASHES It’s a serious horror undercut by bonkers acting. I don’t know if the laughs were intentional, but I had fun. Abuse and ghosts—wild combo.
#28: THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEENTOWN Don’t expect a deep dive into the Disney classic. But this doc shows the heart of a town that embraced its quirky fame and made October its identity.
#27: BEYOND THE DRUMLINS Daylight horror can hit hard too. A slow-burn tale with academic dread. “Beyond the Drumlins” haunts quietly.
#26: SHADOW REAPER I loved the retro vibe, practical gore, and wild ambition. But it fizzles fast. Feels like “Unsolved Mysteries” by way of late-night cable sleaze.
#25: ABDUCT Low-budget alien horror with a genre-flip twist. It’s fun, but never elevates beyond popcorn fluff.
#24: HEAD LIKE A HOLE A man paid to observe a mysterious hole in a basement. It’s weird, deliberate, and confidently bizarre. I kinda dug it.
#23: THE REBRAND Influencer culture drives this horror comedy into some peculiar places while also giving us some satisfying laughs at the expense of wannabe Youtube stars.
#22: LEAD BELLY Brutal and unrelenting. Some parts felt like punishment, others like necessary catharsis. A hard film to watch—but maybe that’s the point.
#21: THE SURFER Nicolas Cage can do anything. Here, he does everything. “The Surfer” swings between Rage Cage and Reflective Cage. Wild but uneven.
#20: FOR GOD’S SAKE WAKE HER UP Impressive debut. A small story with big emotion about grief. Not everyone will vibe with the pace, but I appreciated its aim.
#19: CHAIN REACTIONS Love “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”? This is your movie. If not, you’ll find it more homage than innovation.
#18: THE LOST EPISODE Like a “V/H/S” segment stretched out—and that’s not a bad thing. A found footage chaos blend of drama, horror, and glitchy weirdness.
#17: PLAY DEAD Killer premise, executed well. A woman wakes in a serial killer’s basement—alive. It wastes no time, but doesn’t quite stick the landing.
#16: THE SILENT PLANET Philosophical sci-fi with strong performances. Maybe too ambitious, but I was never bored. Alien planet. Deep talk. Paranoia. Sold.
#15: THE DESCENDENT A no-show Q&A left me with questions. A thriller about doubt and abduction that keeps you guessing. Haunting and well-crafted.
#14: HELL OF A SUMMER Wolfhard’s horror debut is “Stranger Things” meets “American Pie”—if Jason Voorhees dropped in to fuck the pie. Fun, flawed, and full of promise.
#13: SUPER HAPPY FUN CLOWN Local love! Patrick Rea’s horror-drama channels KC vibes for a twisted Joker-esque riff. A low-budget gem.
#12: BLACK THETA Hilarious slasher satire with quotable lines and a killer setup. It needs trimming, but the laughs are worth the bumps.
#11: CARRY THE DARKNESS Metal, nostalgia, and misunderstood teens battling demons. It’s Stephen King meets Slayer. An emotional and eerie trip back to the ‘90s.
#10: CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING Chainsaw musical? Yes. Estonian absurdism meets DIY gore and theater kid energy.
#9: CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD Subversive, sharp, and socially aware. “Clown” flips expectations and delivers more brains than blood—but doesn’t skimp on either.
#8: STRANGE HARVEST: OCCULT MURDER IN THE INLAND EMPIRE True crime meets the occult. It’s a stylish docu-thriller that pokes at conspiracy while leaving you unnerved.
#7: STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING Grimy, violent, and full of heart. I told my wife she’d think it was vile—and I meant that as a compliment. Vile, but good.
#6: 1978 Drenched in blood and loaded with creepy creatures. “1978” doesn’t quite match “The Sadness,” but it comes close with it’s brutal deaths.
#5: 40 ACRES Part apocalypse, part reckoning. “40 Acres” blends survival horror with deep character drama. An end-of-world feat: likable end-times protagonists.
#4: THE UGLY STEPSISTER Lea Myren is a revelation. This twisted fairytale blends dark comedy and searing social commentary in unforgettable ways.
#3: WHAT HAPPENED TO DOROTHY BELL? Scary and smart. “Dorothy Bell” delivers real chills and a haunting mystery that taps into deep-rooted fears. If you’ve had a grandma, brace yourself.
#2: FREAKY TALES It’s “Pulp Fiction” for the ‘80s crowd. Four bold, interconnected stories in a mixtape of punk, politics, and passion. A blast from start to finish.
#1: MARSHMALLOW The movie I’m telling everyone to see. Emotional, stylish, and full of heart. “Marshmallow” is what Panic Fest is all about. Go. See. This.