Dead Northern Horror Film Festival has announced the winners of its 2026 awards, following three days of independent horror, premieres, Q&As, live events and filmmaker celebrations at Picturehouse City Screen in York.

The sixth edition of the festival brought filmmakers, industry guests and horror fans together from across the UK and internationally, with this year's programme showcasing everything from supernatural horror and found footage to zombie cinema, comedy horror, experimental filmmaking and music videos.

After a packed weekend of screenings, Dead Northern's 2026 award winners are:

BEST FEATURE

Loner - Directed by Douglas Tawn and Charlie Robb

A deeply unsettling found-footage horror centred on Angus Mattock, an aspiring vlogger who retreats to the countryside in search of solitude. Loner impressed with its slow-building atmosphere, carefully concealed revelations and a raw central performance from Charlie Robb.

DEAD NORTHERN AWARD

Evil Thread - Directed by Benny J. Smith

A possessed cable-knit jumper. A fashion student. A whole lot of mayhem. Benny J. Smith's debut feature embraces the glorious silliness of its premise, combining outrageous practical effects, dark humour and DIY horror spirit to create one of the weekend's most memorable crowd-pleasers.

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

The First Day — Directed by Manu Pons

This Spanish-produced zombie horror follows a family caught in the opening hours of a devastating global outbreak. Alongside its visceral undead chaos, The First Day brings a strong character-driven story, focusing on the emotional impact of a family watching the world around them collapse.

BEST SHORT

Night Feeds — Directed by Rana Roy

A deeply personal psychological horror exploring early motherhood, trauma and the anxieties of a new mother navigating an increasingly disturbing reality. Night Feeds combines intimate storytelling with a wider examination of the horrors experienced by women in a world saturated with violence and fear.

FRESH MEAT AWARD

Where's Ollie? — Directed by Ortino Yang

A group of friends gather for what should be an ordinary evening, only to discover that their memories of their missing friend Ollie don't quite match. With its character-driven approach, increasingly unsettling atmosphere and intricate writing, Where's Ollie? marked out student filmmaker Ortino Yang as a filmmaker

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Cyclops — Directed by Tariq Sayed

Blending children's fantasy with grounded horror, Cyclops follows Freya as she returns to her old school to read from her own fairytale book, only for the story's monster to prove far more real than anyone expected. The film's striking visuals and practical effects helped create its distinctive and unsettling atmosphere.

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A FEATURE

Charlie Robb — Angus, Loner

Robb's portrayal of Angus sits at the heart of Loner, gradually revealing the character's emotional turmoil as the film's seemingly peaceful retreat descends into something much darker.

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SHORT FILM

Dominic Quinn — Charlie, Pleased to Kill You

Quinn delivers a memorable performance as a serial killer whose succession of identities and professions allows him to gain access to unsuspecting victims, only to encounter someone who may be even more dangerous than himself.

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

Lyndsey Craine — Fern, Dead Reset

Craine's performance as Fern was a standout in Stewart Sparke and Paul Butler's inventive FMV horror Dead Reset, bringing wit and determination to a film packed with creatures, time loops and nightmarish visions.

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS

Dead Reset

From its opening moments, Dead Reset wastes no time unleashing its grotesque creatures and elaborate practical effects. The York-made feature combines graphic creature effects with its unusual full-motion-video-game format to create something genuinely distinctive.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE / SOUND DESIGN

The Tall Dark Man — Directed by Taylor Phillips

Taylor Phillips' supernatural short follows Natalie, who turns to the legendary mythical hitman known as The Tall Dark Man to eliminate her cruel ex. When the plan goes wrong, the violence comes back to haunt her. The film's combination of supernatural horror, dark humour and a deeply atmospheric soundscape earned it the award for Best Original Score / Sound Design.

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

Many Ways to Kill — Tasha Tarusøva — Directed by Valentyn Korolkov

Ukrainian alternative rock artist Tasha Tarusøva's gothic-toned music video brings together intimate visuals, striking red lighting and a darkly theatrical narrative as a romantic dinner gives way to increasingly murderous possibilities.

BLOODY GOOD DEATH AWARD

Dead Reset

Because sometimes the most important question in horror isn't who dies. It's how they die. And Dead Reset certainly gave us plenty to choose from.

CELEBRATING INDEPENDENT HORROR

Festival Director Josh Lawson said:

"We've had another brilliant weekend of independent horror in York, and once again we've been blown away by the quality of films submitted to us.

The awards are a chance to celebrate some of the filmmakers, performers and creatives who really stood out, but we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who submitted a film and joined us this year.

Dead Northern has never cared about premiere status - only showing what is the best of what is submitted. This year's programme was packed with films we genuinely wanted audiences to see, and we're incredibly proud of it."

The festival would also like to thank its filmmakers, audiences, volunteers and partners, including Dead by Daylight, Arrow Video, Bloody Drinks, Independent Horror Society, Love Horror, Horror Con Scotland, Indicator Films, Dead Ink Books and the team at Picturehouse City Screen York.

Their support helped make possible another weekend celebrating independent horror and the filmmakers working at the sharp end of the genre.

Dead Northern will return to Picturehouse City Screen York from 24—26 September 2027, with submissions for the 2027 festival opening on 1 October 2026.

Filmmakers can submit their films from 1 October via FilmFreeway, with further details and announcements to follow across the Dead Northern website and social channels.