A Night of Horror International Film Festival has just released its first wave for this year’s 18th annual edition, and as usual, it’s a doozy! The fest runs simultaneously with MidWest WeirdFest at the Micon Downtown Cinema in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, making for double the mind-blowing cinema! Following is the official press announcement.

A Night of Horror International Film Festival announces its first programming wave for 2026 today. Long admired as Australia’s premier genre film event, the festival now takes place in the United States. This year, the festival’s 18th edition — and third year in the USA — screens from March 5–8, at the Micon Downtown Cinema in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

“Get ready for the best and bloodiest new horror cinema from America and the world”, says festival founder and programming director Dean Bertram. “The incredible caliber of films submitted to this year’s festival has made our programming decisions more challenging that ever. And while we are still agonizing over the final program, we are delighted to be able to share the first programming wave for 2026: Consisting of eight stand out features: all among the very best of the several hundred films that we have watched and considered for this festival season; all overflowing with originality, atmosphere, and edge-of-your-seat delights”.