The formation of a human pyramid in a high school soccer field portents a deadly city-wide hive mind —groups of people wielding murderous gymnastics formations to swallow up anyone who rebels against the whole. Just as bonkers as it sounds and then some, director Yuta Shimotsu has made good on the exciting promise of his disturbing debut feature BEST WISHES TO ALL, following it up with an imaginative fascist take-down that also feels like a new Junji Ito nightmare come to life. —Joseph Hernandez

Brooklyn Horror has been lucky enough to partner with the incredibly talented band The Flushing Remonstrance and we are excited to have them back once again as we both celebrate our 10 year anniversaries. This year the band will be scoring the cult silent film classic Häxan which details the horrors of the witch trials in Eastern Europe. —Tori Potenza

Starring: Rose-Marie Perreault

Stricken by insomnia, new mother Pénélope goes for a walk one night with her baby and unexpectedly ends up in the middle of a robbery. The aftermath of this traumatic event is even worse than the incident itself as Pénélope struggles through sleepless nights and suffers from terrifying hallucinations and her unraveling mind. First-time feature director Chloé Cinq-Mars utilizes an exceptionally disturbing sound design and her own confident technical execution to deliver a potent examination of postpartum psychological horror. —Matt Barone

Featuring a post-screening Q&A with the director Connor Marsden.

Living in an alternate 1980s filled with graffiti-covered squalor and danger around every corner, antihero Henry Violence (Rohan Campbell, HALLOWEEN ENDS) comes to the rescue of his former lover as she sinks deeper into their no-hope world of drugs and crime. Unfortunately, Henry must double-cross a powerful drug lord in the process, setting into motion a kinetic parade of blood-drenched carnage. Never letting up with its vibrant punk energy, writer-director Connor Marsden’s visually pulsating and thoroughly grimy VIOLENCE is a fully lived-in, cinematic shotgun blast of action-heavy horror. —Matt Barone

Featuring a post-screening Q&A with writer/director Avalon Fast, producer Taylor Nodrick and producer Jacob Glickman.

Emily’s life has been scarred by tragedy and she needs to get away. Persuaded by her dad she decides to go to a remote Christian summer camp to work as a counselor for the summer and meets a group of girls that exhibit a confidence and power she is impossibly drawn to. CAMP is an ethereal dreamy sophomore feature from one of the most exciting up and coming filmmakers, Avalon Fast. —Tori Potenza

Featuring a post-screening Q&A with director Kurtis David Harder and cast members Cassandra Naud and Emily Tennant.

Identity snatching carnage goes twice as hard in Kurtis David Harder’s direct sequel to his 2022 hit, INFLUENCER. Now living in Southern France with newfound love, CW tries to leave her dark tendencies behind but old habits die hard when spoiled IG content creator Charlotte (Georgina Campbell, BARABARIAN) and a familiar face from her past threaten to destroy her best laid plans. Thematically bolder and gleefully maniacal, INFLUENCERS provides a major expansion to the world of the original while holding true to its cautionary tale spirit. —Joseph Hernandez

Starring: Josh Fadem, James Urbaniak, Tipper Newton, Vera Drew, John Ennis, Barbara Crampton

Featuring a post-screening Q&A with director Mickey Reece.

One day, office worker Joe’s (Josh Fadem) life is as mundane as it gets; the next day, though, he’s witnessed a murder and put at the center of a string of missing women reports and in the crosshairs of a serial killer whose unorthodox methods are tech-forward and psychologically warped. The latest dose of idiosyncratic excellence from indie maverick Mickey Reece, EVERY HEAVY THING blends sharp, pitch-black comedy with serial killer horror flourishes, unpredictable narrative turns, and a strong cast that includes Barbara Crampton and Vera Drew. —Matt Barone

Featuring a post-screening discussion with the filmmakers.

Way too much talent in these streets to fit in one block, here’s a second dose of homegrown genre madness.

Cub, dir. Sofia Rubin; Kandie, dir. Jasmine Osean Thomas; Daddy is a Hunter, dir. Marcus Fahey; Breadwinner, dir. Camila Grimaldi; Elsewhere: A Place for Girls Like You and Me, dir. Emma Claire Crockett; Striya, dir. Paige Campbell; The Traveler, dir. Matthew Scheffler

Featuring a post-screening Q&A with the filmmakers.

We come to Brooklyn Horror to laugh, to cry, to scare. Somehow, laughing to death feels good in a place like this.

Steak Dinner, dir. Nathan Ginter (USA); Skeeter; dir. Chris Mcinroy (USA), Spanked by a Ghost, dir. Katelyn Douglass (USA); Channelvue, dir. Brandon Tauszik (USA); Sewing Machine, dir. Tyler William Hagen (USA); Five Star, dir. Kai Hamada Hasson (USA); One of Those, dir. Cosmo Salovaara (USA); Open Wide, dir. Sam Fox (USA); Blair’s Craft Projects, dir. Jack Warren (USA); Nervous Ellie, dir. David Yorke (UK); Whole, dir. Jessica Barr, Kiah Stern (USA); Whitch, dir. Hoku Uchiyama (USA)

Digging graves for a living, a quick-witted woman (writer-director Grace Glowicki) can’t find love due to smelling quite rancid. But when she finally meets a man (co-writer Ben Petrie) who’s attracted to her funky scent, sparks fly. Unfortunately, soon after they hit it off, he dies, leaving her no choice but to turn to science to bring him back to life. That reanimation setup may sound familiar, but, trust us, Glowicki’s singular horror-comedy DEAD LOVER is anything but familiar, employing chiaroscuro-inspired visuals, 16mm photography and handmade set designs to create an incomparable and demented fever dream. —Matt Barone