Access: Horror Film Festival, a celebration of disability in genre film, has announced its 2026 program, promising a lineup of physical and psychological terror across both live and virtual platforms.
The festival kicks off Sept. 25 with an in-person opening night showcase at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia, before launching a monthlong global streaming event running Oct. 4 through Nov. 1.
Founded by filmmaker and activist Ariel Baska, Access: Horror was created as a space to explore and celebrate the history, impact, and future of disability in the horror genre through conversations, connections, and artistic works, including film.
“Slurs are becoming more common in everyday language, including in Oscar-winning Hollywood films,” said Baska. “The government is unleashing daily violence on the disability community through Medicaid cuts, institutionalization, and rollbacks to disability rights protections. For disabled people, this is already a horror movie, which is why, this year, horror feels like the most honest genre out there. Access: Horror is proud to share a lineup of validating, crucial, and cathartic terrors that illustrate the strength of the disability community. Open captions and audio description make the program stronger still, letting us reach more audiences and turn more stomachs with these filmmakers’ gnarly tales.”
Presented by Shudder as part of the “Lost Weekend” event, Jazzmin and Kat from the “Girl, That’s Scary!” podcast will host opening night. The live program features an Official Selections shorts block alongside two filmmaker Q&As. Screening details and the full film lineup are now available on the Lost Weekend website.
The subsequent virtual festival brings 19 international titles to a global audience, curated into three distinct thematic blocks: Edibles, Your Body Keeps the Score, and Dead Darlings. Alongside shorts tackling medical racism, neurodivergence, and queer persecution, the virtual hub will host panels and industry talks.
To maximize accessibility, every virtual title includes open captions, with nine of the 19 films offering audio descriptions. Full screening details and virtual passes are available now on the Access: Horror official website.
