I am sure we all love a film festival, and even more so because they are a place we get to witness directors testing their strangest ideas, where international audiences can discover hidden gems, and where the next big horror movie often begins on its journey.
While festivals like Sitges, Fantasia, and Fantastic Fest get plenty of attention from horror fans around the world, and rightly so, Asia also has its own growing horror festival scene as well, and here are some of the best Asian horror and genre festivals to keep an eye on.
Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (South Korea)
Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, is definitely one of the biggest film festivals in Asia, which is held every year in Bucheon, South Korea, and while it is not only a horror festival, horror has always been one of its biggest attractions, helping to showcase new Asian horror movies before they reach wider audiences.
It has also gained a reputation for finding unusual films that sit somewhere between mainstream and underground – so if a strange Korean creature feature, disturbing Japanese psychological horror, or ambitious indie nightmare is coming, there is a good chance BIFAN will be paying attention.
Tokyo Horror Film Festival (Japan)
Japan has been one of the most influential countries in horror history, giving the world films like Ringu, Ju-On: The Grudge, and countless others, so it makes perfect sense that Tokyo would have a festival dedicated to celebrating horror – The Tokyo Horror Film Festival focuses on independent and international horror, he;ping to create a space for filmmakers who are pushing the genre beyond what people are used to – for fans of Japanese horror, it is also an opportunity to discover new voices before they become household names, and unlike larger film festivals that may only include a handful of horror titles, the Tokyo Horror Film Festival also helps to allow smaller films to find an audience.
YAMI International Film Festival (Japan)
One of the newest additions to the Asian horror festival scene is the YAMI International Film Festival, which launches in Tokyo from November 20 to 26, 2026, and YAMI is designed specifically around horror and dark genre cinema, where the festival aims to showcase horror films from Japan and around the world, focusing on stories that explore darkness in different forms – the festival will also include feature and short film competitions, giving independent horror creators a chance to be discovered as well.
Bangkok Horror Film Festival (Thailand)
The Bangkok Horror Film Festival celebrates Thai Horror by bringing together horror movies, filmmakers, and fans in one of Southeast Asia’s most exciting cities, and in 2026 it held the event on the sixth floor of the Hua Lamphong Post Office in Bangkok, where it also includes events such as director discussions and industry conversations as well, so you get a nice mixture of everything here.
Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival (Japan)
While not strictly a horror festival, the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival has long been an important event for genre cinema in Japan – based in Yubari, Hokkaido, the festival has supported fantasy, science fiction, horror, and independent filmmaking for decades, and is well known for being a place where unusual films can find an audience, and has historically supported emerging directors and helped introduce filmmakers who later went on to become major names.
Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival (Philippines)
The Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival has become a very important showcase for Asian fantasy and horror cinema – based in Davao City, the festival focuses on genre films from across Asia, giving audiences a chance to see horror stories that often do not receive international attention, and it is exactly the type of cinema that genre festivals exist to support.
Leave a Reply