First place winner Julian Doan
Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival is a wrap. The organization has released the name of the winners of their inaugural competition, which celebrated independent horror and genre shorts with financial prizes.
Here are the winners chosen for over 500 submissions:
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1st Prize – $100,000LONG’S LONG LOST & MINI MART (17:53), directed by Julian Doan: In the back of a Little Saigon convenience store, a young customer reanimates his dead father for one last conversation.
- 2nd Prize – $50,000
ZIPPY’S HOUSE (12:40), directed by Sophia Parella: Forced to attend his strange classmate’s birthday, a teen discovers he’s the only guest at a house where the host’s brother is in permanent time-out.
- 3rd Prize – $25,000
HAROLD EATS MAUDE (12:32), directed by Carl Fry, Maxwell Nalevansky: An unlikely friendship between the infamous cannibal Coffin Feeder, who can’t stop eating priests, and his cannibal-curious stalker Faith.
- Runner Up – $4,000
IT HELPS (9:07), directed by J. Zachary Thurman: Spencer, sleepless due to her brother’s eerie sleep machine, discovers it isn’t designed to soothe — but to keep an unspeakable presence at bay.
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Honorable Mentions – $3,500 eachBLOSSOM NEEDS A RIDE HOME (9:19), directed by Tim Schwagel: After defeating a bloodthirsty maniac, Blossom needs a ride home. What a hassle.
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BREEDER (7:14), directed by Sapphire Sandalo: A woman on the fence about having kids is hunted in her home by a demonic horse-man of Filipino folklore.
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DIRTY FUZZ (15:00), directed by Daniel Chimes: When an idealistic rookie cop accidentally shoots her corrupt partner in the slimy underbelly of Shit City, she must team up with a surprising crew of underworld characters to cover her tracks.
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DREAM CREEP (12:34), directed by Carlos A.F. Lopez: A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice.
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HOUR OF BLOOD (17:29), directed by Marcella Ochoa: In 1915 Texas, when ranchers mysteriously go missing, a young girl must defend her family ranch against the dark threat.
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MAKE ME A PIZZA (12:00), directed by Talia Shea Levin: BORED HOUSEWIFE seduces HOT PIZZA GUY for free pizza, but is desire worth $29.99?
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RAT! (16:48), directed by Neal Suresh Mulani: When a disgruntled music journalist accuses a global pop star of queerbaiting, the singer’s devoted fans descend on his remote cabin to seek retribution.
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SPANKED BY A GHOST (11:50), directed by Katelyn Douglass: Alone in her home, a woman is spanked by an unseen entity, awakening a force she cannot control.
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WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT BALLOONS (5:44), directed by Jennifer Bonior: Dismissed by every adult in her life, a young magician unleashes an explosive final act that proves underestimating her is a fatal mistake.
Ripcord plans to add the above, as well as original series and genre films to their online platform in the coming weeks at ripcord.film.
