plentitude of film festivals champion indie and studio apartment photographic film , but none have become so beloved to me like theSXSW Film & TV Festival . It ’s one of my highlight each year and a fete I expect forward to attend . Part of it is the vibe . The Dominicus is smoothen in Austin , the urban center relaxed and awake in a agency that is buzzing with instant magnetic DOE . There ’s hot music play almost everywhere you go , even at the airport . The food is exceptional , the people warm , and the film and TV audiences are some of the good .

When I think of what an idealistic moviegoing experience is , SXSW instantly comes to intellect . away from the dramas and international films , the festival has become the go - to place for comedies — which is a boastful deal debate how the writing style is n’t as immense a focus anymore , at other festivals and theatrically — and , crucially , horror .

SXSW’s Horror Movies Stand Out

They’re Too Intriguing Not To

The horror musical style has easily become one of my favorites . The musical genre can have a lot to say about mental health , trauma , and mortality , just to name a few . The SXSW Film & TV Festival has been home to some of the biggest , and perhaps unexpected , releases in recent year , many of which have gone on to become quite pop conversation - starter . Halina Reijn’sBodies Bodies Bodiesis the perfect example of the festival ’s horror offerings ; it was a satirical depth psychology of Gen Z culture while also observe what build it so memorable : the gore .

In 2023,A24’sTalk to Mesurprised and unsettled me . I could n’t wait to take my have intercourse I to see . It was the kind of horror celluloid that got under my skin and made me think . Additionally , the festival has debuted everything fromA Quiet Placeto the disturbingOddity , The Cabin in the Woodsto the rivetingLate Night with the Devil . A grown part of what makes the horror experience so tremendous at SXSW is the audience , which is aroused and focussed , gasping and otherwise reacting in a manner that elevates the look at experience .

Clown in a Cornfield feels like the kind of movie you ’d get hold playing on tv in the middle of the night that make you scared to leave your bed .

three girls screaming as they look at a terrifying clown in clowns in a cornfeidl

At this year ’s festival , SXSW debut several revulsion movies that also made an printing , includingThe Surrender , Ash , Clown in a Cornfield , Good Boy , andHallow Road , among others . Sometimes , prefer to watch a horror film is a gamble . You never know what you ’re in for , really , but you ’re willing to be surprised nevertheless . Regardless of the plastic film , though , there ’s one thing a horror fan such as myself will always be — intrigued . And the SXSW repulsion slate never fails to be intriguing . It ’s a hub for some of the best and most creative horror motion picture that are publish . – Mae Abdulbaki

Hallow Road Was My Biggest Horror Surprise

As a first - time SXSW - leaver , I had no musical theme what I was in for . This was only my third sentence going to a film fete in person and everything about SXSW is BIG , from the motion-picture show to the crowds to the things to do on every pulley block . I was there for the movies , though , andSXSW deliver some hidden revulsion gems that I ca n’t wait to see again .

Hallow Roadended up being my favorite of the fest . It was open dark and I was exhausted , unsure if I would even take care the premiere of Babak Anvari ’s new pic . When I did , though , I was immediately pull in , woken up by the adrenaline rush , jolted by the searing strait design , and grip by the surprisingly emotional floor .

Hallow Roadended up being my deary of the fest … I was directly pulled in , woken up by the adrenaline rush , jolted by the searing sound figure

Charles Melton holding a rifle and looking serious in Warfare

Hallow Roadwas just one of many surprises at SXSW.The Surrender , a two - hander about a female parent - daughter span attempting to revive the patriarch of the family through a strange rite , scare away me like no recent film has . Sweetnesshit the perfect billet of satire and insanity . Drophad the audience amply engrossed in every twistand turn .

The in force part of any film fete is the discoveries . Going into a motion picture completely unreasoning and being blown away by what you see . It ’s also really nerveless to go to the premieres of some of the spring ’s most anticipate film . SXSW has both of that in spades and as a first - timer , it was such a rich experience . – Graeme Guttmann

Anna Kendrick as Stephanie and Blake Lively as Emily on a plane in Another Simple Favor.

SXSW-Has-Become-A-Favorite-Film-Festival-For-My-Horror-Movie-Loving-Self

Custom image by Yailin Chacon

Frendo viewed on a phone screen in Clown in a Cornfield

Rosamund Pike drives her car in Hallow Road