Deadpool Director Tim Miller Leads Jury for Ripcord Halloween Film Festival's $100,000 Short Film Contest

As Halloween approaches, horror features tend to get all the attention. But a short film only needs a few minutes to scare the life out of you. That's why the Ripcord Halloween Film Festival is offering the biggest prizes ever in its new short film contest; it has narrowed 500 entries down to a Dirty Dozen of finalists, and Collider is proud to exclusively reveal the twelve movies vying for the top prize, the jury of industry pros who will decide the winner, and a sneak peek at what to expect from the finalists.

Over 500 filmmakers entered their horror shorts into the Ripcord Halloween Film Festival; that flood of entries was winnowed down to 50. Now, only 12 remain; the festival had planned for a top ten, but the voting was so close that it was expanded to allow two extra entries. Those 12 films will be screened on October 29 at the famous TCL Chinese Theater, in front of a live audience of ravenous horror hounds; winners will then be announced the following day, October 30. The winner will take home a $100,000 USD prize, the biggest purse ever offered in a short film competition. There's also another $100,000 in prize money that will be awarded to the runners-up. If you can't make it to Hollywood this week, don't despair; all 50 entries can be viewed for free on Ripcord.film.

There are five judges on the panel. They include Tim Miller, a visual effects artist and director who helmed Deadpool and Terminator: Dark Fate; Jean Anne Lauer, the director of short film programming at Austin's world-famous Fantastic Fest; Lisa Ogdie, a short film programmer for the legendary Sundance Film Festival, which has nurtured independent film for over 45 years; Neville Page, a creature concept designer who's worked on films like Star Trek, Avatar, and Tron: Legacy, and judged the makeup competition series Face Off; and Peter Phok, a veteran producer who's worked on a wide array of horror films, including The House of the Devil, Stake Land, and Ti West's X trilogy.

What Are the Finalists for the Ripcord Halloween Film Festival?

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The finalists of the Ripcord Halloween Film Festival range from trippy to terrifying, and feature everything from puppets to poltergeists to pizza. The 12 finalists, plus their loglines and directors, are as follows:

Blossom Needs a Ride Home: After defeating a bloodthirsty maniac, Blossom needs a ride home. What a hassle. Directed by Tim Schwagel.

Breeder: A woman on the fence about having kids is hunted in her home by a demonic horse-man of Filipino folklore. Directed by Sapphire Sandalo.

Dirty Fuzz: 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. Directed by Daniel Chimes.

Dream Creep: A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice. Directed by Carlos A.F. Lopez

Harold Eats Maude: An unlikely friendship between the infamous cannibal Coffin Feeder, who can’t stop eating priests, and his cannibal-curious stalker Faith. Directed by Carl Fry and Maxwell Nalevansky.

Hour of Blood: In 1915 Texas, when ranchers mysteriously go missing, a young girl must defend her family ranch against the dark threat. Directed by Marcella Ochoa.

It Helps: 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. Directed by J. Zachary Thurman

Long's Long Lost & Mini Mart: In the back of a Little Saigon convenience store, a young customer reanimates his dead father for one last conversation. Directed by Julian Doan.

Make Me a Pizza: BORED HOUSEWIFE seduces HOT PIZZA GUY for free pizza, but is desire worth $29.99? Directed by Talia Shea Levin.

Rat!: 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. Directed by Neal Suresh Mulani.

Spanked by a Ghost: Alone in her home, a woman is spanked by an unseen entity, awakening a force she cannot control. Directed by Katelyn Douglass.

Zippy's House: Forced to attend his strange classmate's birthday party, a teen discovers he's the only guest at a house where the host's brother is in permanent time-out. Directed by Sophia Parella.