The Total Film FrightFest Awards 2020

(Image credit: FrightFest)

The biggest terror of 2020 has been Covid-19, and so it was that the annual celebration of genre movies, FrightFest, this year went digital and shrank to a reduced format.

But there were still 25 movies spread over 4 days to choose from, bringing horror fans their yearly fix of vampires, werewolves, ghosts, jinns, serial killers, flying sharks (!) and, you guessed it, contagion.

So here, also in a slightly reduced format, are the Total Film FrightFest Awards, our annual record of the best of the fest…

Best Film

And the nominations are… 

Blinders

The Columnist

A Ghost Waits

Hall

The Swerve

12 Hour Shift

And the winner is…

A Ghost Waits

Best Director

And the nominations are…

Ivo van Aart (The Columnist)

Francesco Giannini (Hall)

Brea Grant (12 Hour Shift)

Dean Kapsalis (The Swerve)

Adam Stovall (A Ghost Waits)

And the winner is... 

Adam Stovall (A Ghost Waits)

Best Actress

And the nominations are…

Angela Bettis (12 Hour Shift)

Katja Herbers (The Columnist)

Christine Ko (Blinders)

Azura Skye (The Swerve)

Natalie Walker (A Ghost Waits)

And the winner is…

Azura Skye (The Swerve)

Best Actor

And the nominations are…

MacLeod Andrews (A Ghost Waits)

Vincent Van Horn (Blinders)

Bram van der Kelen (The Columnist)

Zach Rand (The Swerve)

Kames Rottger (Playhouse)

And the winner is… 

MacLeod Andrews (A Ghost Waits)

Best Documentary

And the nominations are…

Clapboard Jungle

Hail To The Deadites

The Horror Crowd

And the winner is…

Clapboard Jungle

Best Gore

And the nominations are…

Cross blades (Aquaslash)

Club carnage (Skull: The Mask)

Exploding head (Skull: The Mask)

Double eye stab (Blinders)

Bladder in a bag (12 Hour Shift)

And the winner is…

Double eye stab (Blinders)

 

Best Scare

And the nominations are…

Boughtat in window (Dark Stories)

Boughtat in doorway (Dark Stories)

Mother and daughter creeping down hallway (Hall)

Face in stairwell (Playhouse)

House in woods (They’re Outside)

And the winner is…

Boughtat in doorway (Dark Stories)

 

Best Death

And the nominations are…

Car sex interruptus (Skull: The Mask)

Swinging decapitation (Two Heads Creek)

Talon throat slash (I Am Lisa)

Husband stabbed in neck (AV The Hunt)

Wire through plane (Sky Sharks)

And the winner is…

Swinging decapitation (Two Heads Creek)

Best Monster

And the nominations are…

Boughtat (Dark Stories)

Lisa (I Am Lisa)

The Skull (Skull: The Mask)

Dark Wind (There’s No Such Thing As Vampires)

And the winner is…

Boughtat

Best Die-logue

And the nominations are…

“A weekend to die for.” (Aquaslash)

“Would you please show me some of your blood?” (Dark Stories)

“Human flesh is like crack.” (Two Heads Creek)

“That’s the herpes talking.” (Triggered)

“Fuck, man, you’ve gone all Jason Bateman on me.” “You mean Patrick Bateman, you idiot, from American Psycho.” “Then who’s Jason Bateman?” “He’s from Arrested Development.” (Triggered)

And the winner is… 

“Would you please show me some of your blood?” (Dark Stories)

Editor-at-Large, Total Film

Jamie Graham is the Editor-at-Large of Total Film magazine. You'll likely find them around these parts reviewing the biggest films on the planet and speaking to some of the biggest stars in the business – that's just what Jamie does. Jamie has also written for outlets like SFX and the Sunday Times Culture, and appeared on podcasts exploring the wondrous worlds of occult and horror.