Canberra movie lovers are in for a treat just before Halloween as the ACT’s own horror film festival Yeh! Nah! kicks off next week with some of the creepiest and most terrifying movies from around the world.

With a full week of freaky films lined up, the festival’s featured night on Wednesday (28 October) will premiere the Australian-backed horror film States of Mind, directed by Che Baker, who worked on The Hobbit and Tin Tin.

The film follows a group of contestants who gather at an island retreat for what they believe is a special competition, but things turn sinister as they learn the true reason they were brought together.

After the film, viewers can join a Q&A with internationally renowned stunt performer Kiran Shah, who stars in the film and has previously worked on Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and Star Wars.

Yeh! Nah! director Mikey J. Watson said having Kiran Shah attend the festival for States of Mind is a genuine highlight of this year’s programming and a real treat for fans.

“Kiran brings an extraordinary screen history to the festival, and his performance as Professor Manchester is central to the film’s strange, funny and unsettling energy,” he said.

“For audiences, it is a rare chance to experience a genre film with one of its stars in the room to laugh, ask questions and celebrate independent filmmaking together.

“It also reflects what we want this festival to be: a place where audiences can connect directly with the people making bold, imaginative cinema.”

While States of Mind might be the headliner, there are still plenty of other chances to see extraordinary films throughout the festival.

Opening night on Friday (23 October) at Dendy Cinema will feature 10 short films from Australia, Italy, Spain, Iran and the UK, created by some of the genre’s best emerging filmmakers.

Headlining the night will be Dance!, which follows an Israeli soldier who visits a haunted house in the Gaza Strip.

Other highlights include the Sunday (25 October) premiere of the terrifying Peruvian flick Omnipresent, a low-budget zombie thriller shot on 16mm black-and-white film.

Night five (Tuesday, 27 October) is comedy night at the Academy of Interactive Entertainment atrium, and Friday (30 October) closes the festival with awards for its best films.

Mr Watson said the eight-night festival is a true celebration of creative filmmaking in the territory, which aims to introduce more people to the genre.

“The best thing about horror is how it lends itself to creative filmmaking,” he said.

“Compared to other genres, horror is often made very cheaply, and there’s a lot of creative freedom for filmmakers to express themselves without the influence of bigger studio heads.

“Horror isn’t just linked to being scary; it can often be funny or thrilling, and not a lot of genres can get away with that.

“That summarises what this festival is about. Bringing eyes to a lot of creative works from a lot of talented filmmakers in a genre lots of people love.”

To view the entire 2026 program, visit Yeh! Nah!