Hi! My name is Chris Dortch and I’m the Festival Director and Lead Film Programmer for the Chattanooga Film Festival in Tennessee. The good folks here at Horrorverse were kind enough to invite me back to gab a bit about a topic near and dear to my heart indie horror. America might run on Dunkin’ but at our festival indie genre cinema is the best part of wakin’ up. Since our festival began in 2013 finding and showcasing great independent horror has felt like something of a moral imperative. Over the years we’ve received death threats, run afoul of anti-Satan protesters (funny enough Hail Satan? wasn’t exactly the movie they feared it would be). Living here in the Southeast has often felt like living in the actual buckle of the Bible Belt and something about that makes us want to lean even harder into the dark side of cinema so really they’re only making it worse. Haha.

In a time when AI is threatening to devalue human creativity and billionaire execs slowly gobble up every studio our antitrust laws will allow, we think now is an awfully important time to use our platform to celebrate and elevate independent voices. And while I suspect that the studios still haven’t learned their lesson post the runaway success of Backrooms and Obsession, it’s our earnest hope that those a-holes learn what those of us here cheering in the stands for horror already know and that’s that we’d rather see 100, 200,000-dollar or million-dollar movies over some bland broke-off IP that’s focus-grouped to fuck 200 million dollar mega-mess that’s sanded down of any rough edges in an attempt to appeal to the moviegoing masses. To paraphrase the immortal words of Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott if they don’t wanna know fuck ‘em.

Yours sincerely from the CFF Trenches,

Chris Dortch

Brett Petersel | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd & Sarah Stubbs | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd | Website

With Evil Dead Burn hitting theaters on July 10th, we're getting some new details about 2028's Evil Dead Wrath, which will be directed by Francis Galluppi. The film will be set in 1972, meaning it takes place before 1981's The Evil Dead. Things are about to get groovy!

Actress Daveigh Chase, known for her work in 2002’s The Ring (young Samara) and voicing Lilo in Lilo & Stitch, has sadly passed away at the age of 35.

Spider One’s next film, Big Baby, is ready to make a big splash! The slasher, which counts legendary singer Cher as an executive producer, will be available on VOD on August 7th. Check out the film’s new teaser here.

Lionsgate Limited is having a Father’s Day sale, which runs until June 23rd. This is a great time to pick up some (or all) of your favorite films for 40% off. Titles include Battle Royale, It Follows, May, You’re Next, and more!

When Undertone was released earlier this year complete with pull quotes that pronounced it “the scariest movie you’ll ever hear,” I fully expected to see more mention of Bruce McDonald’s batshit insane audio-driven indie horror but alas this was not the case. McDonald’s film is a single-location nightmare anchored by a scenery-chewing, flat-out awesome performance from Stephen McHattie, whose craggy voice and ever-present cowboy hat add immensely to the proceedings. It’s intense, funny, arty, and the kinda thing that maybe some folks would call “elevated” these days but I prefer to think of it as COOL. Check out our list on Letterboxd.

Candi Norwood | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd | StoryGraph | Website

I managed a bookstore back in the late 1900’s, and I’m pretty sure the only independently published books we sold were The Ghosts of Virginia series and like one other Colonial Williamsburg book. Otherwise, indie publishing – and especially indie horror – conjured up thoughts of a random dude printing off copies of his weird ramblings at Kinko’s and trying to sell it as The Great American Novel. But now – now some of the best horror I’ve read is coming from small indie presses – it’s a good time to be a horror fan.

Hearts Strange and Dreadful by Tim McGregor- Newly reprinted by one of my favorite indie horror publishers, Raw Dog Screaming Press, Hearts Strange and Dreadful is a witchy historical folk horror coming of age novella that takes place in 1821 Rhode Island. Read my full review: https://candikathorror.com/reads/hearts-strange-and-dreadful

She Waits Where Shadows Gather by Michelle Tang- Originally known more for mystery than horror, Poisoned Pen Press has become another standout indie horror publisher; She Waits Where Shadows Gather is a Filipino Gothic horror novel complete with a haunted house, Filipino folklore, and a fractured family. Full review: https://candikathorror.com/reads/she-waits-where-shadows-gather

Sarafina by Philip Fracassi- CLASH Books is an indie known for their literary works, and they take their literary horror seriously. One of my top reads so far this year, Sarafina is told primarily from the point of view of Ethan Belle, youngest of three brothers who desert the Confederate Army and find refuge with a mysterious woman called Sarafina and her son, Titus. Then things really get dark. Full review: https://candikathorror.com/reads/sarafina

The Hauntings Back Home: A Collection of Ghost Stories by Rebecca Cuthbert- Fairly new on my radar, Undertaker Books have published a couple of my favorite works from the past year or so. The Hauntings Back Home is a beautiful, haunting, sweet, sad, funny collection of stories that explore grief, death, and fear. Full Review: https://candikathorror.com/reads/the-hauntings-back-home

What are some of your favorite indie horror books or publishers?

OUR FAVORITE INDIE HORROR FILMS

While we’re all aware of the major blockbusters taking over the theatrical box office, the Horrorverse team put together a list of our favorite indie horror films that deserves more recognition. Check out our picks on Letterboxd.

TRAILERVILLE

💀 8 Horror Movies With Complicated Protagonists (READ)

💀 "THE VOICES OF OUR MOTHER" (2026) Preach For A Religious Horror Renaissance (REVIEW)

💀 PAPER CUTS: Sarah Stubbs From HORRORVERSE Brings Us Some Amazing Book Recs! (PODCAST)

💀 SPINNIN' SCARIES: An Exploration Into Horror Film Scores With "DONNIE DARKO" (2001) (READ)