For the 2025 season, the number of AI films submissions rose to 14. And now, only a few months into the 2026 season, AI film submissions are up to 19 -- with over five months to go.
Seeing this trend, I wondered if film festivals are creating new AI film categories. More categories mean more entry fees. Many years ago, I saw one horror film festival with a Best Film Trailer, and even a Best Director's Reel, award category. So why not a category for Best AI film?
From what I've seen, AI films aren't quite there yet. There's something creepy about them (and not in a good way). Their "actors" are too artificial to portray convincingly human characters, with the distinctive personas and emotional depth that human actors convey. Yet AI "actors" are too realistic to allow that playful suspension of disbelief that animation allows.
Even so, AI films are getting better. I think we'll see some amazing and powerful works emerge from AI as the technology advances and AI "filmmakers" improve their craft.
Back to my original question: Are horror film festivals creating AI film categories? But rather than conduct tedious and numerous interviews, I asked an AI program.
The above was all written by me, a human. The following was written by Grok:
Yes, there is a growing trend of horror film festivals incorporating categories or showcases for AI-generated films, such as Best AI Film or Best AI Animation Film. This reflects the broader rise of AI tools in filmmaking, but it's met with mixed reactions -- some festivals embrace it for innovation, while others ban or restrict AI content due to concerns over authenticity and ethics.
The trend appears to have started in 2023, coinciding with the mainstream adoption of generative AI technologies like Stable Diffusion and early video models. Early examples include branded events like the Airheads AI Horror Film Festival, which challenged creators to produce AI-generated Halloween-themed shorts.
That same year, the Curious Refuge AI Horror Film Competition launched its first edition, focusing exclusively on AI-created horror content.
By 2024, established horror festivals began adding dedicated AI sections, such as Portugal's MOTELX (Lisbon International Horror Film Festival), which introduced an AI Horror Short Films Showcase in partnership with an artist collective.
South Korea's Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) also featured AI horror works in its program, including a premiere of an AI-generated Korean horror trailer during an AI-focused conference.
As of 2026, the trend is accelerating, with more festivals either adding AI categories or hosting AI-specific horror competitions. However, not all are welcoming: for instance, the Chicago Horror Film Festival explicitly prohibits AI-generated submissions.
Discussions on platforms like Reddit highlight controversy, with some filmmakers calling for boycotts of festivals that include AI categories.
Estimating the exact number is challenging due to the niche overlap, but based on available reports and festival listings, around 5-10 horror or genre-focused festivals worldwide have added AI-specific categories or showcases since 2023. This includes:
* Dedicated AI horror events: Curious Refuge (annual since 2023), Airheads (2023).
* Traditional horror festivals adding AI: MOTELX (2024 onward), BIFAN (2024 onward).
* AI festivals with horror subcategories: MetaMorph AI Film & Music Award (added Horror/Thriller in 2026).
The number could be higher if including general AI film festivals (like Runway's AI Festival or AI International Film Festival) that accept horror entries, as they often have open or genre-agnostic categories.
The growth is evident in the proliferation of AI competitions, with dozens now listed globally, though only a subset target horror.
This trend is likely to continue as AI tools evolve, but it remains divisive within the indie horror community.
Okay, back to me, a human.
I have found that Grok isn't always reliable. Its advice on fixing my computer bugs has been a mixed bag. It's also provided some faulty information on actors' credits, relying on IMDB, which is also less than perfect.
But as a human, I can attest that AI film submissions to festivals are increasing at an exponential rate. It makes sense that some festivals are opening their doors to them. I expect both these trends to increase.
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