GASP! Horror Festival 2026: Women in Horror Short Film Showcase
GASP! is proud to present this short film showcase that highlights some of the
best female filmmakers working in horror cinema today, filmmakers who you
will be sure to want to keep an eye out for after this showcase. Amongst the
many impressive films being shown, this showcase features eerie found
footage horror with Mimics, brilliantly disgusting body horror with a message
in Paty, the stylish yet harrowing and thought provoking The Fish Tank, and the
heartbreaking and unforgettable take on grief, loss and depression in The
Bezoar.
Mimics
Written and Directed by Shawna Edward
Starring Haley Garnett,
Emily Ferrier
Canada, 2026, 14 minutes
Mimics is a short, found footage, horror film about two influencer sisters who
move to the woods to get away from it all. But what finds them is a following
like no other.
Paty
Written and Directed by Maria Luiza Staut
Brazil, 2026, 5 minutes
During a night commute home, a woman finds herself trapped in a dangerous
situation at a bus stop. The apparent dead end catches the attention of a
mysterious clown, who decides to intervene in her own way.
Content Warning: Sexual threat, flashing images, and body horror
Tastebuds
World Premiere
Written and Directed by Detroya Angelé
Starring Aimée Uwera, Judith Marie-Ange Edmorin, Elka Lee-Green
UK, 2025,
15 minutes
Ana might not be the worlds version of a "perfect girl", but she still feels
pressured to be as close to perfection as a woman in her position can be. To
appease her overbearing mothers wishes, she competes in the Taste Talent
beauty pageant, in hopes of joining an elite modelling agency, that promises to
make the winner a star, but under one obscure condition.
Content Warning: Self harm and cannibalism
Beseech Essence
European Premiere
Written and Directed by Ari Moretz
Starring Ari Moretz
Canada, 2025, 1 minute
The ritual begins by summoning unseen forces. The doll’s joints twitch eerily.
The ritualistic world breathes forth otherworldly presences, and they stir,
bringing dread to the dark night.
The Fish Tank
Exclusive Manchester Screening
Written and Directed by
Victoria Garz
Starring Ari Cigarroa, Arturo Michel, Javs Barbound
Mexico,
2023, 12 minutes
The story of a fish woman who escaped into a world that longs to consume
her.
Content Warning: Loud, detailed eating, vomit, suffocation, and themes surrounding sex trafficking and mental health
Eye Jam
Directed by Julia Jolliffe
UK, 2025, 3 minutes
On a distant planet, a lonely creature is stuck in a never-ending jam-making
nightmare.
Content Warning: Body horror and misophonia
You’re Just Tired
European Premiere
Written and Directed by Hannah Saks
Starring Megan Joy Hillis, Mae Marshall, Blanche Anderson
Australia, 2026,
16 minutes
Feeling isolated, lonely, and bored, new mother Lydia struggles to grasp what's
real and what's her imagination.
Content Warning: Postnatal depression, gaslighting, and child endangerment
Voyeur
Directed by Maryam Hashempour, Written by Mohammadreza Seif
Starring Vida Gharagozlou
Iran, Islamic Republic of, 2025, 6 minutes
A girl enters a coffee shop while waiting for her friend. An unknown number
sends her a photo of her, taken just before she enters the coffee shop. The
unknown person sends the photo several times until...
Content Warning: Vomit
The Bezoar
UK Premiere
Written and Directed by Laure-Elie Chenier-
Morea
Starring Mathilde Warnier
French, 2025, 17 minutes
After losing her mother, Anna discovers a hairy monster in her home. She has
to live with this strange creature, as tender as it is unhealthy, without losing
her footing.
Content Warning: Body horror, trichophobia, and themes surrounding grief, mental health and depression.
All of our screenings are 18+ unless otherwise stated, the film starts at the advertised time above.
