I love cosmic horror—it asks so many questions and makes me think. I also love short films.  So the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, going strong since 1995, is my jam! The streaming edition, which is always the highlight of my year, arrives this Friday, featuring over sixty short films, several full-length features, author readings, and panels (and a ticket purchase gives you through 12/12 to watch everything).

Hosts Gwen and Brian Callahan go above and beyond—the quality of this festival, from curation and content to pledge campaign rewards and collateral material—is top notch.

This year’s thirtieth anniversary theme is Cthulu on the High Seas, so in addition, some contributors to the Lovecraftian Microfiction/Challenge from Beyond books, which always accompany the festival, were instead asked to write an X-files-esque story surrounding The Emma, a two-masted schooner that plays into strange events in Lovecraft’s story “The Call of Cthulu.” There are stories by favorites like Cody Goodfellow and John Shirley, and my story “Compaction” is included too. The books will be on sale after the festival on Arkhaam Bazaar’s website.

If short films and cosmic/existentialist horror rocks your world, this festival is for you! You can purchase tickets for the December 5-9 (with extended time through Dec. 12), 2025 streaming event here: https://hplfilmfestival.eventive.org/passes/buy.