Popcorn Frights 2024: STRANGE DARLING, BIRTHRITE Win Awards From Jury and Audience

The 2024 edition of the Popcorn Frights Film Festival has concluded, but on a closing note, the Audience and Jury award winners have been announced.

The 10th annual fest, held in South Florida, broke their records for attendance. As a hybrid festival, they attracted crowds in person and also online. I'm all about uniting people, not dividing them, yet it's interesting to compare and contrast the various awards.

The following is from the official press release:

"This year, the jury panel, comprised of national media figures and local filmmakers, selected J.T. Mollner's terrifying cat-and-mouse thriller Strange Darling for the Jury Prize for Best Feature Film. In accepting the award, J.T. Mollner stated, 'Wow. This is such an honor. Sincere thanks to Popcorn Frights, the jury, and all the horror fans we made this film for who came out to support. Getting this news was such a pleasant surprise.'"

Did the festival have scary films or what?

"The Scariest Feature Film Prize was awarded to Cody Ashford's chilling tale Drive Back, an inventive twist on the slasher genre that had its world premiere at the festival. To further highlight emerging talent, Popcorn Frights introduced the New Nightmare Prize, honoring filmmakers making their feature film debuts. This year's recipient was Steven Hugh Nelson for his found footage thriller Old Wounds, which also world premiered at the festival to widespread acclaim. In accepting the award, Steven shared: 'We're so incredibly grateful to receive the New Nightmare Prize for our micro-budget debut feature. The team behind Popcorn Frights truly champions independent horror filmmaking, and we couldn't be more excited for their love and support. We hope that our film inspires other creatives and proves that you don't need many resources to express yourself.'"

To see all the awards, visit the official Popcorn Frights site.