Twenty-six films have been selected for the second edition of the Kathmandu Horror Film Festival, which will be held from October 30 to November 1 at Russian House in Kathmandu.

Organised by the Nepal Film & Cultural Academy (NFCA), the festival will screen eight feature films and 18 shorts selected through an international call for submissions.

The selection features horror, thriller, supernatural, dark fantasy and folklore-based films from 21 countries, including five Nepali productions or co-productions.

The feature films are Abandoned, directed by Joby Stephens (UK); Frost, by Pavle Vučković (Serbia); Kill Me, by Peter Warren (US); In This Darkness I See You, by Nadim Tabet (Lebanon, France, Qatar and Saudi Arabia); The Wrath, by Shayne Putzlocher (Canada); The Ones Who Grieve, by Quarxx (France and US); Poultry Farm, by Mohammadreza Ardalan (Iran); and Mokshya, by Subarna Paudel (Australia and Nepal).

The short-film selection includes Nepali films: KNAR, directed by Akash Dhimal; Sinner, by Raksha Thapa; Lakhey, by Veemsen Lama; and A.L.I.C.E., by Maxim Chebotarev.

The international shorts are OBEY! by Jordan Wippell (US); Cosmonauts by Leo Černic (Italy and Slovenia); The Leader Will Come by Michiel Geluykens and Manuel Janssens (Belgium); Happy by Víctor Basallote (Spain); Something Scary by Jeff Zorrilla (Argentina); Merkurio by Sébastien Pesle (France); Sincopat by Pol Diggler (Spain); Lifelines by Bruno Richaud (France); The Old Man and The Grave by Prabhat Gurung (South Korea); Septeno by Óscar Pérez (Spain); Egg by Tomoka Tabata (Japan); Vagabond by Philippe Woodtli (Switzerland); Favela Amarela by Nicolas Lobato and Thiago Tuchu (Brazil); and D3STRO by Joshua Torresvalle (Mexico).

Festival director Rasik Pathak said horror is currently one of the most creative genres in cinema, allowing filmmakers to explore folklore, psychology, society and questions of identity.