What to watch at HÕFF: 10 Main Screenings of the Festival
Retro horrors, an anthology of Soviet television clips, and a collection of the creepiest experimental horror films in history. Cultural journalist and film curator Daria Kozyr explains how the anniversary edition of Estonia’s horror and fantasy festival HÕFF is organized, how to navigate its program, and which films you absolutely shouldn’t miss.
What is HÕFF?
The Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival, or simply HÕFF, is Estonia’s most popular genre film festival. It was founded in 2005 by columnist and entrepreneur Marek Reinaas. Since then, every year, the team behind Estonia’s main film festival PÖFF waits for the full moon in late April and hosts this large-scale event in the town of Haapsalu.
HÕFF focuses on fresh horror, fantasy, and sci-fi films made in the past two years. But the program also includes many other intriguing sections, such as a showcase of extreme cinema featuring films like Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, retrospectives of timeless classics like Mad Max and The Terminator, short film collections, and more.
Why You Should Go to HÕFF
Because this year marks the 20th anniversary of the festival, and that means a special program awaits—with major premieres and screenings of retro horror films.
There will also be a workshop on electronic music production led by a graduate of Berlin's Catalyst Institute, a dubbing seminar where you can learn how to voice animated films, the legendary HÕFF Horror Quiz that takes place annually, and a concert by Estonian glam-pop band The Tomahawck Brothers.
What’s in the Program
This year’s HÕFF includes 14 different programs. If you want to see Baltic premieres and highlights from Berlinale, Sundance, and Cannes — go for the main program.
If you're rooting for local filmmakers, check out the Estonian genre film competition.
Short film fans should explore the Little Nightmares section.
If you're into cult horror on the big screen, don’t miss HÕFF Retro, and if you’re a fan of wild and weird arthouse films, check out HÕFF for Freaks.
The program also includes selections of horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and even family-friendly films.
Which Film to Choose?
There are many ways to find the right screening—by section, film format (short or feature), or genre. But if you don’t feel like digging through the schedule yourself, use our cheat sheet. I’ve carefully reviewed all sections and picked 10 of the most intriguing films at this year’s festival.
The Tomahawck Brothers and 'The Surfer' (2025)
The festival opens with a highly anticipated psychological thriller from Lorcan Finnegan starring Nicolas Cage. He plays a gloomy, nameless middle-aged man who returns to his hometown in Australia and clashes with a gang of local surfers who have taken over the beach of his childhood. What starts as a breezy summer road movie quickly turns into a wild psychological thriller and trash-action flick, packed with brutal violence and a charismatic yet completely unhinged protagonist.
Death of a Unicorn (2025)
A new project from A24, starring Paul Rudd and Wednesday’s Jenna Ortega. The story centers on a father and daughter who accidentally hit a real unicorn while driving home. The greedy family the father works for decides to exploit the creature’s magical powers, but a herd of local unicorns plots revenge. Death of a Unicorn is a bizarre blend of horror, satirical comedy, and fairy tale, full of unpredictable twists.
Get Away (2024)
An experimental horror comedy by director Steffen Haars and British actor-comedian Nick Frost, beloved for roles in Shaun of the Dead, Why Women Kill, and many other British films. Frost plays an unremarkable family man on vacation in Sweden with his loved ones. The family ends up on a tiny island under the watchful and unfriendly eyes of locals. Haars and Frost reimagine the folk horror genre (à la Ari Aster’s Midsommar) and turn Get Away into a bold ride full of ultraviolence and sharp dark humor.
The Legend of Ochi (2025)
A family fantasy film from A24 about a farmer’s daughter who befriends a lost mythical creature named Ochi and tries to return it to its parents. The film received warm critical acclaim; journalist Brian Tallerico called it a charming throwback to 1980s adventure classics like The NeverEnding Story. The cast includes Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, and a grown-up Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things).
The Return of the Living Dead (1985) and Friday the 13th (2009)
If you love classic horror and want to rewatch your favorites on the big screen, these screenings are for you. As part of HÕFF Retro, Dan O’Bannon’s legendary zombie film The Return of the Living Dead will be shown. Also screening: the cult American slasher Friday the 13th, the 12th installment in the iconic franchise about masked killer Jason Voorhees, who dispatches his victims with brutal flair and a machete.
U Are the Universe (2024)
A Ukrainian sci-fi film by director and screenwriter Pavlo Ostrikov. This tender, piercing story explores the overwhelming weight of loneliness. The main character, long-haul trucker Andriy, has been traveling alone for two years on a space freighter tasked with dumping nuclear waste into a black hole. After a massive explosion destroys Earth, Andriy finds himself the last human in the universe.
The Ugly Stepsister (2025)
Looking for something weird and twisted? Try this Norwegian body horror film by Emily Blichfeldt. Inspired by the classic Cinderella fairy tale—but with a dark twist—it tells the story through the eyes of Elvira, Cinderella’s stepsister, who has always been called ugly. To meet conventional beauty standards, Elvira undergoes horrific procedures reminiscent of The Substance. In an interview, Blichfeldt said she tried to retain the original grim tone of Charles Perrault’s fairy tale—yes, including the scene where Cinderella cuts off her toes to fit into the glass slipper. And that’s probably not the only scene that will shock you.
Sew Torn (2025)
The feature debut of Swiss filmmaker Freddie Macdonald, the youngest-ever recipient of a grant from the American Film Institute. Sew Torn evolved from a short film Macdonald once showed to his idol Joel Coen, who encouraged him to develop it into a feature. The film follows a struggling seamstress who witnesses the murder of drug dealers and walks away with a suitcase full of money.
The Black Hole (2024)
A fantastical absurdist comedy based on stories by Estonian authors Andrus Kivirähk and Armin Kõomägi. The film consists of three vignettes about taboo and forbidden pleasures. One tells the story of Sirje, a woman who volunteers for a bizarre scientific experiment. Another follows a female bodybuilder trying to create a safe, man-free world. The third is a passionate romance between two lonely neighbors.
All tickets can be purchased directly from our website — just click on a film you like and choose your screening.