SPOOKYFEST 2026 to Bring Horror Theatre Festival to The Hobgoblin Playhouse

The StageCrafts invites audiences to embrace the spooky side of Hollywood. SpookyFest 2026, Hollywood's horror theatre and short film festival, takes over The Hobgoblin Playhouse from Thursday, October 22 through Tuesday, November 3. Eleven live productions run October 22 to November 1, from ghost stories and vampire comedies to a noir musical, a psychic séance and Shakespeare's bloodiest tragedies in 60 minutes. The festival closes on Tuesday, November 3 with SpookyFest Film, a single night of ten horror, suspense and supernatural short films, where the audience votes for its favorite.

GOODBYE. HELLO.

Thursday, October 22 at 7:00 PM · ONE NIGHT ONLY · Hollywood Fringe Scholarship recipient · $20

Their best friend died. They didn't leave. SpookyFest opens with an offbeat ghost story about two best friends whose bond carries on long after one of them dies unexpectedly, as the friend who stayed behind is haunted across decades.

(Prismatic Decay | Ages 12+ | 60 minutes)

VENUS IN FUR

Thursday, October 22 at 8:30 PM; Saturday, October 24 at 8:00 PM (also livestreamed); Thursday, October 29 at 8:30 PM · $25

An actress arrives late and unannounced to audition for a playwright-director named Thomas, determined to win a lead role she seems entirely wrong for. As the audition unfolds, the balance of power shifts in David Ives' dark comedy of desire, fantasy and control.

(Domino One Productions | Ages 15+ | 90 minutes)

JULIUS CAESAR IN 60 MINUTES

Friday, October 23 at 7:00 PM; Saturday, October 24 at 6:30 PM; Sunday, October 25 at 7:30 PM; Friday, October 30 at 10:00 PM; Saturday, October 31 at 5:00 PM; Sunday, November 1 at 4:30 PM · $25

Shakespeare's political thriller of power, manipulation and betrayal, condensed into one fast, dynamic hour. Adapted and directed by Colleen Hammond Whitmore.

(CHW Productions | Ages 12+ | 60 minutes)

MACBETH IN 60 MINUTES

Friday, October 23 at 8:30 PM; Saturday, October 24 at 5:00 PM; Sunday, October 25 at 6:00 PM; Friday, October 30 at 8:30 PM; Saturday, October 31 at 3:30 PM; Sunday, November 1 at 6:00 PM · $25

Three witches. One prophecy. A general who will stop at nothing to become king. An all-female, fast-paced take on Shakespeare's darkest tragedy, adapted and directed by Colleen Hammond Whitmore.

(CHW Productions | Ages 13+ | 60 minutes)

BELLADONNA HIGHWAY

Saturday, October 24 at 3:00 PM; Wednesday, October 28 at 8:30 PM; Friday, October 30 at 6:30 PM · $25

Mitch, a fading novelist desperate to get back on the New York Times bestseller list, goes looking for a quiet writer's retreat. Instead he checks into the Hotel Belladonna, a rundown desert oasis with dangerous secrets. A noir musical with live piano by Ben Boquist and Ben Barahona Ginsberg.

(Dead Martian Theatricals | Ages 13+ | 80 minutes)

JOAN Q, GENUINE INTUITIVE

Saturday, October 24 at 10:00 PM; Sunday, October 25 at 1:30 PM; Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00 PM · $18.88

Joan Q is a comic clairvoyant with a morbid wit and an open heart. Her interactive psychic comedy séance brings tarot readings, cosmic gossip, guests with strange true stories and a few Scorpio season surprises.

(Kevin Eggleston | Ages 18+ | 50 minutes)

I SUCK: A VAMPIRE COMEDY

Sunday, October 25 at 3:00 PM · ONE NIGHT ONLY · $20

Stan has made poor choices for centuries, and now this vampire is stuck in a midlife crisis instead of enjoying eternal power and wealth. When he can no longer bring himself to feed, he tries everything else, and learns that living is the key to being undead. A one-person comedy starring Derek Heeren.

(Blue Heeren Productions | Ages 13+ | 60 minutes)

ON THE LINE

Sunday, October 25 at 9:00 PM · ONE NIGHT ONLY · $15

Seattle, 1984. On the graveyard shift at a crisis call center, the women on the phones learn to trust their own instincts while official voices insist the danger is under control. A tense thriller by Pamela Eberhardt and Dan Testa.

(The Unknown Artists | Ages 13+ | 60 minutes | Content warning: graphic discussion of sexual assault)

SAY GOODBYE TO HOLLYWOOD: HALLOWEEN SPECDRACULAR

Tuesday, October 27 at 6:30 PM · ONE NIGHT ONLY · $25

Michael Celestino and Fard Muhammad host a Halloween edition of their comedy, talk and variety show about Hollywood entertainment, with pop culture guests, sketches, standup and music.

(Michael Celestino & Fard Muhammad | Ages 18+ | 90 minutes)

SOUTHERN GOTH

Tuesday, October 27 at 8:30 PM · ONE NIGHT ONLY · WORLD PREMIERE · $25

Award-winning actor Dan Ruth's semi-autobiographical solo play is a dark, eerie and often funny tribute to his magical mother and to Richmond, Virginia in the 1980s.

(LAstageNY | Ages 18+ | 60 minutes | Contains flashing lights)

WARHOL/FRANKENSTEIN 4D!

Saturday, October 31 at 11:59 PM · HALLOWEEN MIDNIGHT SHOW · $25

A sexy, gory, raunchy Grand Guignol pop art horror show, live on stage. This comic and surprisingly emotional play goes inside Andy Warhol's Factory to re-create the making of the 1973 cult film Flesh for Frankenstein, debauchery and all.

(SVI Cine+Media | Ages 18+ | 75 minutes | Contains nudity and flashing lights)

SPOOKYFEST FILM 

Tuesday, November 3 · Doors 6:30 PM, films at 7:00 PM · $15 general admission

Ten short films. One terrifying night. SpookyFest closes with a single screening block of ten official horror, suspense and supernatural short film selections. The audience votes live for the Audience Choice award, festival judges name a Judge's Selection, and both winners are announced that night.

• Sardines (dir. Gigi Henry): A group of cousins plays hide-and-seek in the dark, unaware they are being hunted.
• Deadication (dir. Charles Hornsby): A woman finds an antique book that opens a portal to a sinister past.
• The Lido (dir. Saalika Khan): A young actor's Hollywood sublet ties her to the unsolved murder of a 1930s starlet.
• Ron's Night Out (dir. Jenna Covarrubias): Dating can be a dangerous ride.
• Dinner Date (dir. Edward Styles Gallego): When dinner goes awry, the Lioness takes over the evening to keep her Lion happy.
• BTS (dir. Vejune Baltrusaitis): A teen who dreams of dance-influencer fame is lured to a haunted location by three mysterious women.
• A Bedtime Ballad (dir. Clay Antonio): A young girl living with schizophrenia faces her first night alone, and her imaginary friend has turned sinister.
• Jenny (dir. Ava Dell'Orfano): A college senior finds a haunted ring and must use her classmate's spirit to solve her murder.
• Take My Hand (dir. Ryan Barri): A stop-motion short about a little boy and an unlikely visitor inside his bed.
• 80% of Home Invasions Happen During the Day (dir. Dylan Yang): A moody teen is tormented by a masked killer who may or may not be real.