Night Visions 2026, Finland’s largest horror and genre film festival, returns to Helsinki from November 11 to 15, bringing five days of horror, science fiction, fantasy, action and cult cinema to Kinopalatsi. The autumn edition, titled Maximum Halloween, will feature 38 feature films and more than 60 screenings, including several Finnish premieres.
Held twice a year, in spring and autumn, Night Visions has established itself as one of the Nordic region’s major events for audiences interested in genre films. While horror remains at the centre of its programme, the festival also makes room for unusual independent productions, cult classics, documentaries and films that rarely reach regular cinema schedules.
The 2026 autumn festival will take place at Finnkino’s Kinopalatsi in central Helsinki. One of its most anticipated traditions is the all-night film marathon, which begins on Saturday, November 14, and continues into Sunday morning. The marathon gives audiences the opportunity to spend the night moving between screenings, with a programme dedicated to the festival’s darker and more unusual film selections.
Cinema will not be the only attraction during the weekend. A film flea market will take place at Kinopalatsi on Saturday, November 14, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., offering visitors the chance to browse physical film releases and other collectibles. The Friday the 13th celebrations will also continue with a festival after-event at On the Rocks.
Among the films attracting attention is Red Snow, a Finnish horror comedy directed by Ilja Rautsi. The film follows a middle-aged, balding vampire who disguises himself as Santa Claus to gain entry into unsuspecting families’ homes. Since vampires need an invitation to cross a threshold, the disguise provides a convenient way to get inside Finnish homes during Christmas Eve.
The film combines vampire horror with dark comedy and features an established Finnish cast, including Hannu-Pekka Björkman, Tommi Korpela and Krista Kosonen. Red Snow marks Rautsi’s feature directorial debut and offers a deliberately twisted take on the familiar Christmas tradition of welcoming Santa Claus into the home. The film is in Finnish with English subtitles.
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International horror fans may also want to look out for Colony, the latest work from South Korean director Yeon Sang-ho, known for Train to Busan. The film centres on a biological disaster that turns a skyscraper in Seoul into a quarantine zone. However, the infected develop a form of collective intelligence, making them more unpredictable than the conventional zombies audiences may expect from the genre.
Rather than relying solely on familiar zombie-film conventions, Colony explores the threat posed by infected individuals who appear capable of acting together. Its large-scale disaster setting and science-fiction elements make it one of the festival’s major horror selections. The film is in Korean with English subtitles.
French body horror also features in the programme with Sanguine – Species, the debut feature from director Marion Le Coroller. Screened in the Midnight programme at the Cannes Film Festival, the film is set in the demanding environment of medical students and combines disturbing body horror with dark satire. Its grotesque approach may appeal to viewers who enjoyed the unsettling visual style of The Substance. The film will also serve as the opening screening of Night Visions 2026. It is in French with English subtitles.
Finnish director Renny Harlin is another major presence at this year’s festival. After making his name internationally with Hollywood action films such as Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger, Harlin returns with The Beast, an action thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson and Joel Kinnaman.
Jackson plays the President of the United States, who becomes trapped inside his armoured limousine following a terrorist attack. Kinnaman plays a wounded Secret Service agent caught up in the crisis. The film will receive its European premiere at Kinopalatsi on Saturday, November 14.
The screening will be followed by a masterclass with Harlin, lasting approximately 90 minutes. He will discuss his career and share insights into filmmaking. Audiences will also have another opportunity to encounter the director on Friday, November 13, at Harlin House, a free event at The Train Factory. The programme includes a discussion and a special screening of Harlin’s 1988 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.
For viewers more interested in dark family comedy than traditional horror, Rosebush Pruning offers a different kind of disturbing cinema. Directed by Brazilian filmmaker Karim Aïnouz, the film follows four wealthy American siblings living in a luxurious villa in Spain. Their lives revolve around designer fashion, family secrets and increasingly unhealthy relationships. When one of the brothers decides to leave, the family’s carefully maintained arrangement begins to fall apart.
The film was screened in competition at the Berlin Film Festival and features a cast that includes Elle Fanning, Riley Keough, Callum Turner and Pamela Anderson. Its screenplay was written by Efthimis Filippou, known for his collaborations with Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. The film is in English without subtitles.
Night Visions is also giving audiences an opportunity to revisit one of the defining action films of the early 1990s. John Woo’s Hard Boiled (1992), starring Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung, will be screened in a 4K version. The Hong Kong crime thriller is widely recognised for its elaborate gunfights, stylised violence and carefully choreographed action sequences. Its screening offers an opportunity to experience Woo’s filmmaking on the big screen rather than through a home release.
Music fans have a reason to look beyond the festival’s horror selections, too. The documentary The Best Summer returns to 1995, when major alternative rock acts, including Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, Beck and Pavement, toured Australia alongside other prominent names in the scene.
Director Tamra Davis documented the performances and backstage moments, capturing a period when alternative rock was enjoying considerable attention. The documentary offers a look at the musicians and the touring culture surrounding the genre during that era. It is primarily in English, although viewers should check the festival programme for subtitle details.
The festival will also pay tribute to American cult actress Adrienne Barbeau with a three-film retrospective. The selection brings together three films from the early 1980s: John Carpenter’s supernatural horror film The Fog (1980), the dystopian action classic Escape from New York (1981) and Wes Craven’s monster film Swamp Thing (1982). The programme highlights Barbeau’s contribution to a period of American genre cinema that continues to attract devoted audiences.
Night Visions Maximum Halloween runs from November 11 to 15, 2026, at Finnkino Kinopalatsi, Kaisaniemenkatu 2, Helsinki. Single screening tickets cost EUR 12.50, while admission to the all-night marathon costs EUR 65.
The full programme, screening times and ticket information are available through Finnkino’s Night Visions festival page.
