The Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival (BITS), also known as Blood in the Snow, is an annual film festival held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[1] It was founded in 2012.[2][3]
The festival has taken place every year in November since 2012.[4][5] Each year, they present awards dubbed “Bloodies.” Described as an event that “fills the seasonal gap between Halloween and Christmas,”[3] the festival’s programming focuses on Canadian films, horror films, and underground films.[5][6][7]
The forthcoming festival will be held from November 17 through November 22, 2025.[8]
The festival began in 2012 as spinoff of the monthly film night hosted and programmed by Kelly Micheal Stewart called “Fright Nights at the Projection Booth,” which were held at the former Projection Booth Cinema (later re-opened in 2019 as the Grand Gerrard[9]) in Toronto.[2][3] Running from November 30 to December 2, 2012, the program that year included 6 feature films and 13 shorts, such as Sick: Survive the Night, In The House of Flies, Beyond The Black Rainbow, Devil’s Night, Famine, and Blood for Irina.[2][10][11]
The 2013 festival, running from November 29 to December 1, 2013, marked the first year the festival utilized a traditional festival submission layout with the introduction of a full programming team.[12] The lineup featured 7 feature films and 16 shorts films, including Evangeline, Thanatomorphose, Ghostkeepers, Blood Riders: The Devil Rides with Us, Clean Break, Criminal, and Discopath.[12]
The 2014 festival ran from November 28 to 30, 2014, and saw the lineup expanded to 8 feature films and 15 short films, including Queen of Blood (starring Skinny Puppy‘s Nivek Ogre), Ejecta, and Black Mountain Side.[13][14]
The 2015 edition of the festival saw the expansion of the Industry Panels but also saw the shrinking down of the vendor village; the lineup included 8 feature films and 15 shorts, running from November 27 to 29, 2015, with screenings of Night Cries, Secret Santa, White Raven, Farhope Tower, The Dark Stranger, Save Yourself, Bite, and Larry Kent‘s controversial She Who Must Burn, which won best picture at the festival that year.[15][16][17]
The 2016 festival moved to the Cineplex cinema at Yonge—Dundas Square and was held from November 24 to November 27, with an expanded 9 features and 24 shorts. The festival also launched its first DVD compilation of short films entitled Blood in the Snow presents: Bloody BITS Shorts Compilation. Films hosted included 3 Dead Trick or Treaters,[18] Streamer, [19] Inspiration,[20] Capture Kill Release,[21] The Sublet,[22] 24 x 36: A Movie about Movie Posters,[23] Holy Hell,[24] Kidnap Capital,[25] and winner of the best picture at that year’s festival, The Unseen.[26][27]
The 2017 edition of the festival saw another venue change as BITS moved to it new home at the Royal Cinema.[28] The move meant the elimination of the traditional midnight show that had been part of the programming since 2012, but saw the festival stay at 4 days in length, running November 23 until November 26, 2017. The move also added another 100 seats in capacity for the festival and attendance numbers continued to grow. Films hosted included Red Spring,[29] Blood Child,[30] Fake Blood,[31][32][33] The Child Remains,[34][35] Buckout Road,[36] Art of Obsession,[37] Kill Order (aka Meza),[38] Darken,[39][40] and the holiday slasher Once Upon a Time at Christmas.[41]
In 2018, the festival ran from November 22 to November 27.[7] That year, it was described as “Canada’s largest celebration of Canuck genre film.”[7]
In 2019, the festival ran from November 21 to November 26,[42] with Gruesome Magazine describing the event as “a unique and imaginative showcase of contemporary Canadian horror, genre, and underground cinema…”[43]
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the festival partnered with Super Channel Fuse to hold virtual screenings for its 2020 edition.[44] In 2021, the festival launched a development lab for under-represented filmmakers,[45] and it also ran virtual screenings in tandem with limited in-person screenings at the Royal Cinema as the COVID-19 pandemic continued.[46]

In 2022, the festival moved to the 500-seat Isabel Bader Theatre at the University of Toronto and ran from November 22 until November 26.[3]
In 2023, the festival ran at the Isabel Bader Theatre from November 20 until November 25 and the lineup included the Sundance Film Festival selection My Animal starring Bobbi Salvör Menuez and Amandla Stenberg and other films such as The Last Video Store and The Hyperborean.[4]
In 2024, the festival ran at the Isabel Bader Theatre from November 18 until November 23 and the lineup included horror films such as Pins and Needles starring Chelsea Clark and Scared Shitless starring Steven Ogg.[47][48]
The forthcoming festival will be held from November 17 through November 22, 2025.[8] The 2025 festival is slated to open with Houston Bone‘s Son of Sara: Volume 1 starring Chloe Van Landschoot,[49] and it will close with the sequel to Kurtis David Harder‘s Influencer starring Cassandra Naud ahead of the latter’s December 12, 2025 release on Shudder.[50][51]
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Each year since 2012, the festival has organized a small jury of film and show business professionals to determine winners of awards called “Bloodies” or “Bloodie Awards.”[52][53][54]
Award nominations and winners
[edit]
Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface. Between 2012 and 2019, no nominees were announced publicly. Since 2020, nominations have been announced in most categories.
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Best Feature Film |
Best Director
(tied) |
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Best Actor
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Best Actress
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Best Cinematography |
Best Screenplay
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Best Editing
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Best Musical Score
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Best Short Film |
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Best Feature Film |
Best Director |
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Best Actor
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Best Actress
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Best Cinematography
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Best Screenplay
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Best Special FX
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Best Musical Score
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Best Poster (Feature or Short Film) |
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Best Short Film |
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Best Feature Film |
Best Director |
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Best Actor |
Best Actress |
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Best Cinematography
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Best Screenplay
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Best Special FX |
Best Musical Score
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Best Poster (Feature or Short Film)
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Best Short Film |
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Best Feature Film |
Best Director |
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Best Actor
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Best Actress |
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Best Cinematography
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Best Screenplay
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Best Special FX |
Best Musical Score
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Best Poster (Feature or Short Film) |
Best Short Film |
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Vanguard Award
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Best Feature Film |
Best Director |
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Best Actor |
Best Actress |
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Best Cinematography |
Best Screenplay
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Best Special FX
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Best Musical Score
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Best Editing
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Best Ensemble Cast |
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Best Poster (Feature or Short Film)
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Best Short Film |
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Vanguard Award
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Rising Star Award |
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Best Feature Film |
Best Director |
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Best Actor |
Best Actress |
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Best Cinematography |
Best Screenplay
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Best Special FX |
Best Musical Score |
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Best Editing |
Best Ensemble Cast |
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Best Poster (Feature or Short Film) |
Best Short Film |
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Vanguard Award |
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Rising Star Award
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Best Feature Film |
Best Director |
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Best Actor
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Best Actress |
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Best Cinematography
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Best Screenplay
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Best Special FX |
Best Musical Score |
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Best Editing |
Best Ensemble Cast |
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Best Poster (Feature or Short Film)
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Best Short Film |
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Best Web Series |
Most Promising Debut |
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Vanguard Award |
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Rising Star Award
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Best Feature Film |
Best Director |
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Best Actor
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Best Actress |
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Best Cinematography
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Best Screenplay
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Best Special FX
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Best Musical Score
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Best Editing
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Best Ensemble Cast |
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Best Web Series |
Best Podcast
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Best Poster (Feature or Short Film) |
Best Short Film |
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Vanguard Award
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Rising Star Award
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Best Feature Film |
Best Director |
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Best Actor |
Best Actress |
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Best Cinematography (Feature or Short Film) |
Best Screenplay (Feature or Short Film)
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Ryan Nicholson Special Makeup Effects Award
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Best Musical Score
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Best Editing
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Best Ensemble Cast
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Best Poster (Feature or Short Film)
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Best Short Film
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Best Digital Series
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Best Picture |
Best Director |
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Best Lead Acting Performance in a Feature Film
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Best Supporting Acting Performance in a Feature Film
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Best Cinematography
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Best Screenplay
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Best Special FX
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Best Editing
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Best Poster (Feature or Short Film)
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Best Short Film
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Best Micro-Short Film
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Best Lead Acting Performance in a Short Film
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Best Supporting Acting Performance in a Short Film
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Best Digital Series
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Best Picture |
Best Director |
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Best Lead Acting Performance in a Feature Film
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Best Supporting Acting Performance in a Feature Film
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Best Cinematography
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Best Screenplay
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Best Special FX
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Best Editing (Feature or Short Film) |
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Best Musical Score
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Best Poster
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Best Short Film
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Best Lead Acting Performance in a Short Film
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Best Supporting Acting Performance in a Short Film
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Best Digital Series
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Best Picture |
Best Director
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Best Lead Acting Performance in a Feature Film |
Best Supporting Acting Performance in a Feature Film
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Best Cinematography
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Best Screenplay
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Best Editing
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Best Sound Design
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Ryan Nicholson Special Makeup Effects Award
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Best Short Film
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Best Lead Acting Performance in a Short Film
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Best Supporting Acting Performance in a Short Film
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Best Picture |
Best Director
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Best Lead Acting Performance in a Feature Film |
Best Supporting Acting Performance in a Feature Film |
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Best Cinematography
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Best Screenplay
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Best Editing
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Best Sound Design
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Special Makeup Effects Award
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Best Musical Score
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Best Short Film
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Best Lead Acting Performance in a Short Film
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Vanguard Award |
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This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2025)
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Associated projects
[edit]
Late Night Double Feature
[edit]
In 2014, the team behind the Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival made an anthology film called Late Night Double Feature. The film premiered at the 2014 New York City Horror Film Festival,[63] and it was later picked up for distribution by Parade Deck Films in North America.[64] Late Night Double Feature won “Best in Horror” at the 2015 Hot Springs International Horror Film Festival, and it received a 3 out of 4 rating from Fangoria.[65]
- ^ “Blood in the Snow Film Festival”. bloodinthesnow.ca. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
- ^ a b c “Henry Rollins Wants You!”. entertainmentmaven.com. 2 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d “Blood in the Snow Film Fest: ‘Grade-Eh Horror’ on the Big and Small Screens”. Original Cin. 2022-11-21. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
- ^ a b “Blood In The Snow 2023: Fest Lineup Includes MY ANIMAL, THE HYPERBOREAN, And More”. ScreenAnarchy. 2023-10-26. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
- ^ a b “Blood In The Snow Film Festival Celebrates 13 Years! | CMNNews”. 2024-11-01. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
- ^ “Blood in the Snow 2021: Canadian Genre Fest Teams up With Super Channel For Another Digital Event, And…” ScreenAnarchy. 2021-10-05. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
- ^ a b c Stiff, Victor (2018-11-27). “Blood In The Snow 2018: Bigger Better And Bloodier”. In The Seats. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
- ^ a b “Blood in the Snow 2025: Canadian Genre Fest Announces Line-up”. ScreenAnarchy. 2025-10-23. Retrieved 2025-10-26.
- ^ Wilner, Norman (2019-05-02). “Toronto’s east end has a new movie theatre: The Grand Gerrard – NOW Magazine”. NOW Toronto. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ “The Bloodies 2012”. bloodinthesnow.ca.
- ^ “Blood In The Snow Film Festival 2012”. entertainmentmaven.com. 7 December 2012.
- ^ a b “The Bloodies 2013”. bloodinthesnow.ca. 2013.
- ^ “Be very afraid of the Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival”. nowtoronto.com. 26 November 2014.
- ^ “Bloodies 2014”. horrorinthehammer.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2016-06-11.
- ^ “Blood in the Snow 2015”. screenanarchy.com. 2015.
- ^ Anderson, Jason (26 November 2015). “Blood in the Snow festival features Canadian horror movies – Toronto Star”. thestar.com.
- ^ “The Bloodies 2015”. bloodinthesnow.ca. 2015.
- ^ “3 Dead trick or Treaters”. skonmovies.com. 2016.
- ^ “Spotlight Streamer Co-Director Jared Bratt”. hyemusings.ca. 2016.
- ^ “Film Review – Inspiration”. Flickhunter. 2016.
- ^ “Film Review – Capture Kill Rrelease”. Flickhunter. 2016.
- ^ “BITS 2016: The Sublet – Sean Kelly on Movies”. Archived from the original on 2018-02-12. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
- ^ “5 things you can’t miss at Blood in the Snow 2016”. 22 November 2016.
- ^ “BITS 2016: Holy Hell”. 23 November 2016.
- ^ “Flick Hunter: BITS ’16 Film Review- Kidnap Capital”. 27 November 2016.
- ^ “Out of Sight. Movies reviewed: The Unseen, Castle in the Sky”. 3 December 2016.
- ^ “Blood in the Snow 2016”. screenanarchy.com. 2016.
- ^ “Stream HORROR HAPPENS RADIO Episode 243 / 11-14-17 by Swingin From Coast2Coast & Scratching the Surface | Listen online for free on SoundCloud”.
- ^ “Vampires on the Gardiner, Red Spring kicks off fun-fueled Blood In The Snow indie fest”. Original Cin. November 22, 2017.
- ^ “BiTS: Blood Child (2017)”. 23 November 2017.
- ^ “Flick Hunter: BiTS ’17 Film Review – Fake Blood”. 23 November 2017.
- ^ “Fake Blood – BITS17 Review —”. Archived from the original on 2018-02-12. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
- ^ “BITS 2017: Our Review of ‘Fake Blood’“. 23 November 2017.
- ^ “The Child Remains (Movie Review)”. 24 November 2017.
- ^ “[Blood in the Snow Review] THE CHILD REMAINS is a Solid Female-Centric Ghost Story”. 28 November 2017.
- ^ “Movie Review: Buckout Road – the GCE”. Archived from the original on 2018-02-12. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
- ^ “Art of Obsession (2017) [Blood in the Snow 2017] – Cinema Crazed”.
- ^ “Blood in the Snow 2017 Review: KILL ORDER, A Showcase of Canadian Talent in Sci-fi Action Flick”. 24 November 2017.
- ^ “Review – Darken – Blood in the Snow 2027”.
- ^ “‘Darken’ actors chat about upcoming film”. 21 November 2017.
- ^ “Once Upon a Time at Christmas (2017) Review”. Archived from the original on 2018-02-12. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
- ^ DeFellipo, Michael (2019-11-27). “Blood in the Snow Announces 2019 Award Winners”. Horror Society. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
- ^ Perry, Joseph (2019-10-30). “Canada’s Blood in the Snow Film Festival Announces Its Knockout 2019 Lineup – Gruesome Magazine”. Gruesome Magazine. Archived from the original on 2024-04-23. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
- ^ services, Star staff wire (2020-07-20). “Celebrity news: Nicki Minaj is ‘preggers’; Blood in the Snow horror fest goes virtual”. Toronto Star. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
- ^ Thompson, Rocco T. (2021-04-26). “Blood In The Snow Film Festival Announces Groundbreaking Horror Development Lab”. Rue Morgue. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
- ^ “Blood in the Snow 2021: Canadian Genre Fest Teams up With Super Channel For Another Digital Event, And…” ScreenAnarchy. 2021-10-05. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
- ^ Sahebzada, Asma (2024-11-16). “This Toronto filmmaker tapped into her own dreams to create a nightmarish short about sleep paralysis. She tells us why she did it”. Toronto Star. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
- ^ Sokic, Nicholas. “Pins and Needles gets world premiere at Blood in the Snow”. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
- ^ Tracy, Andrew. “Houston Bone’s ‘Son of Sara’ to premiere at Blood in the Snow”. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
- ^ Blacktooth (2025-10-24). “Terror Returns to Toronto: Blood in the Snow Marks 14 Years of Canadian Horror Mayhem”. Horror Society. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
- ^ “Influencers Trailer: Travel Blogger’s Globe-Trotting Murder Spree Catches Up to Her in Shocking Sequel (Exclusive)”. People.com. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
- ^ “BiTS”. bloodinthesnow.ca. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
- ^ Townsend, Kelly. “Monkey Beach, Come True rake in festival awards”. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
- ^ Alexandra, Kristi. “In Brief: My Animal leads Blood in the Snow winners”. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
- ^ “2020 BLOODIES AWARD WINNERS AND NOMINATIONS”. bloodinthesnow.ca. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
- ^ “2021 BLOODIES AWARD WINNERS AND NOMINATIONS”. bloodinthesnow.ca. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
- ^ “2022 BLOODIES NOMINATIONS”. bloodinthesnow.ca. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
- ^ “2022 BLOODIES AWARD WINNERS”. bloodinthesnow.ca. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
- ^ “2023 BLOODIES NOMINATIONS”. bloodinthesnow.ca. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
- ^ “2023 BLOODIES AWARD WINNERS”. bloodinthesnow.ca. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
- ^ “2024 BLOODIES NOMINATIONS”. bloodinthesnow.ca. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
- ^ “2024 BLOODIES AWARD WINNERS”. bloodinthesnow.ca. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
- ^ “2014 NYC Horror Film Festival”. NYC Horror Film Festival. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
- ^ “Late Night Double Feature”. Parade Deck Films.
- ^ Parker, Trevor. ““Late Night Double Feature” (Film Review)”. Fangoria.



