Memphis cosmic horror film wins Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi in Chicago

Dreams of a Dead God, a Memphis-made cosmic horror short from writer-director Jim Weter, won Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi at the 28th Annual Chicago Horror Film Festival, bringing its 2026 awards total to eight. The win adds momentum to the film’s festival run ahead of a planned audience release later this year.

Why it matters: - Dreams of a Dead God is turning a local Memphis production into an award-winning festival title with reach well beyond its home market. - The Chicago win gives the film its eighth award during its 2026 festival run. - The film’s momentum stands out because the production was rejected by the hometown Indie Memphis Film Festival.

What happened: - Dreams of a Dead God won Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi at the 28th Annual Chicago Horror Film Festival in Chicago. - The film is a Memphis-made found-footage cosmic horror production written and directed by Jim Weter. - The movie runs 36 minutes. - The production was created with a minimal cast and combines practical and special effects. - Weter designed and built the set himself.

The details: - The story is set in October 1936 and follows the filmed interrogation of a captured kidnapper and murderer. - The investigation shifts from a crime case into a confrontation with the possibility that the prisoner is telling the truth about something far more disturbing. - The film’s official tagline frames the story around sanity, reality, and a kidnapper with ties to an ancient cult. - Rather than using a modern backdrop, the film presents found footage as a surviving record from another era. - The story is an original work inspired by writers from Weird Tales, including H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and Robert Bloch. - The film draws from Lovecraftian cosmic horror and follows the events of Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu. - The film explores forbidden knowledge, ancient forces, the fragility of sanity, and humanity’s small place in the universe. - The cast includes Cameron J. Crawford, Christopher Steinmetz, Larshay Watson, Jerry Kimble Jr., and Ryan Gilliam. - The cast and crew are all from the Memphis area. - Many of the cast and crew have worked with Weter for more than 15 years on independent film projects.

Between the lines: - The Chicago award suggests the film is connecting with genre audiences outside Memphis, even without backing from its local festival ecosystem. - The project’s use of period found footage gives a familiar horror format a different angle, which may help it stand out in festival programming. - The Memphis-heavy creative team also reinforces the film as a homegrown regional production rather than a one-off festival submission.

What's next: - The festival run continues after six new selections over the weekend. - The new selections are Horror Haven Film Expo in Evansville, Indiana; The Thing in the Basement Horror Festival in Seattle, Washington; Out of the Cellar Horror Fest in Sacramento, California; SamhainBaucogna International Film Festival in Spain; Rocket City Short Film Festival in Huntsville, Alabama; and Buried Alive Film Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. - The film is scheduled to become available to audiences later in 2026. - View the film trailer. - Follow the film on the Cellardoor Cinema Facebook page.

The bottom line: - Dreams of a Dead God is building an increasingly strong festival record, with Chicago marking another step in a 2026 run that has turned a Memphis indie into a widely recognized genre film.