Panic Fest 2026 finally closes with my final set of shorts reviews. In Volume 3, you’ll find reviews for three standout films. Spanning the supernatural and thriller, this last batch goes for the jugular. Several moments across this volume’ll leave your jaw on the floor. And you might not want to pick it back up after it’s been doused in dirty horror storytelling (complementary).
The Stolen Future
Directed by Vedd Rawtaani
Vedd Rawtaani’s The Stolen Future, the only Indian film out of Panic Fest, exhibits strong storytelling and expert camera work. Rawtaani calls into question the veil between the living and the dead and how we grieve. When a young woman travels down a dark road at night, she triggers a journey into macabre desolation and retribution from beyond the grave. It’s a stunning emotional work with the cast biting down on the material and tearing it to shreds.
Trad
Directed by Dave Bekerman
Spend any amount of time on TikTok, and you’ll likely stumble upon a “trad-wife” video on your FYP. In Dave Bekerman’s Trad, the classic pick-me woman is taken to the extreme. And it’s delicious (you’ll see!). When a young woman turns to video content for financial survival, things get weird and intense real fast. Her partner licks it all up, pushing her to do more and more. The videos quickly take off, and she becomes a bonafide trad-wife influencer. But at what cost? It’s giving Good for Her, and it’s pure cinema.
Tasty Bones
Directed by Ronald Short
Imagine an alternate reality where Cookie Monster stalks the woods and kills unsuspecting people. That’s the feeling filmmaker Ronald Short evokes with Tasty Bones. When a group of friends stokes a roaring campfire in the woods, one member goes to relieve himself near the edge of the treeline. Little does he know that a creature lurks in the overgrowth. It’s only five minutes, but it’s a glorious five minutes. The creature lumbers from out behind a tree, and it’s game over. Short packs a creepy, wonderfully outlandish punch that’s a damn treat.
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