The 20th edition of the Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival (HÕFF) welcomed an all-time high of over 5,800 visitors, surpassing its previous record set in 2019 by 400 attendees. The milestone reflects genre cinema's growing popularity and enduring appeal in the Baltic region and beyond.

Festival director Helmut Jänes expressed heartfelt gratitude: “We are especially proud to mark our 20th year with this audience response. Even those watching horror left with happy faces. In terms of emotion and energy, this has been the best HÕFF ever.”

The festival featured 33 feature films, five short film blocks, and 14 events.

Irish director Aislinn Clarke’s Fréwaka, a folk-horror musical, took the Audience Award, with Norwegian Viljar Bøe’s From Above the Knee and Estonian Toomas Aria’s Justice 3 rounding out the top three.

For the fourth time, the winner was decided through an online platform that allowed viewers to share their emotions about the films they saw - gruesome, sad, obscene and funny - with "Fréwaka" collecting the most. The ugliest film was The Ugly Stepmother, the saddest was My Universe, the ghastliest was Fréwaka and the most enjoyable was Justice 3.

In the European Short Fantasy Film competition, Gonçalo Almeida’s The Atom and the Void won the Méliès d’Argent nomination. The film was hailed for its technical excellence and thought-provoking exploration of humanity’s future.
The Navigaator Pirx Award for Best Science Fiction Film went to My Universe by Ukrainian director Pavlo Ostrikov, described by the jury as “a tragically humorous, emotionally rich cosmic love story.”

The Best Estonian Genre Film award went to Jaak Kilmi’s The Shadow, a historical thriller where poet Juhan Liiv investigates a string of 1894 murders. The student jury praised its masterful acting and mystical atmosphere.

The award for Best Estonian Genre Short went to Come Sit With Us by Elis Rumma, a Baltic Film, Media and Arts School student film based on a story by Piret Raud. The jury commended its emotional depth and sharp execution.

As HÕFF celebrates two decades, its 2025 edition solidifies its position as a vital hub for genre cinema in Northern Europe.