Release: Golden Scythe Horror Awards Announce 2026 Winners, Nominations

Calgary, AB (February 22, 2026) – On February 22nd, the winners were announced for the 4th Annual Golden Scythe Horror Awards via the ceremony’s official website and social media profiles.

Drew Hancock’s science-fiction horror original “Companion” and Zach Cregger’s horror-thriller “Weapons” tied for the most wins, each earning a total of five awards. “Companion” star Sophie Thatcher won the award for “Best Actress in a Leading Role” for her performance as Iris in the film “Companion” also earned the awards for “Best Supporting Actor” (Jack Quaid), “Best Original Score” (Hrishikesh Hirway), “Best Editing” (Brett W. Bachman & Josh Ethier), and “Best Title Sequence.”

The 4th Annual Awards

“Weapons” took home the awards for “Best Original Screenplay” (Zach Cregger), “Best Cinematography” (Larkin Sieple), “Best Poster,” “Best Horror Movie Moment” (Gladys in Control), and “Best Marketing Campaign.” Danny and Michael Philippou’s “Bring Her Back” took home the biggest award of the ceremony — “Best Picture,” along with “Best Supporting Actress” (Sora Wong), “Best International Film”(Australia), “Best Use of Practical Effects,” and “Best Trailer.”

Presenters for this year’s ceremony: Emily Bennett (“Shelby Oaks,” “The Mortuary Assistant”), Maggie Levin (“V/H/S/99,” “The Black Phone”), Audrey Lynn-Marie (“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” “Merv”), and Miriam Spumpkin (“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” “Time for Sunset”).

You can see the full list of awards below, along with a list of every nominated film and how many awards that each respective film received.

Best Picture

• “Bring Her Back” – WINNER
• “Black Phone 2”
• “Clown in a Cornfield”
• “Companion”
• “Final Destination: Bloodlines”
• “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”
• “The Long Walk”
• “Shelby Oaks”
• “Sinners”
• “Weapons”

Best Director

• Ryan Coogler, “Sinners” – WINNER
• Drew Hancock, “Companion”
• Danny & Michael Philippou, “Bring Her Back”
• Chris Stuckmann, “Shelby Oaks”
• Emma Tammi, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”

Best Actor in a Leading Role:

• Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners” – WINNER
• Dave Franco, “Together”
• Cooper Hoffman, “The Long Walk”
• David Jonsson, “The Long Walk”
• Mason Thames, “Black Phone 2”

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

• Sophie Thatcher, “Companion” – WINNER
• Katie Douglas, “Clown in a Cornfield”
• Julia Garner, “Weapons”
• Sally Hawkins, “Bring Her Back”
• Madeleine McGraw, “Black Phone 2”

Best Supporting Actor:

• Jack Quaid, “Companion” – WINNER
• Ethan Hawke, Black Phone 2
• Carson MacCormac, “Clown in a Cornfield”
• Jonah Wren Philips, “Bring Her Back”
• Tony Todd, “Final Destination: Bloodlines”

Best Supporting Actress:

• Sora Wong, “Bring Her Back” – WINNER
• Brec Bassinger, “Final Destination: Bloodlines”
• Sarah Durn, “Shelby Oaks”
• Mckenna Grace, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”
• Mia Tomlinson, “The Conjuring: Last Rites”

Best Original Screenplay:

• “Weapons,” Zach Cregger – WINNER
• “Bring Her Back,” Bill Hinzman & Danny Philippou
• “Companion,” Drew Hancock
• “Dangerous Animals,” Nick Lepard
• “Together,” Michael Shanks

Best Adapted Screenplay:

• “The Long Walk,” JT Mollner – WINNER
• “Black Phone 2,” C. Robert Cargill & Scott Derrickson
• “Clown in a Cornfield,” Carter Blanchard & Eli Craig
• “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” Guy Busick & Lori Evans Taylor
• “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” Scott Cawthon

Best International Film

• “Bring Her Back,” Australia – WINNER
• “Dangerous Animals,” Australia
• “Exit 8,” Japan
• “Noise,” South Korea
• “The Ugly Stepsister,” Denmark

Best Original Score:

• “Companion,” Hrishikesh Hirway – WINNER
• “Black Phone 2,” Atticus Derrickson
• “Bring Her Back,” Cornel Wilczek
• “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” The Newton Brothers
• “Shelby Oaks,” James Burkholder & The Newton Brothers

Best Sound Design:

• “The Long Walk” – WINNER
• “Black Phone 2”
• “Final Destination: Bloodlines”
• “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”
• “Wolf Man”

Best Production Design:

• “Black Phone 2” – WINNER
• “Clown in a Cornfield”
• “Companion”
• “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”
• “Night of the Reaper”

Best Cinematography:

• “Weapons,” Larkin Seiple – WINNER
• “Black Phone 2,” Par M. Ekberg
• “Bring Her Back,” Aaron McLisky
• “Good Boy,” Wade Grebnoel & Ben Leonberg
• “Shelby Oaks,” Andrew Scott Baird

Best Makeup & Hairstyling:

• “The Ugly Stepsister” – WINNER
• “Bring Her Back”
• “Companion”
• “Keeper”
• “Together”

Best Costume Design:

• “Black Phone 2” – WINNER
• “Clown in a Cornfield”
• “Companion”
• “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”
• “V/H/S/Halloween”

Best Editing:

• “Companion,” Brett W. Bachman & Josh Ethier – WINNER
• “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” Sabrina Pitre
• “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” Timothy Alverson & Derek Larsen
• “The Long Walk,” Mark Yoshikawa
• “Shelby Oaks,” Brett W. Bachman & Patrick Lawrence

Best Use of Visual Effects:

• “Together” – WINNER
• “The Conjuring: Last Rites”
• “Dangerous Animals”
• “V/H/S/Halloween”
• “Wolf Man”

Best Use of Practical Effects:

• “Bring Her Back” – WINNER
• “Clown in a Cornfield”
• “Companion”
• “Final Destination: Bloodlines”
• “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”

Best Poster:

• “Weapons” – WINNER
• “Black Phone 2”
• “Bring Her Back”
• “The Conjuring: Last Rites”
• “Fear Street: Prom Queen”
• “Final Destination: Bloodlines”
• “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”
• “Good Boy”
• “Shelby Oaks”
• “Until Dawn”

Best Trailer:

• “Bring Her Back” – WINNER
• “28 Years Later”
• “Final Destination: Bloodlines”
• “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”
• “I Know What You Did Last Summer”
• “Keeper”
• “The Long Walk”
• “The Monkey”
• “Shelby Oaks”
• “Sinners”

Best Horror Movie Moment:

• “Weapons,” Gladys in Control – WINNER
• “Black Phone 2,” Gwen in the Phone Booth
• “Bring Her Back,” Kitchen Scene
• “Clown in a Cornfield,” Frendos Attack
• “Companion,” Iris Takes Back Control
• “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” Premonition
• “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” Opening Scene
• “The Long Walk,” Ending
• “Night of the Reaper,” Twist Reveal
• “Shelby Oaks,” Prison Scene

Best Kill:

• “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” Erik – WINNER
• “Bring Her Back,” Andy & Wendy
• “Clown in a Cornfield,” Matt
• “Companion,” Josh
• “Weapons,” Gladys

Best Slasher:

• “Clown in a Cornfield” – WINNER
• “Fear Street: Prom Queen”
• “I Know What You Did Last Summer”
• “Night of the Reaper”
• “Silent Night, Deadly Night”

Best Title Sequence:

• “Companion” – WINNER
• “Black Phone 2”
• “Final Destination: Bloodlines”
• “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”
• “Weapons”

Best Remake or Sequel:

• “Final Destination: Bloodlines” – WINNER
• “Black Phone 2”
• “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”
• Silent Night, Deadly Night”
• “Wolf Man”

Best Marketing Campaign:

• “Weapons” – WINNER
• “Bring Her Back”
• “Final Destination: Bloodlines”
• “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”
• “The Long Walk”

Number of nominations and wins by film:

• “28 Years Later” – 1 nomination, 0 wins
• “Black Phone 2” – 14 nominations, 2 wins
• “Bring Her Back” – 16 nominations, 4 wins
• “Clown in a Cornfield” – 10 nominations, 1 win
• “Companion” – 14 nominations, 5 wins
• “The Conjuring: Last Rites” – 3 nominations, 0 wins
• “Dangerous Animals” – 3 nominations, 0 wins
• “Exit 8” – 1 nomination, 0 wins
• “Fear Street: Prom Queen” – 2 nominations, 0 wins
• “Final Destination Bloodlines” – 14 nominations, 2 wins
• “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” – 16 nominations, 0 wins
• “Good Boy” – 2 nominations, 0 wins
• “I Know What You Did Last Summer” – 2 nominations, 0 wins
• “Keeper” – 2 nominations, 0 wins
• “The Long Walk” – 9 nominations, 2 wins
• “The Monkey” – 1 nomination, 0 wins
• “Night of the Reaper” – 3 nominations, 0 wins
• “Noise” – 1 nomination, 0 wins
• “Shelby Oaks” – 9 nominations, 0 wins
• “Silent Night, Deadly Night” – 2 nominations, 0 wins
• “Sinners” – 4 nominations, 2 wins
• “Together” – 4 nominations, 1 win
• “The Ugly Stepsister” – 2 nominations, 1 win
• “Until Dawn” – 1 nominations, 0 wins
• “V/H/S/Halloween” – 2 nominations, 0 wins
• “Weapons” – 9 nominations, 5 wins
• “Wolf Man” – 3 nominations

This press release/awards list has been published with permission from the Golden Scythe Horror Awards. For more information about the Golden Scythe Horror Awards, you can visit their official website or follow them on Instagram.