The Golden Scythe Horror Awards have officially announced the nominations for the 4th Annual Golden Scythe Horror Awards. Winners of the 2026 Golden Scythe Horror Awards will be revealed during the live-streamed event, which will be broadcast globally via the association’s official website homepage, on Sunday, February 22, 2026.
Danny & Michael Philippou’s “Bring Her Back” and Emma Tammi’s “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” led the Golden Scythe Horror Awards nominations with a total of 16 each. “Bring Her Back” was a box office success, grossing $39.1 million against a budget of $15 million. “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” the continuation of the storyline set up in the first film from 2023, has currently grossed $125.5 million against a budget of $36-51 million.
Supporting the Horror Genre
In addition, the stars of the films received nominations for their performances. “Bring Her Back” earned nominations for Sally Hawkins for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Jonah Wren Philips for Best Supporting Actor, and Sora Wong for Best Supporting Actress, respectively.
Meanwhile, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” star Mckenna Grace was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. The directors of each film also secured a Best Director nomination.
Sponsors of the awards include Ting, Namecheap, and Keysmart.
The Golden Scythe Horror Awards (GSHA) is an official awards ceremony created in order to shine a spotlight and to honor the very best that horror cinema has to offer on a yearly basis. We believe that horror is the most under-appreciated genre, albeit the genre with the most versatility.
Awards Event Feb. 22, 2026
Social media graphics for the nominees can be found HERE. Winners of the 2026 Golden Scythe Horror Awards will be revealed during the live-streamed event, which will be broadcast globally via the association’s official website homepage, on Sunday, February 22, 2026.
The full list of nominees for the 2026 Golden Scythe Horror Awards can be found below. (Note: film hyperlinks denote review by The Movie Buff staff).
Best Picture
- Black Phone 2
- Bring Her Back
- 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
- 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
- Dave Franco, Together
- Cooper Hoffman, The Long Walk
- David Jonsson, The Long Walk
- Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
- Mason Thames, Black Phone 2
Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Katie Douglas, Clown in a Cornfield
- Julia Garner, Weapons
- Sally Hawkins, Bring Her Back
- Madeleine McGraw, Black Phone 2
- Sophie Thatcher, Companion
Best Supporting Actor
- Ethan Hawke, Black Phone 2
- Carson MacCormac, Clown in a Cornfield
- Jonah Wren Philipps, Bring Her Back
- Jack Quaid, Companion
- Tony Todd, Final Destination Bloodlines
Best Supporting Actress
- Brec Bassinger, Final Destination Bloodlines
- Sarah Durn, Shelby Oaks
- Mckenna Grace, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
- Mia Tomlinson, The Conjuring: Last Rites
- Sora Wong, Bring Her Back
Best Original Screenplay
- Bring Her Back, Bill Hinzman & Danny Philippou
- Companion, Drew Hancock
- Dangerous Animals, Nick Lepard
- Together, Michael Shanks
- Weapons, Zach Cregger
Best Adapted Screenplay
- 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
- The Long Walk, JT Mollner
Best International Film
- Bring Her Back, Australia
- Dangerous Animals, Australia
- Exit 8, Japan
- Noise, South Korea
- The Ugly Stepsister, Denmark
Best Original Score
- Black Phone 2, Atticus Derrickson
- Bring Her Back, Cornel Wilczek
- Companion, Hrishikesh Hirway
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, The Newton Brothers
- Shelby Oaks, James Burkholder & The Newton Brothers
Best Sound Design
- Black Phone 2
- Final Destination Bloodlines
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
- The Long Walk
- Wolf Man
Best Production Design
- Black Phone 2
- Clown in a Cornfield
- Companion
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
- Night of the Reaper
Best Cinematography
- Black Phone 2, Par M. Ekberg
- Bring Her Back, Aaron McLisky
- Good Boy, Wade Grebnoel & Ben Leonberg
- Shelby Oaks, Andrew Scott Baird
- Weapons, Larkin Seiple
Best Makeup & Hairstyling
- Bring Her Back
- Companion
- Keeper
- Together
- The Ugly Stepsister
Best Costume Design
- Black Phone 2
- Clown in a Cornfield
- Companion
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
- V/H/S/Halloween
Best Editing
- Companion, Brett W. Bachman & Josh Ethier
- 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
- The Conjuring: Last Rites
- Dangerous Animals
- Together
- V/H/S/Halloween
- Wolf Man
Best Use of Practical Effects
- Bring Her Back
- Clown in a Cornfield
- Companion
- Final Destination Bloodlines
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
Best Poster
- 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
- Weapons
Best Trailer
- 28 Years Later
- Bring Her Back
- 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
- 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
- Weapons, Gladys In Control
Best Kill
- Bring Her Back, Andy & Wendy
- Clown in a Cornfield, Matt
- Companion, Josh
- Final Destination Bloodlines, Erik
- Weapons, Gladys
Best Slasher
- Clown in a Cornfield
- Fear Street: Prom Queen
- I Know What You Did Last Summer
- Night of the Reaper
- Silent Night, Deadly Night
Best Title Sequence
- Black Phone 2
- Companion
- Final Destination Bloodlines
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
- Weapons
Best Remake or Sequel
- Black Phone 2
- Final Destination Bloodlines
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
- Silent Night, Deadly Night
- Wolf Man
Best Marketing Campaign
- Bring Her Back
- Final Destination Bloodlines
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
- The Long Walk
- Weapons
Number of nominations by film:
- 28 Years Later – 1
- Black Phone 2 – 14
- Bring Her Back – 16
- Clown in a Cornfield – 10
- Companion – 14
- The Conjuring: Last Rites – 3
- Dangerous Animals – 3
- Exit 8 – 1
- Fear Street: Prom Queen – 2
- Final Destination Bloodlines – 14
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 – 16
- Good Boy – 2
- I Know What You Did Last Summer – 2
- Keeper – 2
- The Long Walk – 9
- The Monkey – 1
- Night of the Reaper – 3
- Noise – 1
- Shelby Oaks – 9
- Silent Night, Deadly Night – 2
- Sinners – 4
- Together – 4
- The Ugly Stepsister – 2
- Until Dawn – 1
- V/H/S Halloween – 2
- Weapons – 9
- Wolf Man – 3
Follow the 4th Annual Golden Scythe Horror Awards on Instagram @goldenscythehorrorawards and on Facebook: GoldenScytheHorrorAwards. Join the conversation by using #GoldenScytheHorrorAwards and #GSHA.
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