VHS 2025 Golden Tape Awards
presented by steel and oak
Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival is a Canada Screen Award Qualifying festival, which had the honour of presenting 29 awards for feature length and short film and screenplays, and an additional four special category awards.
Hosted by VHS directors Meghan Hemingway and David Taylor, with opening remarks by BC Film Commissioner Marnie Gee, the 2025 Golden Tapes celebrated achievement in indie horror film, and shone a light on the incredible films, filmmakers, and creatives that made VHS 2025 the amazing season that it was.
BC Film Commissioner Marnie Gee providing an opening address at the Golden Tapes
Hosts David Taylor and Meghan Hemingway
Kirk Cooper accepting the award for Best Editing on behalf of the team at Deathgasm II.
Lindsay George of ICG Local 669 presenting the Golden Tape for Best Cinematography to Kaz PS for “A Good Death”
Rich Walters, Julia Niendorf & Kelsy Wittmann presenting awards on behalf of tthe Vancouver Post Alliance.
Robyn Wiener of DGC BC presenting the award for Best BC Director to Gigi Saul Guererro
Filmmakers Chris Paicely and Miles August accepting the award for "Best Lead Performance
Jason Lee presenting awards on behalf of the CMPA
Stefania Indelicatto presenting awards on behalf of UBCP/ACTRA
Corey Liu from WGC presenting Golden Tape awards for Best Writing, Best Twist, and Best Screenplay.
Creative BC Vice-Presendent Bob Wong presenting the RIsing Star Award to Ana Maria Safai
Pantah Mosleh winning the Golden Tape for Best Short Screenplay.
Sarah Kathryn Young, Arianna McGregor, and Maria Cruz presenting the award for Best Scare, dedicated to the late Kel Salerno.
Feature Film Winners
Best film
portal to hell
best director
portal to hell
rising star award
Ava Maria Safai
”foreigner”
best writing
mother of flies
best supporting performance
”keith david”
portal to hell
best editing
DEATHGASM II
best practical effects
devour
best lead performance
”trey Holland”
portal to hell
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
DEATHGASM II
best editing
best ensemble cast
best visual FX
devour
Short Film Winners
Best film
”SPOOL”
best director
mike manning
”Spool”
Best cinematography
”a good death”
best writing
”SPOOL”
best bc film
”pariah”
Best sound
”in the shadows”
Best twist
”pariah”
Best editing
”video barn”
Best scare
”magai-gami”
most diabolical film
”a good death”
best bc director
gigi saul guerrero
Best ensemble cast
”endzgiving”
Best visual fx
”magai-gami”
blair witch award
”we live in the dark”
best horror comedy
”ouija go out with me?”
Best support
Campbell Symes
”Prime”
Best animated film
”inkwo”
Best lead
shawn roundtree jr.
”The girl in the street”
Best practical effects
”monster medicine”
horror is queer award
”inkwo”
screenplay winners
feature
WINNER
The Daguerreotypist by Camaray Davalos
FINALISTS
The Emergence of Carlyle by Anne-Marie Maidan
SEMI-FINALISTS
Gold, Guns, and Werewolves by Aaran Crawley
Red Jack by David SR Nichols
Acting Guardian by Laura Anne Harris
Bitchlorette by Randi Krasny
Iniquitous by N'cee van Heerden
QUARTER FINALISTS
Whitechapel Revisited by Ryan Matthew Andrews
Precursor by Steve Brown
Necrotica by Wesley Steven Drent
The Pack by Jonathan Fear
Drain by Matthew Kollar, Kazimiera Szyperski
Pick up Your Toys by Kimberly Lawton
I Burn for You by Lissa Neptuno
The BC Night Train by Sean O'Neil
Take 7 by Scott Parisien, Vishal Rajput
The Devil’s Covenant by Neeraj Anilkumar Rajani
Respirar by August Joaquim Soto
Athena by Sabrina Wheeler, Serena Wheeler
Short
WINNER
Red Veil by Panta Mosleh
FINALISTS
Kenny, Camera! by Michael Clifton
The Bonding by Vincente DiSanti
SEMI-FINALISTS
Baby Girl Voice by Aaran Crawley
High Rise by Jerry D. Ochoa
Classification: Human by Henry Michael Moore
The Sparrow and The Wolves by Panta Mosleh
QUARTER FINALISTS
Submission by Stephen F. Capone Jr.
Summer’s End by Michael DiSalvo
Just For Fun: A Horror Lover’s Fanzine by Susan Eilieen Jizba
Final Draft by Henry Michael Moore
I Burn for You by Lissa Neptuno
Head (less) by Jenny Popovich
Night Feeding by Sarah K Reimers
Saviour by Grant Richard
I.A.M. by Vanessa Sant’anna
The Prism by Philip Shanahan
Semi-Basement 57 -by Ho-seung Son, Ri Yang
Binding Covenants by Eddie Clay Thompson
