Chainsaw Awards 2026: Shudder Ceremony Unveils Presenter Lineup
The 2026 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards air Oct. 25 on Shudder with Devon Sawa hosting. "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" and "Dust Bunny" lead with nine nominations each.
Programme
- The 2026 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards air Oct. 25 at 9 p.m. ET on Shudder.
- Devon Sawa ("Final Destination," "Chucky") hosts the ceremony.
- "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" and "Dust Bunny" lead with nine nominations each; "Backrooms" has six.
- Presenters include Lin Shaye, Mink Stole, John Kassir, Tracie Thoms and Patrick Brice.
- The awards span 20 categories, including Best Kill, Best Creature FX and Best Video Game.
By Elena Vasquez
The 2026 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards will air on Oct. 25 at 9 p.m. ET on Shudder, and the genre outlet has revealed a presenter lineup stacked with horror veterans. Devon Sawa ("Final Destination," "Chucky") hosts the ceremony.
Fangoria announced the names exclusively. Lin Shaye ("Insidious"), Mink Stole ("Pink Flamingos"), John Kassir ("Tales from the Crypt"), Mick Garris ("Masters of Horror"), Peaches Christ, Felissa Rose ("Sleepaway Camp"), Kelli Maroney ("Night of the Comet"), Tracie Thoms ("Death Proof") and Patrick Brice ("Creep") will hand out awards during the broadcast.
The ceremony also includes appearances from makeup effects legend Rick Baker, Dee Wallace ("Cujo"), James A. Janisse of Dead Meat and Biqtch Puddin'. That adds up to more than a dozen named genre figures across the presenting roster.
Which films lead the nominations?
"28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" and "Dust Bunny" are tied for top honors with nine nominations each. "Backrooms" follows with six nods.
No other title comes close to the leaders' nine nods — a three-nomination gap separates the top pair from "Backrooms," the nearest challenger.
Who presents which award?
Fangoria published the full category-by-category presenter list:
- Best Costume Design — Spencer Williams and Kelli Maroney
- Best Creature FX — John Kassir
- Best Documentary Feature — Dr. Emily Zarka and Vander Von Odd
- Best International Movie — Aurora Perrineau
- Best Limited Release Movie — Krsy Fox and Adam Marcinowski (as Big Baby)
- Best Makeup FX — Darren Stein and Peaches Christ
- Best Non-Fiction Series — Isa Mazzei and Sarah Lind
- Best Score — Curtis Rx and Cerina Vincent
- Best Series — Julia Marchese and Teri Gamble
- Best Streaming Premiere Movie — Patrick Brice
- Best Supporting Performance — Tracie Thoms
- Best Video Game — Alanah Pearce
- Best Screenplay — Dr. Stephen Graham Jones
- Best Director — Mick Garris and William Malone
- Best Lead Performance — Mink Stole
- Best Wide Release Movie — Lin Shaye
- Best Kill — Tiffany Shepis and Felissa Rose
- Best First Feature — Chris Colfer
- Best Cinematography — Dylan Clark
- Editor's Eyeball — Phil Nobile Jr.
The list spans 20 categories, from conventional craft awards like cinematography and screenplay to signature horror honors such as Best Kill and Best Creature FX.
What does the lineup signal?
The presenter roster mixes eras and formats. Shaye anchors the "Insidious" franchise; Stole carries John Waters cult pedigree; Pearce represents games criticism; Janisse brings the Dead Meat YouTube audience. In short: Fangoria is programming the broadcast for horror fandom's full demographic spread, from 1970s midnight-movie loyalists to streaming-era viewers.
The winners will be revealed when the ceremony streams on Shudder on Oct. 25 at 9 p.m. ET.
Source: Variety Film
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Senior reporter covering technology and product news in arts in the broadest sense at Arts & Voices.
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