Welcome to Halaloween: A Muslim Horror Film Festival 2024!

What is Halaloween? Halaloween screens horror films from across the globe that were made by, for, or about Muslims, to understand: “What scares Muslim audiences? Are horror movies halal?”

This year’s 2024 film festival will be in-person and online, screening one film a week for the first half of October and culminating in one in-person event with the Palestine Fiction Council on October 16 and two in-person screenings at the State Theatre on Thursday, October 24 and 31 at 7:30 PM.

The festival is free in person and online–but make sure to reserve tickets! Some films may not be available in certain countries. Films will be unlocked online each week of October, and viewers will have the week to watch each film.

We are inclusive of everyone's film needs: from new horror fans who close their eyes through most scary movies to those who love the gore–we've got films for everyone! Check the Halaloween Horror Rating in the description of each film for its scariness rating.

The 2024 Halaloween Lineup:

October 10: Short films | Palestine | Morocco | Jordan | Azerbaijan
October 16: Special Event: Jinn & Legends: Stories from Palestine^
October 17: Warda | 2014 | Egypt
October 24: In Flames | 2023 | Pakistan*
October 31: Three | 2024 | UAE*

^This will be an in-person event in Ann Arbor
* These screenings will be in person at the State Theatre

Reserve your tickets/seats: https://watch.eventive.org/halaloween

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THIS WEEK’S FEATURE: Muslim Horror Short Films from Palestine, Morocco, Jordan, and Azerbaijan

From Oct 10th to the 17th, stream four Muslim Horror shorts on demand at http://watch.eventive.org/halaloween. Pre-order the films anytime, and check out the rest of the month’s Halaloween Horror selection!

A Calling. From the Desert. To the Sea | 2022 | 17 mins | Jordan (Directed by: Murad Abu Eisheh)
Fearing that her younger sister will be married off just like she was, Ahlam lures Yasmin to run away with her by telling a story of a mythical sea that lies beyond the desolate desert and the mountains where they live. In search of this sea, the two sisters journey far from their home, predetermined fate, and secluded life with their father.
Halaloween Horror Rating: 1/5 | Rating explanation: Not very scary, but suspenseful. Includes a supernatural monster, patriarchy, and suggested child marriage.
Religious content: Muslim family, Islamic prayer scenes.


Beneath Her Lipstick | 2022 | 24 mins | Morocco (Directed by: Ahmed Messoudi)
In this horrifying Moroccan thriller, a young woman struggles to keep her marriage together as she is torn between her abusive, absent, and unfaithful husband and a mysterious, charming man.
Halaloween Horror Rating: 4/5 | Rating explanation: Very scary. Includes explicit domestic violence, patriarchy, revenge, and significant amounts of blood and gore with suggestions of cannibalism.
Religious content: The context is a Muslim-majority society, but the characters live an upper-class, mostly secular life.


Qaragh (Wake Up) | 2023 | 20 mins | Azerbaijan (Directed by: Suad Gara)
An ex-soldier suffering from PTSD visits his mother in his remote Azeri home village to find peace of mind. There, he participates in a mystical spring cleansing ritual set around a temple inside a 13th-century forest cemetery, where he encounters a mysterious little girl who brings him face-to-face with his inner demons, setting him on a different path.
Halaloween Horror Rating: 1/5 | Rating explanation: More darkly atmospheric than scary, but includes nudity, giving birth, violence involving a scary child, war, and soldiers.
Religious content: Prayer, Muslim rural community.


The Key | 2022 | 18 mins | Palestine (Directed by: Rakan Mayasi) — ONLY AVAILABLE TO WATCH IN US/CANADA
An Israeli family’s equilibrium gradually disintegrates as a mysterious sound is heard every evening at the door of their apartment.
Halaloween Horror Rating: 2/5 | Rating explanation: More creepy than terrifying. Includes haunting, ghosts, guns, children being afraid, violent adults, atmospheric political horror, and the Occupation of Palestine.
Religious content: Political focus; religion is implied rather than obvious.

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Halaloween: A Muslim Horror Film Festival is brought to you by the Global Islamic Studies Center at the University of Michigan and co-sponsored by the Middle East Studies Department, the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, the African Studies Center, American Culture, Arab and Muslim American Studies, the Center for South Asian Studies, the Digital Islamic Studies Center, Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, the International Institute, the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, the Department of Film, Television, and Media, the Institute for Research on Women & Gender, and the University of Michigan Library. This event is free and open to all. To watch the remaining Halaloween films, visit http://watch.eventive.org/halaloween.

For more events from the Global Islamic Studies Center at the University of Michigan, please visit ii.umich.edu/islamicstudies.

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If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact islamicstudies@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.