Festival dossier

Dead Walk Fest

United States · Est. 2024 · Multiple structural red flags — exercise caution before submitting

WarningWatchlist
United States
23
Legitimacy Score

Overview

Dead Walk Fest is an underground horror film festival in Grove, Illinois, that emphasizes shot-on-video productions, exploitation films, microbudget cinema, and physical media culture. It is notable for its retro, collector-focused programming and events like a VHS swap meet and horror marketplace, which give it a niche role in the independent horror circuit.[1]

This overview may contradict our structured venue and screening data. Prefer the Legitimacy Analysis section and structured fields below for social posts or citations.

Last updated Aug 27, 2026

Legitimacy Analysis

Positive Indicators (+2 pts)

  • 1 verified pro signal

Red Flags (-29 pts)

  • No physical screenings
  • 2 documented risk signals
  • On watchlist — negative reputation signals detected

Trust Signals

Risk Flags

  • VERY_NEW
  • Description contradicts structured venue/screening data

Positive Signals

  • FF_GOLD_BADGE

Festival Details

Founded

2024

Visit Festival Website

Related Festivals in United States

Research

Live web research is off to control API cost. This shows cached scheduled research when available, plus analysis from our database.

Hard research (cheap model + thorough prompt) runs on a cron for suspicious festivals; a biweekly job refreshes others. No live API calls from the site.

At a glance

Legitimacy Score23/100
TierWarning
Reviews0
Community Reports0

How scoring works

Scores are calculated from structural indicators: accreditations, physical screenings, award category count, submission frequency, and acceptance rate. Higher scores reflect more verifiable legitimacy signals.

Filmmaker reviews

No community reviews yet. If you submitted here, your experience helps others avoid award mills.

Report a problem with this festival

Get Alerts

Get notified when Dead Walk Fest's tier changes or new reports are filed.

Compare Dead Walk Fest with another festival →