‘Backwood Madness’ wins Best Feature at the Spring 2026 Independent Horror Movie Awards, topping a strong field of international independent horror films.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Gmail
  • reddit
A crew of dedicated souls behind a film that pushes Finnish folklore into award-winning horror territory. Photograph: TONY ÖHBERG/FINLAND TODAY

Backwood Madness won Best Feature at the Independent Horror Movie Awards (IHMA) for Spring 2026.

The honor recognizes the Finnish folk horror as the top entry in IHMA’s international field of independent horror films in the season’s competition.

In the Best Feature category, Backwood Madness topped finalists including the dreamscape-horror Nightmares Unleashed 2: Joseph’s Revenge and the psychological-thriller Ocelli. Additional nominees included Red Flag, Wilderness Tapes and The Rules of the Game.

Beyond its main victory, Backwood Madness proved its strength across several specialized categories, securing co-winner titles for Best Special Effects, Best Original Concept, Best Monster, Best Kill and Best Gore. These shared victories reflect the festival’s unique format of honoring multiple projects that achieve top-tier excellence in specific horror traits.

Read also:  Film Review: 'Backwood Madness' Is a Groundbreaking Horror Fantasy Redefining Finnish Folklore

IHMA is a global competition focused on independent and underground horror filmmaking.

The awards are presented in three seasonal editions each year and recognize work across traditional film categories and genre-specific honors.

Author