"La Casa Bruixa" wins the first prize at Torrerífico 2026, which received 173 short films in its ninth edition

The short film "La casa de la bruixa" (The Witch's House), by Toni O. Prats , has won first prize at the ninth edition of Torrerífico, the horror short film festival organized by the Torrevieja City Council's Youth Department, the University of Alicante's Torrevieja branch, and the youth leisure association La Comarca. The festival held its finalist screenings and awards ceremony last Saturday, October 24th, at the Virgen del Carmen Cultural Center.

This edition received 173 short films, of which 14 were selected for the final phase , and awarded a total of €1,700 in prizes . The session brought the public together for a program dedicated to horror cinema, with the opportunity to participate in choosing one of the winning films.

The jury's first prize, worth 1,000 euros , went to "La casa de la bruixa" (The Witch's House), which received 364.5 points . The story follows two girls preparing to enter the house of a mysterious woman they suspect has kidnapped several missing children.

The second prize, worth 500 euros , went to "The Recommended Person's Syndrome," by Juan Carlos Mostaza from Madrid , which scored 363 points . Just 1.5 points separated the top two finishers, reflecting the close competition. The short film features Ramón, a large man with claustrophobia who, after being given priority access to a medical test, must confront his fears inside an MRI machine, with only Sofía for company.

Meanwhile, "Bloody Olives," by Manuel Jesús Molina Caracuel and Miguel Mendiola Lozano , won the audience award, worth 200 euros , garnering 37 votes from those in attendance. Its story blends horror and humor through the character of Guille, a young man who travels to his girlfriend's village to meet her parents and celebrate her brother's birthday. The birthday boy's disappearance triggers a search in which the protagonist discovers his own life is in danger.

The awards ceremony was attended by the Councilor for Youth of the Torrevieja City Council, Domingo Paredes ; the director of the University's Torrevieja branch, Jesús Segarra ; and Rebeca Westerveld and Rubén Aniorte , members of the jury and of La Comarca.

One of the new features of this ninth edition was the award for best costume, which was received by Ignacio Miguel Campillo Martínez . In addition, attendees participated in a raffle that rounded out the day's activities.

The jury for Torrerífico 2026 was made up of Belén Cambronero Saiz, Luis Deltell Rodríguez, Patricia Palomares Sánchez, Rebeca Westerveld Fernández and Rubén Aniorte Rebollo .

Along with the three winning works, the following competed in the final phase: “Killergotchi”, by Carlos Cobos Aroca; “Amira”, by Javier Yáñez Sanz; “Onírica”, by Diego Alejandro Vivas; “Dripping”, by Verónica Ortega Berlanga; “Última salida”, by Egoitz Diaz Ibargoitia; “Necrosectos”, by Javier Lozano Sánchez; “No me asustes”, by Ángel Fernández González; “Tántibus”, by Ángel Manuel Pecci Sánchez; “Escape from ape mountain”, by Diego Corujo Barrios; “La descarnada”, by Mara Salvador Sánchez and Marc Simón Socías; and “The Boogeyman”, by Juan Francisco Peláez Toledo.