In a month typically reserved for ghosts and ghouls, New York horror star Kris Prihodova has carved out her own reign of terror, dominating the scare season with an impressive trio of film premieres in October 2025. The Czech-born actress has quickly become a formidable presence in the genre, and her recent festival sweep shows she may be one of modern horror’s most exciting new indie scream queens.
The chilling marathon kicked off on October 13th with the premiere of “Anya,” a psychological thriller that screened at the prestigious NY Shorts International Film Festival. Just two days later, on October 15th, her film “Vlogcam” captivated audiences at the Downtown Film Festival in Manhattan. The grand finale came on Halloween night itself, October 31st, as “Nightmare Knocking” made its debut at the AMT Film Festival, ensuring Prihodova’s presence was felt throughout the entirety of the spooky season.
For Prihodova, October is more than just a month on the calendar; it’s an event. “October is the best month to release horror films because people cannot wait to be scared,” she explains. “There is something about that time of the year, when days are shorter, air is colder and everyone wants to cuddle up in a blanket and watch a movie.”
She believes the audience’s mindset is key to a horror film’s success during this period. “From my experience, audiences are much more emotionally open to fear in October. They want to feel that adrenaline, to jump in their seats, to scream and then laugh right after. It becomes a shared, exciting experience rather than just watching a film.”
This thrilling October was the culmination of a whirlwind two years for the actress. A graduate of the New York Film Academy with a surprising background in chemistry from Masarykova Univerzita, Prihodova has built a formidable resume in a short time. Her recent credits include the zombie horror “The Outbreak” (2024), the slasher “Hoodie” (2024), which was later renamed to the premiere title “Nightmare Knocking,” and the found-footage horror “Vlogcam” (2025). Her first feature, “The Devil” (2023), filmed in a remote cabin in her native Czechia, is still navigating the lengthy post-production process.
“Finishing movies can take really long sometimes and we actors are of course impatient to see the final result,” Prihodova admits, adding with a laugh, “‘The Outbreak’ was a zombie horror and I actually survived that one, which I’m very happy about. I got killed by the rest of them.”
Onto her next project, Prihodova recently wrapped filming on a new slasher, “Krazy Klowny,” (its TBA title), which utilized the historic and atmospheric Amsterdam Castle in Amsterdam, NY, as its backdrop. She describes a chilling plot centered on a children’s party clown whose deep loneliness and frustration, fueled by relentless bullying, boil over into a brutal, axe-wielding rampage against his former clients.
Filming in the castle provided an unforgettable layer of authenticity. “The space itself already has this mysterious energy which added something extra to the filming,” she recalls. “The sequence takes place during a large mansion party; we had around twenty background actors, and even a huge cake that became a centerpiece of the scene. The setting itself added so much character to the story.”
Beyond the jump scares and bloody rampages, Prihodova is drawn to horror that delves into the human psyche. Her film “Anya,” which portrays a woman struggling with schizophrenia, is a project she feels is particularly important. She is a passionate advocate for bringing mental health conversations into the spotlight.
“Mental health is a topic which should be always around,” she states. “The conversation comes in waves and people often forget to be more empathetic.. The reality is, you never know who is going through a tough time around you and kindness is something that costs you nothing but can make people’s lives much easier.”
Prihodova revealed her own connection to the subject, explaining: “I wrote a script about a girl who struggles with OCD, because I myself do have this disorder and wanted to write something that explores more authentic angles about this topic.”
When asked if she considers herself a “scream queen,” which is the slang term for a horror film actress (who often dies in the movies), her answer is immediate and confident: “True. I definitely consider myself a bit of a scream queen at this point.”
For her, the title is a badge of honor, as horror is a mainstay in the film market. “Horror has become one of my favorite genres to work in, mostly because it allows you to explore so many different sides of yourself as an actor,” she says.
“You can go from being vulnerable and terrified to powerful and unhinged, all within a single film,” said Prihodova. “If you do not get killed in the beginning, that is.”
She also geeks out over the technical craft, praising the special effects that make the terror tangible. “Whether it’s fake blood, prosthetics, or a complex stunt sequence, those elements make filming such a fun and unpredictable experience.”
Prihodova finds a unique sense of empowerment in these often-intense roles. She sees the genre as a space where female characters can transcend traditional limitations.
“Acting in horror films is actually very empowering as a woman,” she said. “In horror, female characters are rarely static; they fight, they survive, they face their deepest fears, and often they’re the ones who carry the emotional core of the story. That journey, from vulnerability to strength, can be incredibly powerful to play.”
With an award-winning turn in “Anya,” multiple projects in post-production including “Drug Of Choice,” and a thriller she directed herself titled “Her” on the horizon, Prihodova’s triple-premiere October shows the piqued interest in the horror genre, which will continue throughout the year.
The best part of starring in horror films? Rather than staying poised and controlled, as she did walking down the runway as a model for Vera Wang during fashion weeks years ago, Prihodova loves the unhinged quality of playing in horror films. “For me, horror allows women to break free from being ‘perfect’ or ‘controlled,’ I can be messy, terrified, furious, or completely unhinged,” she said. “There’s a lot of freedom in that.”
