By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The team behind Fantastic Fest has unveiled the extensive lineup of genre features screening at its 20th-anniversary edition, which takes place at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, TX September 18-25. A slew of much-anticipated features will be showing, including 45 world premieres, as well as restorations of numerous classic movies. There will be parties, an awards ceremony, a Fantastic Pitches initiative for filmmakers and other events as well, including a 20th-anniversary celebration of MASTERS OF HORROR with Mick Garris, Don Coscarelli and Ernest Dickerson.
“Fantastic Fest is turning 20, and we’re turning the fest into an eight-day celebration of cinematic excellence and excess,” says Festival Director Lisa Dreyer. “We’re bringing our audience an unprecedented number of world premieres this year, from highly anticipated titles to brand new discoveries, and supporting independent filmmakers even further with an exciting new pitch competition. The fest has grown immensely over the years, and we are proud to find new impactful ways to champion genre cinema and bring our audience the best of the best.”
“We’re excited to celebrate 20 years of Fantastic Fest at Alamo Drafthouse,” says Drafthouse CEO Michael Kustermann. “Fantastic Fest was created by Alamo Drafthouse Cinema to celebrate genre and horror films. We’re thrilled that these films continue to perform well at the box office and are honored to be the launchpad for our studio partners and independent filmmakers.”
For further information, hit up Fantastic Fest’s official website. The film lineup is:
13 DAYS TILL SUMMER
Poland, 2025
International Premiere, 80 min.
Director: Bartosz M. Kowalski
Two siblings and their friends fight for survival when a masked killer breaks into their home, intent on hunting them down one by one.
ANGEL’S EGG
Japan, 1985
U.S. Premiere of 4K Restoration, 73 min.
Director: Mamoru Oshii
The 4K restoration of Mamoru Oshii and Yoshitaka Amano’s masterpiece, ANGEL’S EGG, lands on our screens for its U.S. premiere four decades after its initial release.
APPOFENIACS
U.S., 2025
North American Premiere, 88 min.
Director: Chris Marrs Piliero
The use of AI technology reaches its most violent and bloody conclusion after a series of deepfake videos are unleashed into the world.
BAD HAIRCUT
U.S., 2025
World Premiere, 110 min.
Director: Kyle Misak
On what will become the strangest night of his life, Billy’s new haircut escalates into a fight for survival as the eccentric behavior of his local barber, Mick, slowly gives way to reveal a deeply troubled mind.
BEAST OF WAR (pictured above)
Australia, 2025
North American Premiere, 87 min.
Director: Kiah Roache-Turner
Australia, WWII. After escaping their sinking ship, a group of Aussie soldiers left adrift on a life raft find themselves hunted by a relentless, deadly great white shark.
BEFORE THE FALL
Spain, 2008
World Premiere of Chroma’s 4K Restoration, 93 min.
Director: F. Javier Gutierrez
A 4K restoration of BEFORE THE FALL, the previously hard-to-find seminal work from Fantastic Fest alumnus F. Javier Gutiérrez, is an apocalyptic sci-fi horror that will scare you for at least tres días.
BLACK PHONE 2
Canada, 2025
World Premiere, 114 min.
Director: Scott Derrickson
Four years ago, Finn killed his abductor and escaped, becoming the sole survivor of the Grabber. But true evil transcends death… As Gwen begins to receive calls in her dreams from the black phone and experience disturbing visions, her determination to solve the mystery will lead her and Finn to a snowed-in winter camp and a shattering discovery about the Grabber and their own family’s history.
BODY BLOW
Australia, 2025
World Premiere, 99 min.
Director: Dean Francis
An undercover cop finds his commitment to the force tested when he falls for a young twink deep in debt to a vicious drug lord in this kinky neon-noir.
BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR
U.S., 1990
World Premiere of 4K Restoration, 96 min.
Director: Brian Yuzna
Dr. Herbert West’s existential crisis…err…quest to create life continues in this cult classic, lovingly restored in 4K, as he and fellow doctor turned mad scientist Dan Cain attempt to create the perfect woman.
BULK
U.K., 2025
North American Premiere, 92 min.
Director: Ben Wheatley
Ben Wheatley is back with a truly unique and genre-bending film that will take you through a kaleidoscopic lo-fi sci-fi fever dream.
CAMP
Canada, 2025
World Premiere, 111 min.
Director: Avalon Fast
Emily takes a job as a counselor at a summer camp and finds a coven of witches ready to show her a path to healing.
CHOCOLATE (Presented by AGFA)
Thailand, 2008
35mm Screening, 110 min.
Director: Prachya Pinkaew
AGFA presents a 35mm screening of the 21st-century Thai martial arts classic.
CINEMA RECOMPOSED: YEAR ONE: The Work of Max Fleischer
World Premiere Special Event, 75 min.
Composers: Alana Reale, Eloise NG, Fiona Gerhke, Iggy Rosado, Kevin Leysath II, Riya Kumar, & Somesh Yatham
Seven composers between the ages of 17 and 24 compose new scores for silent classics under the mentorship of some of the industry’s top professionals.
COYOTES
U.S., 2025
World Premiere, 91 min.
Director: Colin Minihan
A kinetic thriller with teeth led by real-life partners Justin Long and Kate Bosworth.
THE CRAMPS: A PERIOD PIECE
U.S., 2025
World Premiere, 89 min.
Director: Brooke H. Cellars
A vibrant collision of horror, comedy, and aching personal truth as seen through the eyes of a young woman dealing with the pain of her menstrual cramps.
CRAZY OLD LADY
Argentina, Spain, 2025
World Premiere, 94 min.
Director: Martín Mauregui
A man is held captive by his ex-girlfriend’s senile mother, who mistakes him for her husband from the time of the Argentine dictatorship after forgetting to take her medication.
THE CREEP TAPES Season 2 (Two Episodes)
U.S., 2025
World Premiere
Director: Patrick Brice
Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice, writers and executive producers of the fan favorite CREEP franchise, are back for an exclusive first look at two episodes from the series’ highly anticipated second season, which will continue to unravel the mind of this secluded serial killer (Duplass) who lures videographers into his world with the promise of a paid job documenting his life. Unfortunately, as the tape rolls, the killer’s questionable intentions surface with his increasingly odd behavior and the victims will learn they may have made a deadly mistake.
CRUEL JAWS (Presented by AGFA)
Italy, 1995
Texas Premiere of Restoration, 93 min.
Director: Bruno Mattei
AGFA presents Severin Film’s brand-new restoration of Bruno Mattei’s frenetic Italian ripoff of the original sharktastic classic.
CRUSHED
U.K., 2025
North American Premiere, 101 min.
Director: Simon Rumley
A family is suddenly thrust into an unimaginable nightmare when their young daughter is kidnapped. As they relentlessly search for her, they uncover a dark underbelly of society that will shake them to their core.
THE CURSE
Japan, Taiwan, 2025
World Premiere, 94 min.
Director: Kenichi Ugana
A Japanese girl, Riko, travels to Taiwan to track down the motive behind a friend’s bizarre death, which seems linked to strange social media posts in this violent curse movie.
DAWNING
Norway, 2025
World Premiere, 109 min.
Director: Patrik Syversen
Norwegian director Patrik Syversen weaves an unsettling, genre-bending tale of terror set deep in the isolated Nordic wilderness.
DEATHGASM 2: GOREMAGEDDON
New Zealand, Canada, 2025
World Premiere, 102 min.
Director: Jason Lei Howden
DEATHGASM is fucking back, baby, and the only way Brodie can win the Battle of the Bands is to bring his band back from the dead. This time the fiery furnaces of Satan’s anus have brought forth nothing short of a GOREMAGEDDON.
DEATHSTALKER
Canada, 2025
North American Premiere, 99 min.
Director: Steven Kostanski
When a ruthless warrior named Deathstalker steals a mysterious amulet from a dying man, he’s unwillingly thrust into a quest to stop the dark sorcerer Necromemnon and save the world from destruction.
DECORADO
Spain, 2025
World Premiere, 95 min.
Director: Alberto Vázquez
The team behind UNICORN WARS returns with the feature-length adaptation of Alberto Vázquez’s DECORADO for a darkly comic reflection on the artifices ruling our lives.
DILDO HEAVEN
U.S., 2002
World Premiere of Restoration, 79 min.
Director: Doris Wishman
Three young roommates, Lisa, Beth, and Tess, share the same goal of hooking up with their respective male bosses in this unreleased—and newly preserved—final film from the legendary “Queen of Sexploitation,” Doris Wishman.
DINNER TO DIE FOR (Burnt Ends Selection)
South Africa, 2025
World Premiere, 75 min.
Director: Diana Mills Smith
Diana Mills Smith goes off-menu for her first feature. A sexy culinary horror meets true crime fantasy role-play that will leave you licking your lips.
DISFORIA
Spain, 2025
World Premiere, 82 min.
Director: Christopher Cartagena
Live-streamed games of torture on the dark web collide with a desperate mother’s fight for survival.
DOLLY
U.S., 2025
World Premiere, 84 min
Director: Rod Blackhurst
A young woman, Macy, fights for survival after being abducted by a deranged, monster-like figure who wants to raise Macy as their child. A daring blend of New French Extremity and 1970s American horror.
DON’T LEAVE THE KIDS ALONE
Mèxico, 2025
U.S. Premiere, 97 min.
Director: Emilio Portes
Brothers Matías and Emiliano are left to their own devices in their new family home–what starts off as an exciting adventure quickly gives way to the existing fraternal tension and turns into a nightmare in this chilling psychological horror.
DRACULA
Romania, 2025
North American Premiere, 170 min.
Director: Radu Jude
Radu Jude, arguably Romania’s greatest living filmmaker, sinks his teeth into redefining Dracula for a new generation. In 14 chapters and over the course of three hours, Jude holds nothing back, especially genitalia.
EMBALMER (Presented by AGFA)
U.S., 1996
World Premiere of Preservation, 83 min.
Director: S. Torriano Berry
AGFA presents a new preservation of the essential ’90s horror gem with director S. Torriano Berry in person.
THE EVIL THAT BINDS US
Chile, Mexico, 2025
World Premiere, 97 min.
Director: Nico Postiglione
In 1950s rural Chile, 13-year-old Daniel is sent to live with his German relatives while his father is away on business–only to clash with their rigid ways and uncover a dark secret that ignites his fury.
FIND YOUR FRIENDS
U.S., Italy, 2025
U.S. Premiere, 93 min.
Director: Izabel Pakzad
A girls’ trip goes terribly wrong in this exciting first feature that’s part hangout film, part revenge thriller.
FOLIES MEURTRIÈRES (Presented by BLEEDING SKULL)
France, 1984
World Premiere, 49 min.
Director: Antoine Pellissier
Bleeding Skull presents a restoration of the dreamlike 1980s slasher from France.
THE FORBIDDEN CITY
Italy, 2025
U.S. Premiere, 138 min.
Director: Gabriele Mainetti
A martial artist, an Italian chef, a gangster, and about a hundred henchmen walk into a Chinese restaurant. Fighting ensues.
FREAKED
U.S., 1994
World Premiere of 4K Restoration, 80 min.
Directors: Tom Stern & Alex Winter
Show business collides with carnival magic when a vain megastar, his pal, and a bleeding-heart environmentalist are transformed into the latest attractions at a mad scientist’s freak show in Alex Winter and Tom Stern’s Gen X surrealist comic cavalcade.
FUCK MY SON!
U.S., 2025
U.S. Premiere, 96 min.
Director: Todd Rohal
Irreverent does not even begin to describe this X-rated adaptation of Johnny Ryan’s eponymous graphic novel. Kidnapped by a deranged old woman, a young mother looks for the least unpleasant way to save herself and her daughter.
HAUNTED HEIST
U.S., 2025
World Premiere, 87 min.
Director: Lil Rel Howery
Four dysfunctional ex-friends reunite at a shady Airbnb—only to learn one of them dragged the others there to help steal a hidden antique. Too bad the place is haunted by racist ghosts.
HER WILL BE DONE
France, Poland, 2025
North American Premiere, 99 min.
Director: Julia Kowalski
Nawojka has a secret. Well, two, if you count her confusing crush on the bad girl next door, but mostly it’s the inescapable, blood-craving curse she inherited from her mother.
HIDE AND GO SHRIEK
U.S., 1988
World Premiere of 4K Restoration, 90 min.
Director: Skip Schoolnik
A group of teens lock themselves inside a furniture store to party after graduation, unaware that a killer is lurking among the mannequins. As the lights go out, the night turns into a deadly game of hide-and-seek as they fight to survive.
THE HOLY BOY
Italy, Slovenia, 2025
International Premiere, 125 min.
Director: Paolo Strippoli
After the loss of his son, Sergio accepts a teaching position in a quiet Italian town—where he meets a boy with a mysterious ability to ease his grief.
HONEY BUNCH
Canada, 2025
U.S. Premiere, 113 min.
Directors: Madeleine Sims-Fewer & Dusty Mancinelli
Is your love strong enough? The filmmaking duo behind VIOLATION returns with a gauzy, fragmented throwback to ’70s psychodramas.
THE ICE TOWER
France, 2025
U.S. Premiere, 118 min.
Director: Lucile Hadžihalilović
A runaway orphan finds refuge within a surreal film set in Lucile Hadžihalilović’s haunting, dreamlike reimagining of THE SNOW QUEEN–a hypnotic tale of identity, obsession, and cinematic enchantment.
IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU
U.S., 2025
Texas Premiere, 113 min.
Writer-Director: Mary Bronstein
Cast: Rose Byrne, Conan O’Brien, Danielle Macdonald, with Christian Slater and A$AP Rocky
With her life crashing down around her, Linda (Rose Byrne) attempts to navigate her child’s mysterious illness, her absent husband, a missing person, and an increasingly hostile relationship with her therapist.
LUGER
Spain, 2025
World Premiere, 95 min.
Director: Bruno Martín
Two low-level fixers contend with an art collector, a greedy lawyer, a pack of Neo-Nazis, and a host of other shady characters when they end up in possession of a valuable German Luger in this bloody thriller.
LUNATIC: THE LUNA VACHON STORY
Canada, 2025
International Premiere, 105 min.
Director: Kate Kroll
Chaos reigns in this documentary exploring the life, mental health, and career of longtime fan-favorite wrestler Luna Vachon as she struggles to balance being a wife, mother, and pioneer of legitimate women’s wrestling.
MĀRAMA
New Zealand, 2025
U.S. Premiere, 89 min.
Director: Taratoa Stappard
A Dark Sky Films & Watermelon Pictures release
Mary, a young Māori woman, travels to Victorian England after receiving a letter promising information about her birth parents. As she peels back the layers of colonial deceit, Mary is driven to avenge her shattered ancestry.
MEAT KILLS
The Netherlands, 2025
World Premiere, 86 min.
Director: Martijn Smits
The night takes a dark turn when a group of activists break into a pig farm to free mistreated animals and find themselves face-to-face with an extremely angry farmer.
MOTHER OF FLIES
U.S., 2025
U.S. Premiere, 93 min.
Directors: Toby Poser, John Adams, & Zelda Adams
A young woman suffering from a life-threatening illness ventures deep into the woods to seek the help of a mystical healer offering an unconventional cure.
NESTING
Canada, Switzerland, 2025
International Premiere, 103 min.
Director: Chloé CINQ-MARS
A new mother is plagued by visions as her life spirals out of control.
NIGHT PATROL
U.S., 2025
World Premiere, 104 min.
Director: Ryan Prows
An LAPD officer assigned to his old neighborhood is drawn back into gang life after his brother witnesses a brutal murder linked to the city’s infamous gang task force.
NIGHT STAGE
Brazil, 2025
Texas Premiere, 117 min.
Directors: Marcio Reolon & Filipe Matzembacher
A young actor competes with his roommate and fellow actor for a coveted role while striking up a charged relationship with a closeted politician with a fetish for sex in public places.
OBSESSION
U.S., 2025
U.S. Premiere, 112 min.
Director: Curry Barker
A desperate wish for love goes terribly wrong in this horrific cautionary tale from Director Curry Barker.
PENANCE (Burnt Ends Selection)
U.S., 2025
World Premiere, 117 min.
Director: Nikolas Pelekai
A blood-soaked tale of brotherhood and retribution. Guaranteed to be the most fists flying in 2025.
THE PIANO ACCIDENT
France, 2025
North American Premiere, 88 min.
Director: Quentin Dupieux
A social media star hides out in a mountain chalet looking for respite when a call from a ruthless journalist drastically alters the course of her solitary getaway.
THE PLAGUE
Romania, U.S., 2025
North American Premiere, 95 min.
Director: Charlie Polinger
It’s survival of the fittest at a pre-teen summer water polo camp, where rigid hierarchies and social alienation give way to psychological torment in Charlie Polinger’s searing and masterful debut feature.
PRIMATE
U.S., 2025
World Premiere, 89 min.
Director: Johannes Roberts
A group of friends’ tropical vacation turns into a terrifying, primal tale of horror and survival.
REFLECTION IN A DEAD DIAMOND
Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, France, 2025
Texas Premiere, 87 min.
Directors: Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani
An aging superspy with a fading memory recounts his past life in this stylish blast of Euro hyper-pulp from masters Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani.
THE RESTORATION AT GRAYSON MANOR
Ireland, 2025
World Premiere, 90 min.
Director: Glenn McQuaid
After losing both hands in an accident, Boyd Grayson becomes the prime candidate for an experimental replacement procedure in this queer, campy, erotic horror.
ROAD TO VENDETTA
Hong Kong, Japan, 2025
World Premiere, 108 min.
Director: NJO Kui Ying
From the mean streets of Hong Kong to the nightclubs of Tokyo, a lone unnamed assassin tears a bloody swath through Asia’s neon-drenched underworld in this eye-catching debut from a noteworthy new voice in genre filmmaking.
SHELBY OAKS
U.S., 2025
U.S. Premiere, 91 min.
Director: Chris Stuckmann
A woman’s obsessive search for her missing sister leads her into a terrifying mystery at the hands of an unknown evil.
SHRINE OF ABOMINATIONS (Burnt Ends Selection)
U.S., 2025
World Premiere, 38 min.
Directors: Skinner & Ross Kennedy
A stop-motion cosmic horror from artists Skinner and Ross Kennedy.
SILENCIO
Spain, 2025
North American Premiere, 56 min.
Director: Eduardo Casanova
Generations of vampires face persecution, meditate on the nature of human disease, and fall in love in this stylish, century-spanning tale of blood.
SILVER SCREAMERS
Canada, 2025
World Premiere, 94 min.
Director: Sean Cisterna
When filmmaker Sean Cisterna discovers a subsidy to support senior activities, he rallies a group of retirement home residents to create a horror short film.
SIRÂT
France, Spain, 2025
U.S. Premiere, 115 min.
Director: Oliver Laxe
A father and his son journey to an illegal rave party south of Morocco, searching for his missing daughter. As they follow a group of ravers deeper into the desert, trouble begins to unfold.
SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE
Finland, U.S., 2025
World Premiere, 88 min.
Director: Jalmari Helander
A wall-to-wall cinematic action event, a sequel to the original sleeper hit SISU. Returning to the house where his family was brutally murdered during the war, “the man who refuses to die” (Jorma Tommila) dismantles it, loads it on a truck, and is determined to rebuild it somewhere safe in their honor. When the Red Army commander who killed his family (Stephen Lang from DON’T BREATHE) comes back hellbent on finishing the job, a relentless, eye-popping cross-country chase ensues: a fight to the death, full of clever, unbelievable action setpieces.
SKYLINE: WARPATH
U.K., France, Indonesia, 2025
World Premiere, 96 min.Director: Liam O’Donnell
Iko Uwais leads a group of humans in a fight against an extraterrestrial threat in the latest installment in the SKYLINE franchise, bringing Scott Adkins along for the no-holds-barred, action mega-brawl.
THE STRANGERS–CHAPTER 2
U.S., 2025
World Premiere, 98 min.
Director: Renny Harlin
The Strangers are back–more brutal and relentless than ever. When they learn that one of their victims, Maya (Madelaine Petsch), is still alive, they return to finish what they’ve started. With nowhere to run and no one to trust, Maya must survive another horrific chapter of terror as The Strangers–driven by a senseless, unceasing purpose–pursue her, more than willing to kill anyone who stands in their way.
THEATER IS DEAD (Burnt Ends Selection)
U.S., 2025
World Premiere, 88 min.
Director: Katherine Dudas
When a young would-be starlet lands the lead in a prestigious production, she quickly finds the dark side of the limelight. Who knew such a large intersection existed between theater kids and horror freaks?
TIE MAN (Burnt Ends Selection)
Canada, 2024
International Premiere, 99 min.
Director: Rémi Fréchette
The psychotronic vigilante revenge rollercoaster we have all been waiting to ride. If Frank Henenlotter and David Cronenberg remade ROBOCOP, they would only be edging on TIE MAN.
THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE
Portugal, France, 2025
World Premiere, 100 min.
Director: Eugène Green
Gaspard, a teenager from the suburbs of Lisbon, falls into the hands of the Ogre, a man who has made a pact with the Devil.
A USEFUL GHOST
Thailand, 2025
U.S. Premiere, 130 min.
Director: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
A luminous genre hybrid that blends supernatural fantasy with dark romantic comedy and heartfelt human drama.
V/H/S/HALLOWEEN
U.S., 2025
World Premiere, 115 min.
Directors: Bryan M. Ferguson, Casper Kelly, Micheline Pitt-Norman & R.H. Norman, Alex Ross Perry, Paco Plaza, Anna Zlokovic
A collection of Halloween-themed videotapes unleashes a series of twisted, blood-soaked tales, turning trick-or-treat into a struggle for survival.
VICIOUS
U.S., 2025
World Premiere, 103 min.
Director: Bryan Bertino
When Polly (Dakota Fanning) receives a mysterious Box from an unexpected late-night visitor, it comes with a simple instruction: place three things inside: something you need, something you hate, and something you love. What begins as a strange ritual quickly unravels into a waking nightmare. Trapped in a terrifying world where reality bends and memory betrays, Polly must navigate a series of impossible choices. As time slips away, she’s forced to confront the darkness not just around her, but within her—before it consumes everything and everyone she’s ever known.
THE VILE
UAE, U.S., 2025
World Premiere, 97 min.
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Amani, a devoted wife and mother, finds her life slowly unraveling when her husband returns home with a second wife—bringing with her an insidious darkness that begins to infiltrate every aspect of Amani’s existence.
WHEN WE WERE LIVE
U.S., 2025
World Premiere, 93 min.
Director: John Spottswood Moore
Austin, Texas is home to the oldest continuously operating public access TV station in the country, and this documentary celebrates the original creators who made the station such a vibrant, unique community.
WHISTLE
Canada, Ireland, 2025
World Premiere, 85 min.
Director: Corin Hardy
A misfit group of unwitting high school students stumble upon a cursed object, an ancient Aztec Death Whistle. They discover that blowing the whistle and the terrifying sound it emits will summon their future deaths to hunt them down. As the body count rises, the friends investigate the origins of the deadly artifact in a desperate effort to stop the horrifying chain of events that they have set in motion.
A WOMAN CALLED MOTHER
Indonesia, 2025
World Premiere, 119 min.
Director: Randolph Zaini
Vira and her family move to a new city for a fresh start after a difficult few years, but the demon following them will force them to confront their most primal fears.
