Austin, Texas, September 19–26th
Austin is often referred to as the live music capital of the world, but when it comes to genre film festivals, they have a valid claim to setting the bar with a fest housed at our very own South Lamar Alamo Drafthouse. Yep, Fantastic Fest is back, and they’re celebrating their fifteenth in style, with one of the best lineups in years.
They kick off with Taika Waititi’s WWII satire Jojo Rabbit, with the man himself in attendance. Also flying in is the filmmaking maestro and Fest fave Takashi Miike, who will be bringing his latest feature First Love and leaving with a lifetime achievement award. Fresh off taking home the Palme d’Or, Bong Joon-ho will be in attendance with his upcoming feature Parasite. Fantastic regulars Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson return with their latest trippy endeavor Synchronic, starring Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan, while Ant Timpson delivers his directorial debut Come to Daddy, starring local Austinite Elijah Wood. We also be seeing a collaboration between Richard Stanley (The Island of Dr. Moreau, Hardware) and Nicolas Cage in the Lovecraft tale The Color Out of Space.
As it does every year, Fantastic Fest has picked a culture to embrace for its theme, as well as to represent through its programming choices. This year it’s the turn of Mexico, showcasing a series of repertory titles programmed in association with Mexico City’s Mórbido Film Fest and a short series representing some of the young filmmakers from the country. The festival also takes steps this year to further embrace representation of LGBTQ film, starting with the US Premiere of Scream Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street, and supported by other programming sponsored by Shudder and co-presented by community partners aGLIFF and OUTsider. The American Genre Film Archive will also be hosting a number of screenings with their friends, a standout being the gore-cut of Tammy and the T-Rex!
There’s WAY too much more to mention here (see lineup below), but closing things out is Rian Johnson (Brick, Star Wars The Last Jedi) with his star-studded murder-mystery Knives Out, recipient of rapturous praise out of the Toronto International Film Festival.
As attendees know, Fantastic Fest isn’t just about films; there are always a series of events to entertain those who venture out of those darkened theaters. Live podcast recordings are at the Highball stage with the return of Leonard Maltin’s Maltin on Movies, Doug Benson’s Doug Loves Movies, and April Wolfe’s Switchblade Sisters, plus new additions this year Horror Queers, The Horror, and 5BY5 At The Movies. We also see the return of Chaos Reigns Karaoke, the Fantastic Debates, and Scripts Gone Wild, who this time take on Showgirls.
Read on for the full fest lineup as well as detail on how to attend. Can’t make it? Stick with Cinapse, we’ll have a sizeable team in attendance pushing out all manner of reviews and interviews as the fest unfolds.
Chaos Reigns!
Feature Lineup!
4X4
Argentina, Spain, 2019
North American Premiere, 93 min
Director — Mariano Cohn
A 4×4 car will be the battleground between a brash thief trapped inside and the mysterious man who will do anything to keep him imprisoned.
ABOU LEILA
Algeria, France, Qatar, 2019
North American Premiere, 139 min
Director — Amin Sidi-Boumédiène
In the midst of the Algerian Civil War, Lotfi ventures into the desert with his lifelong friend S., who hopes to find and kill the elusive, dangerous terrorist Abou Leila.
ADORATION
France, Belgium, 2019
North American Premiere, 98 min
Director — Fabrice du Welz
Paul lives with his mother on the grounds of a mental institution and has little contact with the outside world. When Gloria’s admitted, he’s immediately fascinated by her and events take an unexpected turn.
AMIGO
Spain, 2019
World Premiere, 83 min
Director — Óscar Martín
After a serious car accident (for which he’s responsible), David decides to care for his best friend Javi at a remote house. It doesn’t take long until the animosity insidiously builds between them.
THE ANTENNA
Turkey, 2019
US Premiere, 115 min
Director — Orçun Behram
Somewhere within an unnamed city in Turkey, the residents of an apartment block await the installation of their new antenna as ordered by the central government. No one can prepare them for the evil that will be unleashed.
THE BLACK PIT OF DR. M
Mexico, 1959
Repertory Screening, 82 min
Director — Fernando Méndez
Two doctors make a pact on behalf of science: Whichever one dies first will return to share the secrets of the afterlife. This pact will not end well.
BLISS
USA, 2019
Texas Premiere, 80 min
Director — Joe Begos
While trying to complete her latest painting, a starving artist facing a lack of inspiration spirals out of control in a blaze of blood-soaked, drug-fueled glory.
BLOOD MACHINES
France, USA, 2019
North American Premiere, 50 min
Director — Seth Ickerman
The wild sequel to the Carpenter Brut music video, “Turbo Killer,” shoots you into a turbulent psychedelic adventure of galactic hunters tracking down the soul of a spaceship set to a killer synthwave soundtrack.
BLOODY BIRTHDAY: Presented by AGFA + Arrow Films
USA, 1981
World Premiere of Restoration, 85 min
Director — Ed Hunt
The classic Killer Kids slasher, newly restored by Arrow Films and presented by AGFA.
BUTT BOY
USA, 2019
World Premiere, 100 min
Director — Tyler Cornack
Writer/director/comedian Tyler Cornack’s BUTT BOY introduces us to Chip, a middle-aged man whose first prostate exam stirs feelings deep inside leading to an addiction that can only be shown to Fantastic Fest audiences.
THE CLEANSING HOUR
USA, 2019
World Premiere, 95 min
Director — Damien LeVeck
Reverend Max and his best friend Drew have a hit web show where they make a pretty good living faking exorcisms for hundreds of thousands of fans until the evening a real demon takes over and terrorizes their crew.
CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER
USA, 2019
World Premiere, 90 min
Director — Mickey Reece
The “Soderbergh of the Sticks,” Mickey Reece, returns to Fantastic Fest with his 27th feature. Two beautiful sisters vie for the affections of a man who may or may not be a vampire.
COLOR OUT OF SPACE
USA, 2019
US Premiere, 111 min
Director — Richard Stanley
Unimaginable terrors befall the Gardner family after a meteorite lands on their front lawn in Richard Stanley’s entrancing, horrific adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s short story.
COME TO DADDY
New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, 2019
Texas Premiere, 94 min
Director — Ant Timpson
When 30-year-old Norval receives a letter from his estranged dad begging him to visit, he is set on a weird path of discovery, unusual encounters… and a lot of violence.
COSMIC CANDY
Greece, 2019
World Premiere, 95 min
Director — Rinio Dragasaki
Anna, an eccentric supermarket cashier with an obsessive taste for a trippy treat called Cosmic Candy, undergoes a quirky transformation when forced to care for a ten-year-old neighbor girl.
THE DEATH OF DICK LONG
USA, 2019
Austin Premiere, 107 min
Director — Daniel Scheinert
Dick is dead but no one knows how, and Zeke and Earl are desperate enough to go to any lengths to stop anyone from finding out the reason… but a small town in Alabama is not the kind of place where secrets can stay buried for long. Soon all hell breaks loose, engulfing the two men in a reckoning they had never even considered.
THE DEEPER YOU DIG
USA, 2019
US Premiere, 95 min
Directors — Toby Poser & John Adams (Co-director: Zelda Adams)
The creation of a family production team in upstate New York, this unsettling supernatural tale explores the aftermath of a roadside accident, bringing together a mother, her daughter, and a stranger in increasingly surreal circumstances.
DEERSKIN
France, 2019
North American Premiere, 77 min
Director — Quentin Dupieux
When Georges buys himself a deerskin jacket, he will find his life on a collision course with madness, crime, and the desire to be the only man wearing an overgarment.
DIE KINDER DER TOTEN
Austria, 2019
North American Premiere, 90 min
Directors — Kelly Copper & Pavol Liška
In this experimental adaptation of an epic Elfriede Jelinek novel, a group of Austrian tourists is killed in a traffic accident before reanimating as zombies and terrorizing a local pub.
DOGS DON’T WEAR PANTS
Finland, Latvia, 2019
US Premiere, 105 min
Director — Jukka-Pekka Valkeapää
A heartbroken heart surgeon is introduced to the dark and extreme when his daughter gets her tongue pierced, sending him down a path of pain, dreams, life, love, death, and awakenings.
FIRST LOVE
Japan, 2019
US Premiere, 108 min
Director — Takashi Miike
When aspiring boxer Leo discovers that he may not have long to live, he goes all out to help drug-addicted call girl Monica, facing down gangsters, assassins, corrupt cops, and much more over the course of one long night.
FRACTURED
USA, 2019
World Premiere, 100 min
Director — Brad Anderson
An unfortunate accident at a truck stop means Ray has to rush his daughter to the nearest hospital for a broken arm, but when his family disappears, he soon finds himself in a frantic fight to discover what happened.
THE GOLDEN GLOVE
Germany, 2019
North American Premiere, 110 min
Director — Fatih Akin
Based on true events that transpired in the grimy slums of 1970s Hamburg, loner-turned-murderer Fritz Honka stalks his local drinking spot, The Golden Glove, in search of his next victim.
GUNS AKIMBO
Germany, New Zealand, 2019
US Premiere, 95 min
Director — Jason Lei Howden
Jason Lei Howden (DEATHGASM) returns to the big screen with a frantic, crazy, kinetic, relentless, funny AND brilliant action film that not only features an image-defying turn from Daniel Radcliffe but also an array of set pieces, each one more outrageous than the last, with an arsenal so big, only a film this manic could accommodate it.
HAPPY FACE
Canada, 2018
Texas Premiere, 97 min
Director — Alexandre Franchi
In Attendance — Director Alexandre Franchi and Actor E. R. Ruiz
An attractive teenager infiltrates a support group for those with facial differences in hopes of learning how to connect with his cancer-stricken mother in Alexandre Franchi’s (THE WILD HUNT) deeply personal, often hilarious, and powerfully inclusive sophomore feature.
HOMEWRECKER
Canada, 2019
International Premiere, 86 min
Director — Zach Gayne
Societal expectations create a pressure cooker in HOMEWRECKER, a darkly hilarious satire that plays like the best bonkers thriller Lifetime wishes they made.
I LOST MY BODY
France, 2019
US Premiere, 82 min
Director — Jérémy Clapin
A severed hand escapes from a laboratory and sets off on a series of adventures across Paris, determined to find its owner.
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON
USA, Canada, 2019
World Premiere, 115 min
Director — Jim Mickle
In 1988, a Philadelphia police officer doggedly hunts a serial killer whose crimes seemingly follow no pattern, but he hasn’t considered how far the repercussions of his hunt may go.
IN THE TALL GRASS
Canada, 2019
World Premiere, 90 min
Director — Vincenzo Natali
Adapted from the eponymous novella by Stephen King and Joe Hill, IN THE TALL GRASS follows siblings Cal and Becky who find themselves trapped within a vast field of tall grass when they venture in to answer the cries of a young boy.
IRON FISTS AND KUNG FU KICKS
Australia, 2019
North American Premiere, 107 min
Director — Serge Ou
From the Shaw Brothers to THE MATRIX, this wild documentary tells the story of how kung fu films conquered the world from the 1960s to now.
JALLIKATTU
India, 2019
US Premiere, 91 min
Director — Lijo Jose Pellissery
The line between man and beast dissolves when a buffalo escapes slaughter in a sleepy South Indian village, leaving a trail of chaos and explosive machismo in its wake. It’s a landlocked JAWS, a bestial 2001, and a contemporary MAD MAX: FURY ROAD all rolled into one.
JOJO RABBIT
USA, 2019
US Premiere, 108 min
Director — Taika Waititi
In Attendance — Director Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi is back with a timely and hilarious satire about a bright-eyed German boy who wants nothing more than to join his nation’s army during WWII, until he finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.
KNIVES OUT
USA, 2019
Special Presentation, 130 min
Director — Rian Johnson
In attendance — Director Rian Johnson
From acclaimed writer, director Rian Johnson comes KNIVES OUT, a fresh and modern take on the classic “whodunnit” mystery genre.
KNIVES AND SKIN
USA, 2019
Texas Premiere, 109 min
Director — Jennifer Reeder
The disappearance of popular teenager Carolyn Harper has a profound ripple effect across her small midwest town in Jennifer Reeder’s hypnotic musical mystery.
KEEP ME COMPANY
Portugal, 2019
North American Premiere, 82 min
Director — Gonçalo Almeida
Two lovers meet in a secluded country home to try to heal their relationship without distraction, but the property’s pool has other mysterious intentions.
KOKO-DI KOKO-DA
Sweden, Denmark, 2019
Texas Premiere, 86 min
Director — Johannes Nyholm
When a disconnected couple take a camping trip in an attempt to mend their marriage after tragedy, they find themselves tormented by a peculiar band of misfits.
THE LAST TO SEE THEM
Germany, 2019
Texas Premiere, 79 min
Director — Sara Summa
One summer evening in rural Italy, the Durati family is murdered during a home robbery. THE LAST TO SEE THEM chronicles the previous — and final — day of their lives.
LIMBO: Presented by AGFA + Bleeding Skull!
USA, 1999
Texas Premiere of Restoration, 55 min
Director — Tina Krause
Tina Krause’s unseen and unreal shot-on-video horror movie, newly preserved by AGFA + Bleeding Skull!
LITTLE JOE
Austria, United Kingdom, Germany, 2019
Sneak Preview, 105 min
Director — Jessica Hausner
A genetically modified scarlet flower has mood-enhancing antidepressant effects on its owners, which become increasingly alarming as its influence spreads in this body snatchers for the drugged-out millennium.
THE LODGE
USA, 2019
Texas Premiere, 108 min
Directors — Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala
Five years after GOODNIGHT MOMMY stunned Fantastic Fest audiences, Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala are back with another disturbing psychological twister about a brother and sister spending Christmas with their shadowy soon-to-be stepmother.
THE LONG WALK
Laos, Spain, Singapore, 2019
US Premiere, 115 min
Director — Mattie Do
In attendance — Director Mattie Do
An old Laotian hermit discovers that the ghost of a road accident victim can transport him back in time fifty years to the moment of his mother’s painful death..
LYLE
2014, USA
Repertory Screening, 65 min
Director — Stewart Thorndike
In attendance — Director Stewart Thorndike
After the loss of her child, a young woman begins to suspect that her neighbors might be part of a satanic cult and that she might be their next target.
THE MCPHERSON TAPE: Presented by AGFA + Bleeding Skull!
USA, 1989
World Premiere of Restoration, 63 min
Director — Dean Alioto
The world’s first found footage horror movie, newly preserved by AGFA + Bleeding Skull!
MEMORY: THE ORIGINS OF ALIEN
USA, 2019
Texas Premiere, 93 min
Director — Alexandre O. Philippe
Following up his deconstruction of PSYCHO’s shower scene in 78/52, documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe is back with his analysis of ALIEN, its origins, and the impact of Ridley Scott’s classic sci-fi shocker.
THE MORTUARY COLLECTION
USA, 2019
World Premiere, 108 min
Director — Ryan Spindell
A young girl enters a secret room in a mortuary and learns the backstory of the mortician’s favorite deaths in this twisted anthology by Fantastic Fest alum Ryan Spindell.
NAIL IN THE COFFIN: THE FALL AND RISE OF VAMPIRO
Canada, 2019
World Premiere, 88 min
Director — Michael Paszt
In Attendance — Director Michael Paszt
An intimate and heartfelt look at professional wrestler Vampiro’s past, and his new life navigating the management of a lucha libre federation in Mexico, while raising his teenage daughter in Canada.
NIGHT DRIVE
USA, 2019
World Premiere, 82 min
Directors — Meghan Leon & Bradford Baruh
When Russell picks up an enigmatic young woman through a ride-share app, his boring evening perks up. But all bets are off after they hit a guy with the car in this charming comedy of errors.
NIGHT HAS COME
Belgium, 2019
World Premiere, 56 min
Director — Peter Van Goethem
In Attendance — Director Peter Van Goethem
In a dystopian society, the population is threatened by a virus eating its way through the brain, erasing memories. After developing a treatment to store and classify memories, the State requires citizens to comply.
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE
USA, 1985
Repertory Screening, 87 min
Director — Jack Sholder
In attendance — Actors Mark Patton and Kim Myers
Jesse (Mark Patton) is the new kid on Elm Street and Freddy Krueger might not be the only monster in the closet in this much discussed but under-appreciated queer horror classic.
NOBADI
Austria, 2019
US Premiere, 90 min
Director — Karl Markovics
In a retirement allotment in Vienna, a crabby 91-year-old finds both himself and his humanity when he hires an Afghani refugee to help him in Karl Markovics’ remarkable and poignant third feature.
THE OTHER LAMB
Ireland, Belgium, USA, 2019
US Premiere, 97 min
Director — Malgorzata Szumowska
Selah lives with her mothers and sisters in a mysterious cult led by Shepherd. When she begins to question his teachings, it threatens to destroy the very nature of their existence.
PARASITE
South Korea, 2019
Texas Premiere, 131 min
Director — Bong Joon-ho
Bong Joon-ho’s seventh feature — about an unemployed Korean family conning their way out of their basement apartment — is a roller coaster ride of laughs, gasps, horror, tears, and perfection.
PATRICK
Belgium, 2019
North American Premiere, 97 min
Director — Tim Mielants
Patrick is not having an easy time. First his domineering father passed away and now his favorite hammer is missing. Before the day is out, Patrick’s search will lead him to discover answers to the questions he didn’t even know existed.
THE PEANUT BUTTER SOLUTION: Presented by AGFA + Severin Films
Canada, 1985
World Premiere 2K Restoration, 93 min
Director — Michael Rubbo
The Canadian children’s oddity takes youthful fantasy to strange new places in a brand new 2K restoration.
PELICAN BLOOD
Germany, Bulgaria, 2019
US Premiere, 121 min
Director — Katrin Gebbe
German acting treasure Nina Hoss headlines Katrin Gebbe’s (NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN) sophomore feature about a single mother who adopts — and won’t give up on — a troubled little girl with a horrific past.
PHIL TIPPETT — MAD DREAMS AND MONSTERS
France, 2019
International Premiere, 80 min
Directors — Gilles Penso & Alexandre Poncet
After their documentary CREATURE DESIGNERS — THE FRANKENSTEIN COMPLEX, French journalist Alexandre Poncet and filmmaker Gilles Penso deliver an in-depth, sad, and beautiful documentary about the stop motion and VFX artist Phil Tippett, a man who changed the landscape of visual effects in film.
THE PLATFORM
Spain, 2019
US Premiere, 90 min
Director — Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
In attendance — Director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
Somewhere in the future exists THE PLATFORM, a vertically tiered prison where the upper levels have access to exquisite food and the lower levels fight for survival. Level assignments are random, but how long can a prisoner’s luck hold? One man is about to find out.
THE POOL
Thailand, 2018
Texas Premiere, 90 min
Director — Ping Lumprapleng
When a dog trainer and his pet finish their commercial gig, it’s time to head home and enjoy a lazy afternoon floating in the pool… until he wakes up to the pool being drained and no way out.
PREY
1977, United Kingdom
Repertory Screening, 78 min
Director — Norman J. Warren
Jessica and Josephine find more than their relationship at stake when they’re chosen by a shape-shifting alien as his target for an observational study.
RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE
Canada, 2019
World Premiere, 80 min
Director — Jay Baruchel
A comic book writer visits the town where a serial killer previously wreaked havoc, only to encounter a new series of murders that strangely mirror the deaths he created in his comics.
REFLECTIONS OF EVIL: Presented by AGFA
USA, 2002
World Premiere of Restoration, 137 min
Director — Damon Packard
The new ground zero for gonzo horror surrealism in the 21st century, newly preserved by AGFA.
RIDE YOUR WAVE
Japan, 2019
US Premiere, 96 min
Director — Masaaki Yuasa
Surf-loving college student Hinako crosses paths with Minato, a handsome firefighter, but a tragedy will change all they know to be true.
ROCK, PAPER, AND SCISSORS
Argentina, 2019
North American Premiere, 83 min
Directors — Macarena García Lenzi & Martín Blousson
When Magdalena returns to Argentina to confront her half-siblings about her share of the inheritance, the stage is set for a family reunion both bloody and brilliant.
SAINT MAUD
United Kingdom, 2019
US Premiere, 83 min
Director — Rose Glass
While caring for an attractive woman dying of cancer, devoutly religious nurse Maud develops an all-encompassing case of holy possession mixed with real-life obsession.
SCREAM, QUEEN! MY NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
USA, 2019
US Premiere, 100 min
Directors — Roman Chimienti & Tyler Jensen
In attendance — Directors Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen
More than thirty years after its release and his departure from Hollywood, Mark Patton (star of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE), sets the record straight on the famously queer horror sequel in this fabulous, surprising, and eye-opening documentary.
SEA FEVER
Ireland, Sweden, Belgium, 2019
US Premiere, 91 min
Director — Neasa Hardiman
The crew aboard a West of Ireland fishing trawler marooned at sea fall victim to a gradually spreading parasite in their water supply.
SHE MOB: Presented by AGFA + Something Weird
USA, 1968
World Premiere 2K Restoration, 82 min
Director — Harry Wuest
A gang of lesbian prison escapees kidnaps a gigolo in a 2K preservation of this sexploitation classic.
THE SHIP OF MONSTERS
Mexico, 1960
Repertory Screening, 81 min
Director — Rogelio A. González
Two Venusian women and their robot servant are on a mission to find suitable candidates to repopulate their planet. Soon their ship is filled with bizarre specimens from across the universe, leading to an adventure like no other!
SOMETHING ELSE
USA, 2019
Texas Premiere, 83 min
Directors — Jeremy Gardner & Christian Stella
In Attendance — Directors Jeremy Gardner & Christian Stella
When Hank’s longtime girlfriend Abby leaves him, he spirals into a cycle of drinking and depression. But it’s the monster that shows up every night that’s really driving him crazy.
SON OF THE WHITE MARE
Hungary, 1981
US Premiere 4K Restoration, 81 min
Director — Marcell Jankovics
A psychedelic animated cult classic is back on the big screen in this brand-new restoration. Three brothers join forces to restore order in their kingdom, encountering bizarre and mind-bending challenges along the way.
SWALLOW
USA, 2019
Texas Premiere, 94 min
Directors — Carlo Mirabella-Davis
Beautiful newlywed Hunter has a perfect home, perfect life, and perfect husband. When the pressure to maintain that perfection builds after the announcement of her pregnancy, she develops an unusual craving: swallowing random household objects.
SWEETHEART
USA, 2019
Texas Premiere, 82 min
Director — J.D. Dillard
After a storm at sea leaves her stranded on a deserted island, Jenn gathers all her strength to find ways to survive. But when night falls, Jenn discovers that the island isn’t as deserted as she might have thought… or hoped.
SYNCHRONIC
USA, 2019
US Premiere, 96 min
Directors — Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
In attendance — Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead
Two paramedics find their world ripped apart when they start encountering deaths linked to the otherworldly effects of a new designer drug called Synchronic.
TAMMY AND THE T-REX: Presented by AGFA + Vinegar Syndrome
USA, 1994
World Premiere of Restoration, 91 min
Directors — Stewart Raffill
Fully restored and ready to tear your head off. Literally.
TRAMPA INFERNAL
Mexico, 1989
Repertory Screening, 77 min
Director — Pedro Galindo III
In Mexico’s most notorious unseen video-era masterblast, a crew of toxically masculine bear murderers runs afoul of a forest-dwelling war veteran wearing a mannequin mask and Freddy Krueger glove. Entertainment ensues!!
THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF WOLFBOY
USA, 2019
North American Premiere, 88 min
Director — Martin Krejčí
Suffering from hypertrichosis — which covers him with animal-like fur — Paul knows he’s not like other kids. But a seemingly random package from his estranged mother will send him on a journey of self-discovery alongside extraordinary characters.
THE VAST OF NIGHT
USA, 2019
Texas Premiere, 90 min
Director — Andrew Patterson
A rural 1950s radio DJ and a telephone operator uncover a strange signal that could change everything in this stunning science fiction debut feature.
VFW
USA, 2019
World Premiere, 92 min
Director — Joe Begos
In attendance — Director Joe Begos
In the near future, a new drug called Hype has turned America into a war zone. The addicted are more mutant than human, and they’ve set their sights on assaulting a VFW post in Joe Begos’ star-studded latest.
VHYES
USA, 2019
World Premiere, 71 min
Director — Jack Henry Robbins
In attendance — Director Jack Henry Robbins
This bizarre retro comedy, shot entirely on VHS and Beta, takes us back to when 12-year-old Ralph, over one formative week, mistakenly records home videos and his favorite late night shows over his parents’ wedding tape.
VIVARIUM
Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, 2019
US Premiere, 98 min
Director — Lorcan Finnegan
When young couple Gemma (Imogen Poots) and Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) drive out to a maze of temptingly affordable houses in the suburbs, they find themselves unable to leave.
THE WAVE
United States, 2019
World Premiere, 87 min
Director — Gille Klabin
Frank (Justin Long), a bored corporate lawyer, decides to shake it up with a wild night out. In the process, he takes a mysterious drug that launches him into a mind-bending time travel adventure.
WE SUMMON THE DARKNESS
USA, 2019
World Premiere, 90 min
Director — Marc Meyers
When Val, Beverly, and Alexis meet a group of fun-loving dudes in the parking lot of a heavy metal concert, they all decide to have an after-party, but it isn’t long before the group finds themselves fighting for their lives.
THE WHISTLERS
Romania, 2019
US Premiere, 97 min
Director — Corneliu Porumboiu
Corneliu Porumboiu mixes Romanian New Wave with Hollywood noir beats as he follows a corrupt detective who helps a wealthy criminal escape from jail by learning the ancient, secret language of silbo whistling.
WHY DON’T YOU JUST DIE!
Russia, 2019
Texas Premiere, 100 min
Director — Kirill Sokolov
In Attendance — Director Kirill Sokolov
After agreeing to kill his girlfriend’s father, Matvei gets in way over his head when he arrives at her parents’ apartment to learn her dad’s a cop.
WRINKLES THE CLOWN
USA, 2019
World Premiere, 78 min
Director — Michael Beach Nichols
In Attendance — Director Michael Beach Nichols
Pennywise isn’t real. But Wrinkles is. This documentary explores the story of the infamous freaky clown from Naples, Florida who makes a living being hired by parents to terrorize their naughty children.
WYRM
USA, 2019
World Premiere, 106 min
Director — Christopher Winterbauer
In a strangely futuristic yet analog alternate universe, a lonely, dinosaur-obsessed youth struggles to complete a unique school requirement or risk being held back and enduring a lifetime of embarrassment.
YOU DON’T NOMI
USA, 2019
Texas Premiere, 94 min
Director — Jeffrey McHale
In Attendance — Director Jeffrey McHale
Using cleverly edited clips of Paul Verhoeven’s genre-spanning filmography, Jeffrey McHale’s video essay explores the decidedly un-titillating and delightfully inexplicable SHOWGIRLS and its continued, ever-expanding legacy.
How to Attend:
FAN Badges, 2ND HALF Badges, and MIDNIGHT Badges for Fantastic Fest 2019 are available for purchase here.
For the latest developments, visit the Fantastic Fest official site www.fantasticfest.com and follow on Facebook & Twitter.
Don’t have a badge but still want to get in on some of that Fantastic fun? You can! Individual tickets will be on sale for any screenings that don’t completely sell out to badgeholders. Every day — Thursday, September 19 through Thursday, September 26 — we’ll be posing a list below of the screenings that aren’t immediately filled up by badgeholders. These are the screenings that we anticipate might have seats available for individual ticket buyers.
If any of these titles ring your bell, you can head down to South Lamar and stand in the individual ticket buyer line for that screening. Our fabulous volunteers can point you in the right direction. They recommend lining up around an hour before screening time.
About Fantastic Fest
Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the U.S., specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world. In years past, the festival has been home to the world premieres of BONE TOMAHAWK, JOHN WICK, FRANKENWEENIE, MACHETE KILLS, RED DAWN, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, APOCALYPTO, ZOMBIELAND, RED, SPLIT, HALLOWEEN, BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE, MID 90s, and SUSPIRIA while the guest roster has included such talent as Tim Burton, Nicolas Winding-Refn, Lilly and Lana Wachowski, Robert Rodriguez, Rian Johnson, Bill Murray, Keanu Reeves, Martin Landau, Winona Ryder, Edward Norton, Ryan Reynolds, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Karl Urban, Josh Hartnett, The RZA, Dolph Lundgren, Paul Rudd, Bill Pullman, Paul Thomas Anderson, Kevin Smith, Jon Favreau, George Romero, Darren Aronofsky, Mike Judge, Karyn Kusama, M. Night Shyamalan, James McAvoy, Vince Vaughn, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jonah Hill, Barbara Crampton and Jessica Harper. Fantastic Fest also features world, national, and regional premieres of new, up-and-coming genre films. Fantastic Fest has seen the acquisition of many titles, including BULLHEAD, KILL LIST, MONSTERS, KLOWN, THE FP, PENUMBRA, HERE COMES THE DEVIL, NO REST FOR THE WICKED, VANISHING WAVES, COMBAT GIRLS, I DECLARE WAR, THE PERFECTION, and TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID. Fantastic Fest is held each year at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas. Alamo Drafthouse has been named the best theater in the country by Entertainment Weekly, Wired, and TIME. Variety included Fantastic Fest in a list of “10 Film Festivals We Love” and was also named one of the “25 coolest film festivals” by Moviemaker Magazine.
