Chaos reigns in Austin, TX September 18th-25th
The most wonderful time of the year is nearly upon us. Chaos reigns once again as Fantastic Fest returns for its 20th Year. The party will be in full swing at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, here in Austin, TX, from September 18th to 25th, and while the celebrations will be unforgettable, the film lineup this year sounds equally impressive. As in the past, the Cinapse team will be on the ground, providing real-time reactions and in-depth coverage of the films we see. You can see the full lineup here, but read on for our own curated selections of what we’re most looking forward to this year.
Jon Partridge
Clawing his way back out of the trench with Meg 2, its great to see Ben Wheatley return to some of the mind-fuckery he’s known for. In years past, he’s won over Fantastic Fest audiences with blackly comic films such as Down Terrace, Sightseers, High-Rise, and and at SXSW with Free Fire. His latest Bulk, looks to be more in the wheelhouse of A Field in England. A trippy lo-fi sci-fi, about a man finding doorways to alternate realities. The trailer is a discordant nightmare, just the thing to wake you up at 11:00pm on a Saturday night.
In horror, the old adage “be careful what you wish for” has been well mined. This monkey paw-esque scenario about hopes and dreams turning into the stuff of nightmares is revisited once again with writer-director Curry Barker’s Obsession. One man’s wish for love turns into something altogether more dark and intense. Well-trod ground, but the buzz out of TIFF about the abstract and edgy nature of this feature, along with the snapping up of the film by Focus Features, mark this one down as one to watch.
In the age of deep-fakes and generative AI, at least one film has to come along and do a decent job of mining the fears and potency of these technologies, right? Hopefully Appofeniacs is the one to deliver after so many others have fumbled—an anthology tale taking aim at the corruptive creep of technology and misinformation.
Road to Vendetta is noted in the schedule as having “influences from John Woo, Johnnie To, Kinji Fukasaku, and Takashi Miike”. What more do you need to know?
Finally, most of my fellow Cinapsians have noted Reflection in a Dead Diamond as a most-anticipated. As the only member of the crew to have already seen the film, I’m thrilled to see it again with a gung-ho Fantastic Fest crowd. It’s a visceral treat for the senses with its gonzo take on a Bond-esque spy tale, and another reminder of the style and craft of filmmakers Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani.
Julian Singleton
Reflection in a Dead Diamond: I can’t wait to catch up with the Festival title that seems to have eluded me the most this year, a sleazy and sensuous tale of an aging hitman brought out of retirement by his old enemies realized by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, the incredible duo behind the audacious and captivating heat-soaked hangout crime thriller Let the Corpses Tan. Buzz around this one has been nothing but lofty throughout this year’s Fest cycle–and Fantastic Fest seems like the perfect crowd to watch this Diamond shine at last.
The Restoration at Grayson Manor: I always find a home at Fantastic Fest not just for its boundary-pushing genre fare, but in how the fest equally champions Queer voices and recognizes Horror as a means to be heard. With a lurid premise featuring gay sex as the means for filial rebellion, disturbing experiments, and a starring turn by underrated Mother of Horror, Alice Krige (and Glee’s Chris Colfer!), Grayson Manor teases everything I could want from a hilarious, horrifying, and wholly Queer Fantastic Fest entry.
Vicious/The Strangers Chapter 2: I’m always drawn to ambitious horror experiments, and this year’s Fantastic Fest offers a strange twist of synchronicity between two entries. Bryan Bertino, who redefined home invasion horror with The Strangers (2008) and followed with The Monster and the bleakly brilliant The Dark and the Wicked, returns with Vicious. As a longtime fan of process-driven horror fueled by impossible choices, I’m already in for Kathryn Hunter unleashing occult havoc on Dakota Fanning. I’m just as curious how Vicious will play against The Strangers: Chapter 2, the fourth film in the franchise Bertino launched. I was bowled over when a back-to-back trilogy directed by Renny Harlin was announced in 2022–the only comparable experiment I can think of was 2021’s wickedly fun Fear Street trilogy. While many dismissed last year’s Chapter 1 as a pale re-quel, I admired how it planted seeds for expanding the claustrophobic original into broader yet equally terrifying territory. Together, Vicious and Chapter 2 may prove how both the Strangers franchise and Bertino’s own vision have only grown more potent since their paths diverged.
Black Phone 2: The original Black Phone was the blockbuster breakout of FF’s first post-COVID, bringing down the South Lamar house with a terrifying and tender adaptation of Joe Hill’s short story. The seemingly, well, definite conclusion of that film left me nothing but intrigued when Derrickson and Cargill announced their reunion with original stars Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, and Madeline McGraw for a sequel; my anticipation went through the roof as trailers teased a snowy, Nightmare on Elm Street-style evolution of the story. There are few filmmaking duos I can depend on to scare me out of my wits like these guys–bring on the chilly chills of Part 2.
The Holy Boy: With its tale of a remote Italian village swept up in the spell of a boy whose embrace eases suffering, The Holy Boy seems like a creepy yet beguiling take on the cathartic power of folk horror in particular. From Needful Things to The Wicker Man, Horror is such a fertile ground to provoke and challenge our deepest-held beliefs and desires. Following strong praise coming out of its recent Venice premiere, I’m excited that the impeccable Fantastic Fest programming team swept The Holy Boy up for its international premiere.
The Curse: As Cinapse’s resident connoisseur of Eastern Horror, you know I had to put a Japanese-Taiwanese co-production about terrifying curses in the Internet age on my most-anticipated list. I’m looking forward to seeing how director Kenichi Ugana blends comedy and horror in what’s described as a “bitingly funny social media satire,” adapting the investigative terrors of Ring, Ju-on, and the equally globe-trotting One Missed Call 2 for the influencer age.
Of what I’ve seen, I cannot heap enough praise on the Adams Family’s Mother of Flies, the newly-crowned winner of this Summer’s Fantasia Fest in Montreal. It’s hands down the best film one of Horror’s first families has made to date–be sure to bring tissues to hide behind as much as cry into.
Dan Tabor
Reflection In A Dead Diamond: My favorite pair of auteurs working today Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani (Amer/Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears) return to Fantastic Fest with their latest, Reflection In A Dead Diamond – a reimagining and updating of another sub-genre through their hyper-stylistic and fetishistic lens.. This time, from the trailer they appear to be crafting a hybrid of the secret agent, with some Italian superhero by way of Argoman for good measure. I’ve been a fan of theirs since I first caught their neo-giallo masterpiece Amer, at Danger After Dark back in 2009. I have to say every film since has lived up to or exceeded that very high bar; from both a visual and story perspective, no one is making films like these two.
V/H/S/HALLOWEEN It ain’t Fantastic Fest without a V/H/S! With last year’s entry, which was easily one of the best in the canon–this year looks to be changing things up a bit, going with a holiday theme. And what would be better than All Hallows Eve? This theme delivered by this new line-up with the likes of the usual up and coming directors looking to strut their stuff and some established heavy hitters such as Alex Ross Perry (Her Smell/GHOST: Rite Here Rite Now), Paco Plaza (Rec Series) and Casper Kelly (Adult Swim: Yule Log) definitely has me looking forward to catching this with the late night Fantastic Fest Crowd.
Ed Travis
As usual, I’m going to primarily highlight some of the action offerings that Fantastic Fest has in store for us because that is my genre of choice and what I genuinely get the most excited about. It’s also a bit of an under-championed genre that I’m more than happy to shine a spotlight on. My most anticipated movies often don’t end up being my favorite movies of the fest on the backend, but that’s a big part of the fun of cinematic discovery at a festival.
Deathstalker: If I’m being completely honest, I don’t even like the original Deathstalker. It’s mean-spirited and treats all of its women poorly. That said, I’m majorly into sword & sorcery films, I love the practical effects-driven indie spirit of filmmaker Steven Kostanski, and I absolutely adore and champion the career of longtime action cinema stalwart Daniel Bernhardt (the Bloodsport sequels), who gets a rare starring role here! Bernhardt has been quietly impacting the world of action cinema on and off screen for decades, and he’s legitimately legendary. This film has all the ingredients for Fantastic Fest glory, and I pray to Crom that it delivers.
Night Patrol: I’m a massive fan of writer/director Ryan Prows’ film Low Life and have been eagerly anticipating his next work of grimy genre bravura. I know almost nothing else about the film, and I plan to keep it that way until I can see it for myself.
Chocolate: AFGA is presenting a 35mm retrospective screening of the 2008 Thai action classic that has to be seen to be believed. I’ve loved this film since probably first seeing it on some kind of bootleg VCD or something like that, and it’ll be a once-in-a-lifetime treat to see this gonzo May Thai epic on the big screen with an enthusiastic crowd.
Sisu: Road To Vengeance: I enjoyed the first film for what it was, and feel that a sequel has the potential to go even more over the top in an era where it’s becoming more urgent and important to clarify that hey… Nazis are bad. Here’s hoping Sisu 2 goes full Inglorious Basterds to put a stop to fascism via onscreen violence!
Runners up for action awareness: I know nothing about any of these films except that they promise action and were programmed by the Fantastic Fest programs, so they have my attention: Road To Vendetta, The Forbidden City, and Penance.
Fantastic Fest runs from September 18th, through the 25th, at the Alamo Drafthouse S Lamar, Austin, TX. For more information, visit https://www.fantasticfest.com/
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 and US premieres of PARASITE, SMILE, JOJO RABBIT, THE BLACK PHONE, JOHN WICK, FRANKENWEENIE, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, APOCALYPTO, ZOMBIELAND, RED DAWN, 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, Bong Joon-Ho, Taika Waititi, 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.
In March 2023, Fantastic Fest joined the FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations) as a Competitive Specialized Feature Film Festival alongside Cannes, Berlin and Venice.
