FANTASTIC FEST XVII: DECISION TO LEAVE, SMILE, HUNT And More Screening For The 17th Edition!

One of the biggest feats in the festival scene is coming for its 17th edition this year with Fantastic Fest. Well over fifty features will comprise this year’s eight-day festivities, along with much more in its cadre of topical genre celebrations including music performances by Itchy-O and Viennese band Roboexotica, Podcast cast recordings with special guests and much, MUCH more.

The feature line-up already has some outstanding titles folks may be keen to pick out, and I can definitely work on listing them in a future curtain raiser piece. In the meantime, I wholly invite you to read the festival’s Tuesday announcement. You’re not gonna want to miss the details, so scroll along, and be sure to hit up the official website and get your badges today!

FANTASTIC FEST ANNOUNCES A COLOSSAL 2022 LINEUP, OPENING THE FEST WITH THE WORLD PREMIERE OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES’ TERRIFYING NEW HORROR FEATURE ‘SMILE’ AND THE U.S. PREMIERE OF NEON’S ‘TRIANGLE OF SADNESS’ AS CLOSING NIGHT FILM

Searchlight’s THE MENU and THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN, A24’s MEDUSA DELUXE, MGM and Distributor United Artists Releasing’s BONES AND ALL, Miramax’s SICK, Epic Pictures’ SATANIC HISPANICS, Shudder’s V/H/S/99 and MUBI’s DECISION TO LEAVE join the 2022 lineup, plus epic Opening and Closing Night Parties, mind-bending events galore, and much more.

AUSTIN, TX — August 16, 2022 — There’s only one place where you’ll find killer teddy bears, man-eating sharks, elderly zombies, cocktail-serving robots, and Park Chan-wook… all under one roof. That’s right, world-famous genre festival Fantastic Fest is back for its seventeenth edition featuring 21 World Premieres, 14 North American Premieres, and 21 U.S Premieres. The festival will once again take over the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, TX from September 22nd – 29th and on the web via a virtual FF@Home experience from September 29th – October 4th. 

“It’s been far too long since we’ve all been able to gather together and celebrate film the Fantastic Fest way,” says Festival Director Lisa Dreyer. “We’ve really put our all into crafting an extraordinary week, from the exceptional programming that spans exciting discoveries to highly-anticipated features, to our signature events that will inject a much-needed dose of fun into 2022.”

The opening night film for Fantastic Fest 2022 is the world premiere of Paramount Pictures’ SMILE, the intensely creepy debut feature from Parker Finn that’ll have even the seasoned FF crowd gripping their armrests in genuine fright. 

This year’s edition of Fantastic Fest will also honor a legendary genre filmmaker and show his latest masterpiece. Park Chan-wook, the South Korean director of OLDBOY, SNOWPIERCER, and THE HANDMAIDEN has been defining (and defying) genre films for decades, and his latest work – MUBI’s DECISION TO LEAVE – is a stunning achievement. In conjunction with the U.S. Premiere of his new film, Park Chan-wook will be present at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar to accept a lifetime achievement award from Fantastic Fest in celebration of his mind-bending, artfully-crafted body of work.

The closing night film at Fantastic Fest 2022 will be director Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or-winning pitch black comedy from Neon, TRIANGLE OF SADNESS. The latest Drafthouse Recommends selection, TRIANGLE OF SADNESS is an outrageously funny and audacious social satire, with a second act that could have been engineered in a lab specifically to delight Fantastic Fest audiences. It’s a joyful romp that’ll serve as a fitting capper to the fest, and the perfect segue to closing night festivities. 

Other major studio films include two Searchlight films perfectly tuned to the Fantastic Fest palate – the U.S. Premiere of THE MENU, a sharp satire about a destination-dining experience with unexpected surprises, and the U.S. Premiere of director Martin McDonagh’s THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN, chronicling the dissolution of a friendship that escalates with shocking consequences. 

A24 brings us the North American premiere of MEDUSA DELUXE, a murder mystery set in the world of competitive hairdressing, MGM and Distributor United Artist Releasing’s BONES AND ALL, from director Luca Guadagnino and starring Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, André Holland, Chloë Sevigny, David Gordon-Green, Jessica Harper, Jake Horowitz and Mark Rylance, and the U.S. premiere of Miramax’s SICK, the latest slasher from John Hyams.  

Other World Premieres include:

Noah Segan’s directorial debut, BLOOD RELATIVES, a father-daughter vampire comedy.

Dark Side of the Ring co-creator Jason Eisener’s KIDS VS. ALIENS, which sees a group of friends face off against evil space invaders.

An anthology horror film featuring many Fantastic Fest alumni, SATANIC HISPANICS, from Epic Pictures. 

“Fantastic Fest has always been the purest expression of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s founding principle: share the joy of cinema with people you love,” says Fantastic Fest founder Tim League. “I am beyond proud of the team for forging one of, if not the all-time best, Fantastic Fest experiences ever. This is my favorite week of the year, and I cannot wait to share it with all of you.”

The Parties

For the first time since 2019, Fantastic Fest’s legendary parties and events are back.

A special performance in The Highball from the experiential sonic sorcerers Itchy-O while they’re in Austin for a show at the Far Out Lounge.

Hailing all the way from Vienna, Roboexotica makes its Texas-debut at the Fantastic Fest opening night party, bringing their famous cocktail-concocting robots to astonish and amuse.

Podcast recordings and live events on The Highball stage with Leonard Maltin, Scripts Gone Wild, The Kingcast and Screen Drafts.

Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher of The Found Footage Festival fame will perform a live show after their documentary CHOP & STEELE. 

And finally, Fantastic Fest essentials like 100 Best Kills, the Fantastic Feud and the Fantastic Debates will return at this year’s festival.

FF@Home

For the second year in a row, Fantastic Fest will be a hybrid festival that offers in-person and virtual screenings. The Burnt Ends lineup will headline the online festival, with programming that seeks to champion eccentric and obscure indie cinema. Two in-person screenings will introduce audiences at South Lamar to the new series: THE PEOPLE’S JOKER and ALL JACKED UP AND FULL OF WORMS, both with filmmakers in attendance. The rest of this virtual lineup will be announced at a later date, featuring a selection of films from this year’s in person fest and will also include virtual exclusives such as a retrospective of cult DIY filmmakers Matt Farley and Charles Roxburgh’s MOTERN MEDIA movies.

Shark Attack & AGFA Takeover

This year’s sidebar is dedicated to the man-eater from the deep blue sea. Centered around the North American Premiere of FF alumni Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma’s YEAR OF THE SHARK, Fantastic Fest programmers dug deep to bring audiences the most entertaining shark movies from around the world. Many of them have never before screened in the USA and are now available thanks to our friends at AGFA. 

The shark sidebar features TINTORERA! (Mexico) — which will be shown on 35mm from a print coming directly from Quentin Tarantino’s vault — as well as AATANK (India), GAMERA VS ZIGRA (Japan), MAKO: THE JAWS OF DEATH (USA), and 12 DAYS OF TERROR (USA).

Speaking of AGFA, the American Genre Film Archive team has gone all out for this year’s festival, with the debut of the AGFA theater takeover. For two days of the fest, AGFA has free reign over their own theater, and will fill it with mind-melting films from morning to night, featuring premieres of new restorations the first day, and a whiplash-inducing celluloid mystery marathon with five features and ten fingers on the trigger the second day. 

Formed in 2009, the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to preserving the legacy of genre movies through collection, conservation, and distribution . From TERMINAL USA (a new restoration of Jon Moritsugu’s underground classic) to THE STAIRWAY TO STARDOM MIXTAPE (the definitive presentation of the most otherworldly public access TV show of all time), the AGFA team has brought out their best for the fest. 

Partnerships

Fantastic Fest is proud to join the WomanInFan initiative, launched by the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia. WomanInFan was born with the aim to celebrate and elevate the role of the female filmmakers within the fantasy genre. The initiative aims to provide historical visibility, support for new projects, and foster connections and opportunities for female filmmakers.

Spanish and French Genre cinema are a big part of this year’s Fantastic Fest. With topics ranging from killer sharks, urban exploration gone wrong, space exploration, time travel, witchcraft, alien invasion to real life monsters and space rangers, it is clear that our cross-Atlantic neighbors were pretty busy during the pandemic. Fantastic Fest is thankful for the support of Acción Cultural Española and Unifrance, two cultural entities facilitating the travels of their national filmmakers.

We are thrilled to present 85 feature film titles and episodics, as well as a variety of short film selections to be announced at a later date — all showcasing World, North American, U.S. and Regional Premieres. See below for the full lineup of feature film programming at this year’s festival.

FESTIVAL FILM LINEUP BELOW:

12 DAYS OF TERROR

 

USA, 2004

 

Retrospective, 95 min

 

Director – Jack Sholder

 

In attendance – Director Jack Sholder

 

During the record-breaking summer heat of 1916, beachgoers on the Jersey shore are threatened by a shark that has developed a taste for human flesh.

 

 

 

AATANK

 

India, 1996

 

North American Premiere, 113 min

 

Directors – Prem Lalwani & Desh Mukherjee

 

A gangster’s hunt for black pearls sparks a series of vicious shark attacks. No diver, boat, or helicopter is safe in this B-grade Bollywood oddity.

 

 

 

ALL JACKED UP AND FULL OF WORMS (Burnt Ends Selection)

 

USA, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 72 min

 

Director – Alex Phillips

 

In attendance – Director Alex Phillips

 

A psychedelic journey of self-discovery leads to romance when a man shares his addiction to psychotropic worms… and Chicago will never be the same.

 

 

 

AMAZING ELISA

 

Spain, 2022

 

World Premiere, 104 min

 

Director – Sadrac Gonzalez-Perellon

 

In attendance – Director Sadrac Gonzalez-Perellon

 

In the aftermath of a horrific accident, Elisa believes that she’s been given super powers and will stop at nothing to avenge her mother’s death.

 

 

 

THE ANTARES PARADOX

 

Spain, 2022

 

World Premiere, 96 min

 

Director – Luis Tinoco Pineda

 

In attendance – Director Luis Tinoco Pineda

 

An astrophysicist working for the SETI project risks her career and family to verify an extraterrestrial radio signal before her access is cut off.

 

 

 

ATTACHMENT

 

Denmark, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 105 min

 

Director – Gabriel Bier Gislason

 

In attendance – Director Gabriel Bier Gislason

 

Maja and Leah’s relationship is off to a great start, but they face two perilous threats: the whims of a Jewish demon and Leah’s overbearing mother.

 

 

 

BAD CITY

 

Japan, 2022

 

North American Premiere, 118 min

 

Director – Kensuke Sonomura

 

A jailed cop is released to lead a crack unit against a corrupt businessman in this bone-crunching dust-up starring V-cinema legend Hitoshi Ozawa.

 

 

 

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN

 

UK/Ireland, USA, 2022

 

US Premiere, 114 min

 

Director – Martin McDonagh

 

In attendance – Director Martin McDonagh

 

Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.

 

 

 

BIRDEMIC 3: SEA EAGLE

 

USA, 2022

 

World Premiere, 83 min

 

Director – James Nguyen

 

In attendance – Director James Nguyen

 

The birds are back, and global warming has them roiled! James Nguyen returns with the director’s cut of his thrilling, romantic, and worthy sequel.

 

 

 

BLOOD FLOWER

 

Malaysia, 2022

 

World Premiere, 102 min

 

Director – Dain Said

 

A psychic teenage boy battles a bloodthirsty, malevolent spirit in this gory Malaysian horror from BUNOHAN’s Dain Said.

 

 

 

BLOOD RELATIVES

 

USA, 2022

 

World Premiere, 88 min

 

Director – Noah Segan

 

In attendance – Director Noah Segan

 

A nomadic recluse living on the fringes of society reconsiders his bloodthirsty legacy when a teenage girl shows up claiming to be his daughter.

 

 

 

BONES AND ALL

 

USA, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 129 min

 

Director – Luca Guadagnino

 

In attendance – Director Luca Guadagnino

 

A story of first love between Maren, a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee, an intense and disenfranchised drifter; a liberating road odyssey of two young people coming into their own, searching for identity and chasing beauty in a perilous world that cannot abide who they are.

 

 

 

CHOP & STEELE

 

USA, 2022

 

Austin Premiere, 81 min

 

Directors – Ben Steinbauer & Berndt Mader

 

In attendance – Directors Ben Steinbauer & Berndt Mader, Actors Joe Pickett & Nick Prueher

 

After pranking unsuspecting morning show hosts, the brains behind the beloved Found Footage Festival earn the ire of a major media conglomerate.

 

 

 

COUNTRY GOLD

 

USA, 2022

 

US Premiere, 84 min

 

Director – Mickey Reece

 

In attendance – Director Mickey Reece

 

Rising star Troyal Brux spends an evening with his idol George Jones, unaware that the country music legend has a rather cold deadline the following morning.

 

 

 

DECISION TO LEAVE

 

South Korea, 2022

 

US Premiere, 138 min

 

Director – Park Chan-wook

 

In attendance – Director Park Chan-wook

 

Laced with wicked humor, master filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s dazzlingly cinematic romantic thriller surprises and delights to the very last.

 

 

 

DEEP FEAR

 

France, 2022

 

North American Premiere, 80 min

 

Director – Grégory Beghin

 

Three friends are caught between a skinhead gang and an otherworldly enemy after discovering a forgotten secret in the depths of the Paris Catacombs.

 

 

 

DEMIGOD: THE LEGEND BEGINS

 

Taiwan, 2022

 

US Premiere, 103 min

 

Director – Chris Huang Wen Chang

 

Martial arts, magic, and marionettes collide in a dazzling kaleidoscope of blood-spattered puppetry in this one-of-a-kind wuxia spectacular.

 

 

 

DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY

 

Mexico, 2022

 

World Premiere, TBD min

 

Director – Luis Javier Henaine

 

After sneaking onto a crime scene to snap pictures of a corpse, an ambitious photographer stumbles into a curse that takes away his senses one by one.

 

 

 

THE ELDERLY

 

Spain, 2022

 

US Premiere, 95 min

 

Directors – Raul Cerezo & Fernando Gonzalez Gomez

 

An octogenarian starts behaving weirdly in the wake of his wife’s sudden suicide as he prepares for events leading up to a mysterious apocalypse.

 

 

 

EVERYONE WILL BURN

 

Spain, 2021

 

North American Premiere, 120 min

 

Director – David Hebrero

 

In attendance – Director David Hebrero

 

A mysterious young girl interrupts María José’s suicide attempt, offering the power to take revenge on the villagers responsible for her son’s death.

 

 

 

EVIL EYE

 

Mexico, 2022

 

World Premiere, 100 min

 

Director – Isaac Ezban

 

In attendance – Director Isaac Ezban, Actor Paola Miguel

 

Left in the care of their eccentric grandmother, Nala discovers that the tough old lady has sinister plans for her chronically ill sister, Luna.

FAMILY DINNER

 

Austria, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 96 min

 

Director – Peter Hengl

 

In attendance – Director Peter Hengl

 

An insecure teenager begs her nutritionist aunt for help shedding weight over the Easter holiday, unaware of how extreme the diet plan will become.

 

 

 

FINAL CUT

 

France, 2022

 

US Premiere, 111 min

 

Director – Michel Hazanavicius

 

Oscar-winning French director Michel Hazanavicius’ meta-remake of the Japanese cult movie ONE CUT OF THE DEAD manages a little tour de force.

 

 

 

THE FIVE DEVILS

 

France, 2022

 

North American Premiere, 103 min

 

Director – Léa Mysius

 

A young girl’s ability to smell and reproduce any scent transports her into her family’s troubled past in this gorgeous, magical realist drama.

 

 

 

FLESHEATER (Presented by AGFA)

 

USA, 1988

 

Texas Premiere of 4K Restoration, 89 min

 

Director – Bill Hinzman

 

The “spiritual sequel” to George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, newly restored in 4K from the original 16mm camera negative by Vinegar Syndrome.

 

 

 

FLOWING

 

Italy, Belgium, 2022

 

World Premiere, 93 min

 

Director – Paolo Strippoli

 

In attendance – Director Paolo Strippoli

 

A broken family violently confronts their tragic past as the Roman sewers exhale a hallucinatory toxin that revives repressed memories and fears.

 

 

 

GAMERA VS. ZIGRA

 

Japan, 1971

 

North American Premiere, 87 min

 

Director – Noriaki Yuasa

 

A classic case of mutated, talking murdershark vs. nuclear turtlebeast when Japanese cinema’s second-most iconic reptile takes on an oceanic threat!

 

 

 

GARCIA!

 

Spain, 2022

 

World Premiere of 1st 2 Episodes, 114 min

 

Director – Eugenio Mira

 

In attendance – Director Eugenio Mira

 

On the hunt for a scoop that could secure her a job, a journalist intern inadvertently awakens a superhuman agent created by Franco’s regime.

 

 

 

GIVE ME PITY!

 

USA, 2022

 

US Premiere, 80 min

 

Director – Amanda Kramer

 

Sissy St. Clair’s debut television special, a variety show evening of music and laughter, quickly curdles into a psychedelic nightmare.

 

 

 

H4Z4RD

 

Belgium, 2022

 

North American Premiere, 86 min

 

Director – Jonas Govaerts

 

When Noah Hazard volunteers to drive his beloved gold Lexus to help his jailbird cousin pick up a friend from prison, he doesn’t expect to be drawn into a murderous drug war.

 

 

 

HOLY SPIDER

 

Denmark, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 115 min

 

Director – Ali Abassi

 

A female journalist descends into an Iranian city’s underbelly to investigate a serial killer stalking sex workers to cleanse the streets of sinners.

 

 

 

HUESERA

 

Mexico, Peru, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 97 min

 

Director – Michelle Garza Cervera

 

In attendance – Director Michelle Garza Cervera

 

An expectant young mother confronts her past demons in Michelle Garza Cervera’s creepy mash-up between a folk ghost story and an anxiety attack.

 

 

HUNT

 

South Korea, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 125 min

 

Director – LEE Jung-jae

 

Rival KCIA agents hunt for an elusive North Korean spy in this ‘80s espionage thriller, the explosive directorial debut from SQUID GAME’s Lee Jung-jae.

JOINT SECURITY AREA (Presented by AGFA)

 

South Korea, 2000

 

US Premiere of Restoration, 110 min

 

Director – Park Chan-wook

 

Arrow Film’s new restoration of Park Chan-wook’s explosive exploration of the madness of war set in the DMZ between North and South Korea.

 

 

 

KIDS VS. ALIENS

 

USA, 2022

 

World Premiere, 75 min

 

Director – Jason Eisener

 

In attendance – Director Jason Eisener

 

Jason Eisener’s long-awaited follow-up to Canuxploitation classic HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN pits a group of moviemaking pals against sinister alien invaders.

 

 

 

KING ON SCREEN

 

France, USA, 2022

 

World Premiere, 105 min

 

Director – Daphné Baiwir

 

In attendance – Director Daphné Baiwir

 

A documentary exploration of the many screen adaptations of the work of Stephen King, with commentary from the filmmakers he’s influenced the most.

 

 

 

LA PIETÀ

 

Spain, Argentina, 2022

 

US Premiere, 84 min

 

Director – Eduardo Casanova

 

In attendance – Director Eduardo Casanova

 

A terminal cancer diagnosis upends a claustrophobic mother-son relationship in Spain’s auteur of weirdness, Eduardo Casanova’s sophomore film.

 

 

 

THE LEGACY OF THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE

 

United Kingdom, 2022

 

World Premiere, 83 min

 

Director – Phillip Escott

 

In attendance – Director Phillip Escott

 

Fest alumnus Phillip Escott presents a journey into THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, exploring the elements that garnered the film its cult status.

 

 

 

LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE

 

Philippines, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 99 min

 

Director – Martika Ramirez Escobar

 

In attendance – Director Martika Ramirez Escobar

 

A falling TV hits Leonor on the head, and she ends up in the action movie she’s writing, but there’s just one problem: she hasn’t finished the script.

 

 

 

A LIFE ON THE FARM

 

United Kingdom, USA, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 75 min

 

Director – Oscar Harding

 

In attendance – Director Oscar Harding, Executive Producers Joe Pickett & Nick Prueher

 

An often-macabre deep-dive into the inspiring legacy of the long-lost home movies of a filmmaking farmer’s life in rural Somerset, England.

 

 

 

LIVING WITH CHUCKY

 

USA, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 102 min

 

Director – Kyra Gardner

 

In attendance – Director Kyra Gardner

 

The daughter of one of Chucky’s puppeteers examines the family relationships that contributed to the success of the queer camp classic CHILD’S PLAY.

 

 

LYNCH / OZ

 

USA, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 108 min

 

Director – Alexandre O. Philippe

 

Documentary filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe dissects director David Lynch’s lifelong obsession with THE WIZARD OF OZ.

 

 

MAKO: THE JAWS OF DEATH

 

USA, 1976

 

Texas Premiere, 86 min

 

Director – William Grefé

 

A rabidly anti-human Vietnam vet cranks his telepathic shark-bond to 11 in William Grefe’s lethally entertaining shipwreck of JAWS and CARRIE.

 

 

MANTICORE

 

Spain, 2022

 

US Premiere, 115 min

 

Director – Carlos Vermut

 

In attendance – Director Carlos Vermut

 

Spanish cult director Carlos Vermut returns to the festival with an unsettling, intimate portrait of a real-life monster tortured by a grim secret.

 

 

 

MEDUSA DELUXE

 

United Kingdom, 2022

 

North American Premiere, 100 min

 

Director – Thomas Hardiman

 

In attendance – Director Thomas Hardiman

 

Tensions and hairspray run high when a stylist is murdered at an elite hairdressing competition where a passion for extravagance borders on obsession.

 

 

 

THE MENU

 

USA, 2022

 

US Premiere, 107 min

 

Director – Mark Mylod

 

In attendance – Director Mark Mylod

 

A couple (Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult) travels to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.

 

MISSING

 

Japan, 2021

 

US Premiere, 124 min

 

Director – Shinzô Katayama

 

A distraught daughter searches for her widower father, after he disappears while trying to collect the reward for capturing an unknown serial killer.

 

 

 

MISTER ORGAN

 

New Zealand, 2022

 

World Premiere, 96 min

 

Director – David Farrier

 

In attendance – Director David Farrier

 

Following reports of fraudulent car clamping in Auckland, journalist and filmmaker David Farrier opens an investigation that pushes him to the limits of his sanity in this incredible true story of psychological warfare.

 

 

 

THE NIGHTMARE

 

Norway, 2022

 

World Premiere, 99 min

 

Director – Kjersti Helen Rasmussen

 

Mona’s domestic bliss with her devoted boyfriend unravels as her night terrors intensify, but attempts at lucid dreaming reveal something sinister.

 

 

 

NIGHTSIREN

 

Slovakia, Czech Republic, 2022

 

US Premiere, 109 min

 

Director – Tereza Nvotová

 

Šarlota returns home decades after losing her sister in an accident, only to be faced by the brutal village patriarchy and accusations of witchcraft.

 

 

 

NOTHING

 

Denmark, Germany, 2022

 

International Premiere, 88 min

 

Directors – Trine Piil & Seamus McNally

 

In attendance – Directors Trine Piil & Seamus McNally

 

A group of teenage classmates face an existential crisis, pushing them into darker and darker territory as they confront the meaninglessness of life.

 

 

 

THE OFFERING

 

USA, 2022

 

US Premiere, 93 min

 

Director – Oliver Park

 

In attendance – Director Oliver Park

 

A desperate man defends his unborn child from an ancient demon brought into their family-owned, Hasidic funeral home inside a mysterious corpse.

 

 

 

OINK

 

The Netherlands, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 70 min

 

Director – Mascha Halberstad

 

A young girl suspects that her estranged butcher grandfather has sinister plans for the adorable piglet he has given her as a birthday gift.

 

 

 

ONE AND FOUR

 

China, 2021

 

Texas Premiere, 88 min

 

Director – Jigme Trinley

 

A Tibetan forest ranger must deduce who among the three visitors seeking refuge in his cabin from a coming blizzard are poachers and who are cops.

 

 

 

THE PEOPLE’S JOKER (Burnt Ends Selection)

 

USA, 2022

 

US Premiere, 92 min

 

Director – Vera Drew

 

In attendance – Director Vera Drew

 

The Joker finds new purpose in Gotham City after transitioning and opening an illegal comedy club in Vera Drew’s handcrafted superhero genre parody.

 

 

 

PIGGY

 

Spain, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 90 min

 

Director – Carlota Pereda

 

In attendance – Director Carlota Pereda

 

When a bullied girl’s tormentors are kidnapped, she faces the ultimate moral test: Does she help or allow them to suffer as payback?

 

 

 

PROJECT WOLF HUNTING

 

South Korea, 2022

 

US Premiere, 121 min

 

Director – KIM Hongsun

 

On the choppy seas between Manila and Busan, violent convicts run amok on a hellish cargo ship in this blood-soaked slice of maritime carnage.

 

 

 

SATANIC HISPANICS

 

USA, Mexico, Argentina, 2022

 

World Premiere, 105 min

 

Directors – Mike Mendez, Demian Rugna, Eduardo Sanchez, Gigi Saul Guerrero & Alejandro Brugues

 

In attendance – Directors Mike Mendez, Demian Rugna, Eduardo Sanchez, Gigi Saul Guerrero & Alejandro Brugues

 

Five crazy and original shorts from five entertaining Hispanic directors, together in an anthology that will make you laugh and jump in fright.

 

 

SHIN ULTRAMAN

 

Japan, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 113 min

 

Director – Shinji Higuchi

 

Ultraman descends from space after Japan suffers a devastating series of kaiju attacks in this homage to the classic, genre-defining TV series.

 

 

 

SICK

 

USA, 2022

 

US Premiere, 82 min

 

Director – John Hyams

 

As the pandemic steadily brings the world to a halt, Parker and her best friend Miri decide to quarantine at the family lake house alone – or so they think. Directed by John Hyams (ALONE), written by Kevin Williamson (SCREAM, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER) and Katelyn Crabb (SICK) and starring Gideon Adlon (BLOCKERS, THE CRAFT: LEGACY), Bethlehem Million (AND JUST LIKE THAT), Marc Menchaca (THE OUTSIDER, OZARK), and Jane Adams (TWIN PEAKS, POLTERGEIST, HACKS).

 

 

 

SICK OF MYSELF

 

Norway, Sweden, 2022

 

US Premiere, 95 min

 

Director – Kristoffer Borgli

 

Fueled by a need for attention, Signe plays a perverse game of one-upmanship with her boyfriend, popping a drug that causes a painful skin condition.

 

 

 

SMILE

 

USA, 2022

 

World Premiere, 116 min

 

Director – Parker Finn

 

In attendance – Director Parker Finn

 

After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.

 

 

SMOKING CAUSES COUGHING

 

France, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 80 min

 

Director – Quentin Dupieux

 

Five anti-smoking avengers are forced to take a mandatory team-building retreat in Quentin Dupieux’s absurdist take on the superhero genre.

 

 

SOLOMON KING

 

USA, 1974

 

World Premiere of 4K Restoration, 85 min

 

Directors – Jack Bomay & Sal Watts

 

Think twice before you mess with Solomon King! Deaf Crocodile’s meticulous restoration of Sal Watts’ ‘70s cult classic will soon be your new favorite.

 

 

SOMETHING IN THE DIRT

 

USA, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 115 min

 

Directors – Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead

 

In attendance – Directors Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead

 

A pair of Los Angeles misfits’ investigation into the city’s occult history sends them down a rabbit hole that threatens their friendship and sanity.

 

 

SPOONFUL OF SUGAR

 

USA, 2022

 

World Premiere, 94 min

 

Director – Mercedes Bryce Morgan

 

Desperate for connection, Millicent enmeshes herself in the lives of a dysfunctional family as her disturbing, LSD-fueled hallucinations grow violent.

 

 

THE STAIRWAY TO STARDOM MIXTAPE (Presented by AGFA)

 

USA, 2022

 

World Premiere, 70 min

 

Director – AFGA

 

Culled from more than 15 hours of footage, the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) presents the definitive cut of public access TV’s most otherworldly show.

 

 

THE STRANGE CASE OF JACKY CAILLOU

 

France, 2022

 

North American Premiere, 92 min

 

Director – Lucas Delangle

 

Jacky has his grandmother’s gift of healing, but when a woman turns up on his doorstep with an unusual problem, he must decide how far he’ll go for love.

 

 

SWALLOWED

 

USA, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 94 min

 

Director – Carter Smith

 

In attendance – Director Carter Smith and Actor Mark Patton

 

Forced to mule drugs on their crossing of the southern US border, two friends realize that the packages they ingested seem to be alive.

 

 

TERMINAL USA (Presented by AGFA)

 

USA, 1993

 

World Theatrical Premiere of 4K Restoration, 60 min

 

Director – Jon Moritsugu

 

Jon Moritsugu’s genre-melting underground classic, newly restored from the original camera negative by the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA).

 

 

TERRIFIER 2

 

USA, 2022

 

North American Premiere, 137 min

 

Director – Damien Leone

 

Resurrected by occult forces, Art the Clown returns to wreak bloody havoc on the residents of Miles County, targeting a frazzled mother and her kids.

 

 

TINTORERA!

 

Mexico, United Kingdom, 1977

 

Repertory 35mm Screening, 85 min

 

Director – René Cardona Jr.

 

A tiger shark disrupts two best friends’ blissful plans to enjoy life in the Caribbean in this Mexican sharksploitation classic from 1977.

 

TRIANGLE OF SADNESS

 

Sweden, 2022

 

US Premiere, 149 min

 

Director – Ruben Östlund

 

In Ruben Östlund’s wickedly funny Palme d’Or winner, social hierarchy is turned upside down, revealing the tawdry relationship between power and beauty. Celebrity model couple, Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged boat captain (Woody Harrelson). What first appeared instagrammable ends catastrophically, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island and fighting for survival.

 

TROPIC

 

France, 2022

 

North American Premiere, 110 min

 

Director – Edouard Salier

 

In attendance – Director Edouard Salier

 

An extraterrestrial substance cripples an aspiring young astronaut, forcing his twin brother out of his shadow to continue his training alone.

 

ULTRAMAN (4K EDITION)

 

Japan, 1966

 

Texas Premiere of 2022 4K EDITION, 101 min

 

Directors – Samaji Nonagase, Hajime Tsuburaya & Akio Jissoji

 

Four episodes from the brand new 4k restoration of the original Ultraman television series.

 

UNICORN WARS

 

Spain, France, 2022

 

US Premiere, 92 min

 

Director – Alberto Vázquez

 

After a bloody defeat in their apocalyptic war against the Unicorns, the Teddy Bear army launches a desperate attack in the heart of the magic forest.

 

UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS

 

USA, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 100 min

 

Director – Juan Felipe Zuleta

 

In attendance – Director Juan Felipe Zuleta

 

An internet sex worker convinces her reclusive neighbor to road-trip across North America for a rendezvous with visitors from a distant galaxy.

 

 

V/H/S/99

 

USA, 2022

 

US Premiere, 99 min

 

Directors – Johannes Roberts, Maggie Levin, Flying Lotus, Tyler MacIntyre, Vanessa Winter & Joseph Winter

 

In attendance – Directors Maggie Levin & Tyler MacIntyre

 

The found footage anthology’s latest scare package rewinds the tape back to 1999 with bloody tales set against the end of the millennium.

 

 

VENUS

 

Spain, 2022

 

US Premiere, 100 min

 

Director – Jaume Balagueró

 

In attendance – Director Jaume Balagueró

 

Injured in an attempt to steal from her boss, Lucía hides with her sister, unaware that something’s very wrong with the rundown building’s residents.

 

 

VESPER

 

Belgium, France, Lithuania, 2022

 

US Premiere, 112 min

 

Directors – Kristina Buožytė & Bruno Samper

 

In attendance – Directors Kristina Buožytė & Bruno Samper

 

In a post-apocalyptic world, a peasant girl’s encounter with an oligarch’s lost daughter leads to a discovery that could reverse ecological collapse.

 

VIDEO DIARY OF A LOST GIRL (Presented by AGFA)

 

USA, 2012

 

World Premiere, 96 min

 

Director – Lindsay Denniberg

 

The American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) presents a new preservation of DIY filmmaker Lindsay Denniberg’s hypercolored, VHS-inspired horror valentine.

 

THE VISITOR FROM THE FUTURE

 

France, 2022

 

North American Premiere, 102 min

 

Director – François Descraques

 

A snarky time traveler from the year 2555 arrives to save the world from ecological disaster by attempting to assassinate a climate activist’s father.

 

WE MIGHT AS WELL BE DEAD

 

Germany, Romania, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 93 min

 

Director – Natalia Sinelnikova

 

When a dog disappears from a secluded high-rise building, fear spreads among the residents, threatening to turn their utopia into Absurdistan.

 

A WOUNDED FAWN

 

USA, 2022

 

Texas Premiere, 91 min

 

Director – Travis Stevens

 

In attendance – Director Travis Stevens, Actors Sarah Lind & Josh Ruben

 

Bruce is erudite, handsome, and charming… but he’s also a psychotic serial killer urged to violence by the gigantic red owl that lives in his head.

 

YEAR OF THE SHARK

 

France, 2022

 

North American Premiere, 84 min

 

Directors – Ludovic Boukherma & Zoran Boukherma

 

A maritime police sergeant-major spends her last days before retirement in the relentless pursuit of the shark terrorizing her small beach town.

 

 

 

Lee B. Golden III

filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com | Web

Native New Yorker. Lover of all things pizza, chocolate, pets, and good friends. Karaoke hero. Left of center. Survivor. Fond supporter of cult, obscure and independent cinema - especially fond of Asian movies and global action cinema. Author of the bi-weekly Hit List. Founder and editor of Film Combat Syndicate. Still, very much, only human.