Fantastic Fest XX: SKYLINE: WARPATH, THE FORBIDDEN CITY, THE BLACK PHONE 2 And More Energize The 2025 Edition!

I might be short one festival come next year, in which case it’s always great to have room for another, and Fantastic Fest has always come through in clutch. This year will be something truly special though as the organization marks its twentieth edition, and doing so accordingly with a slew of titles to rally the Fantastic crowd.

A closer look brings us to The Forbidden City which is a fervent contender as one of 2025’s best action films, and The Black Phone 2 returning actors Ethan Hawke and Mason Thames to the screen following the inaugural 2022 hit from Universal Pictures. Joining the roster are Liam O’Donnell’s Skyline: Warpath, the long-awaited continuation of the alien invasion saga that rejoins Iko Uwais with Scott Adkins for a brand new spin-off of sorts, and Jalmari Helander’s Sisu: Road To Vengeance, as well as a special screening of Jeeja Yanin’s breakout, Chocolate, and Steven Kostanski’s upcoming Deathstalker which bows this week at Locarno.

And this is just a tip of the larger iceberg that is Fantastic Fest which kicks off its weeklong festivities beginning September 18. Thursday’s announcement is loaded and I can barely sum it up in a few paragraphs. Jump in below and read on for the rest, and head over to the official Fantastic Fest website for all other essentials!

FANTASTIC FEST ANNOUNCES AN EPIC 2025 LINEUP FOR ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION, OPENING THE FEST WITH THE WORLD PREMIERE OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES’ ‘PRIMATE’ AND THE WORLD PREMIERE OF INDEPENDENT FILM COMPANY AND SHUDDER’S ‘WHISTLE’ AS CLOSING NIGHT FILM

Joining the 2025 lineup are world premieres for Sony Pictures’ Stage 6 Films & Screen Gems’ SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE, Paramount Pictures’ VICIOUS, Universal Pictures and Blumhouse’s BLACK PHONE 2, Lionsgate’s THE STRANGERS – CHAPTER 2, Shudder’s V/H/S/HALLOWEEN and THE CREEP TAPES SEASON 2, the U.S. premieres of NEON’s SHELBY OAKS and SIRÂT, plus A24’s IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU, magnificent Opening and Closing Night Parties, unforgettable events, and much more at Alamo Drafthouse’s legendary film festival.



AUSTIN, TX — August 14, 2025 — Hear ye, hear ye! Step forth and feast thine eyes upon Fantastic Fest’s 20th anniversary lineup! Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s Fantastic Fest is celebrating its 20th edition by bringing you a treasure trove of highly anticipated cinematic wonders from around the world. Featuring 45 World Premieres, 15 International and North American Premieres, and 13 U.S. Premieres that are guaranteed to delight and surprise you, complemented by unforgettable events and magnificent special guests. Celebrate with us at the legendary Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, TX, from September 18th-25th, 2025.



“Fantastic Fest is turning 20, and we’re turning the fest into an 8 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 Alamo 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.”



Fantastic Fest 2025 opens in spectacular fashion, featuring the world premiere of Paramount’s PRIMATE, from Director Johannes Roberts, in which a group of friends’ tropical vacation turns into a terrifying, primal tale of horror and survival. Featuring an incredible ensemble cast led by Johnny Sequoyah and Oscar®-winning Troy Kotsur, PRIMATE is an unbelievably entertaining horror film, filled with gory mayhem, in theaters January 9, 2026.



The closing night film will be the world premiere of Independent Film Company and Shudder’s crowd-pleasing horror film WHISTLE, from director Corin Hardy (THE NUN) and writer Owen Edgerton. A group of high-school students discover an ancient Aztec death whistle that unleashes a deadly curse upon their town. As the teens are hunted down one by one to meet their deaths in spectacularly gruesome ways, it’s a race against time to discover how to stop the demonic force before it’s too late.



Fantastic Fest is also thrilled to launch Fantastic Pitches this year, a new initiative to support filmmakers by providing $100,000 in funding and a global distribution deal from new genre-label Chroma. Finalists will pitch their projects live at the fest, in front of a jury composed of notable industry professionals, including director Matt Johnson (NIRVANA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE).



Major studio films include the world premiere of Sony Pictures’ Stage 6 Films & Screen Gems’ SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE, the world premiere of Paramount Pictures’ chilling new horror film from writer and director Bryan Bertino, VICIOUS, the world premiere of Universal Pictures and Blumhouse’s highly anticipated BLACK PHONE 2, the U.S. premieres of NEON’s SHELBY OAKS and Cannes jury-prize winner SIRÂT, the world premiere of Lionsgate’s THE STRANGERS – CHAPTER 2, the world premieres of Shudder’s latest installment of their popular franchise V/H/S/HALLOWEEN, and two episodes from the fan-favorite series THE CREEP TAPES SEASON 2, the Texas premiere of A24’s kinetic IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU, and the world premiere of Shudder’s CRAZY OLD LADY from producer J.A. Bayona.



An esteemed jury of filmmakers, creatives and industry insiders will join us to bestow awards in four categories: Main Competition, Horror, Next Wave, and Shorts. Notable jurors include actor Patton Oswalt, director and musician Fred Durst, author Otessa Moshfegh, filmmakers Aaron Schimberg and Mercedes Bryce Morgan, producers Brandon Hill of Lionsgate, Lars Knudsen of Square Peg, Jose Cañas of Ghost House Pictures, and Shams Mohajerani of 75East, and festival notables Lisa Ogdie of Sundance, Mònica Garcia Massagué of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, and Matt Pifko of Kanopy.



Other notable World Premieres include:

Ryan Prows’ NIGHT PATROL starring Jermaine Fowler, Justin Long, and RJ Cyler.
COYOTES, a survival thriller by Colin Minihan starring Justin Long and Kate Bosworth.
HAUNTED HEIST, Lil Rel Howery’s directorial debut, with Tiffany Haddish leading a hilarious all-star ensemble cast.
DOLLY, a terrifying slasher with unbelievable kills from Rod Blackhurst, shot on film.


The Events

Fantastic Fest has a variety of spectacular special events this year, including:



Castle Rat will bring their medieval heavy metal antics for the opening night party, presented by Shudder.
A celebration of the 20th anniversary of The Masters Of Horror, featuring Mick Garris, Don Coscarelli, and Ernest Dickerson in conversation.
A fundraiser for The Transgender Film Center, with exclusive merch from Super Yaki.
Live events throughout the week including a Ghoulish Book Fair, a medieval drag show hosted by the legendary Louisianna Purchase, Doug Benson’s Movie Interruption, an exclusive collection of video oddities from The Found Footage Festival, and more.
And finally, Fantastic Fest classics like the Fantastic Feud, the Fantastic Debates, and an epic Closing Night Party at a secret location to close out the week.


Rapturous Restorations and Other Rarities



Once again, we are partnering with our friends at the American Genre Film Archive to bring a selection of restorations to the festival, including the world premiere of the preservation of the bloody slasher EMBALMER, with visionary Director S. Torriano Berry in attendance, a screening of the newly restored greatest shark film of all time CRUEL JAWS, and a 35mm screening of the Thai action thriller CHOCOLATE.



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.



Fantastic Fest is proud to work with distributors dedicated to the art of preservation, and the lineup includes world premieres of the new 4K restoration of THE BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR from Eagle Rock Pictures, Chroma’s 4K restoration of BEFORE THE FALL from alumnus F. Javier Gutierrez, the French oddity FOLIES MEURTRIÈRES from Bleeding Skull, the new digital preservation of Doris Wishman’s DILDO HEAVEN from Muscle Releasing, the 4K restoration of HIDE AND GO SHRIEK from Graveface Films which is a subsidiary of Terror Vision Home Video, and the 4K restoration of FREAKED starring Alex Winters from Drafthouse Films. More notable restorations include the 4K restoration of the cult classic animation ANGEL’S EGG from GKids.



Burnt Ends, Fantastic Fest’s sidebar dedicated to micro-budget outlier cinema, is back for its third year with an animation block that features the world premieres of the stop-motion masterpiece THE SHRINE OF ABOMINATIONS from Skinner & Ross Kennedy, a hand drawn wonder ANIMAL MATH from Robbie C. Ward, and the comedic GIRLS NIGHT OUT from Ashley Sengstaken, world premieres of the horror comedy THEATER IS DEAD, and the inventive thriller DINNER TO DIE FOR, and TIE MAN, a pulpy and offbeat crime thriller.



We are grateful to our partners at Shudder for supporting Fantastic Fest this year including sponsoring the opening night party. As they celebrate their 10th anniversary, they have screened films and/or acquired films every year out of the festival, truly ringing in a decade of screams in the heart of the genre festival community.



Fantastic Fest is proud to present 78 feature films, 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.





FILM LINEUP BELOW:

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

US 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 US premiere four decades after its initial release.



APPOFENIACS

USA, 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

USA, 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

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

USA, 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

UK, 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

USA, 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

USA, 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)

USA, 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

UK, 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

USA, 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

USA, 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

US 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)

USA, 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

USA, Italy, 2025

US 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

US 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

USA, 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!

USA, 2025

US 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

USA, 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

USA, 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

US 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

US 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

USA, 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

US 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

USA, 2025

US 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

USA, 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

USA, 2025

US 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)

USA, 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, USA, 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

USA, 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 swathe through Asia’s neon-drenched underworld in this eye-catching debut from a noteworthy new voice in genre filmmaking.



SHELBY OAKS

USA, 2025

US 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)

USA, 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

US 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, USA, 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 set pieces.



SKYLINE: WARPATH

UK, 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

USA, 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)

USA, 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

US 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

USA, 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

USA, 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, USA, 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

USA, 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.

Lee B. Golden III

fcsyndicate@outlook.com | Web

Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!