Festivals - Fantastic Fest 2025 : Celebrating Two Decades of the World’s Wildest Genre Festival with the Boldest Lineup Yet

By Mulder, 14 august 2025

Fantastic Fest 2025 marks a monumental milestone: the 20th anniversary of the largest genre film festival in the United States. For two decades, the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas has been transformed into a temple of the weird, the terrifying, the provocative, and the outright fantastic. Running from September 18 to September 25, this year’s festival promises to outdo itself with 78 feature films spanning horror, sci-fi, fantasy, action, and uncategorizable oddities. With 45 world premieres, 15 international and North American premieres, and 13 U.S. premieres, the scope of the lineup is unprecedented. Festival Director Lisa Dreyer has emphasized that the event is “an 8-day celebration of cinematic excellence and excess,” and judging from the programming, she is not exaggerating. The fest opens with the world premiere of Johannes Roberts’s Primate, led by Johnny Sequoyah and Oscar-winner Troy Kotsur, and closes with Whistle, a supernatural teen horror from director Corin Hardy and writer Owen Edgerton that promises grisly fun. Between those two pillars lies a treasure trove of cinematic experiences.

The major studio involvement underlines how far Fantastic Fest has come. Sony Pictures delivers Sisu: Road to Revenge from Jalmari Helander, starring Stephen Lang and Jorma Tommila in a continuation of the cult Finnish action hit. Paramount showcases Vicious, a nightmarish vision from Bryan Bertino featuring Dakota Fanning, while Universal and Blumhouse return with Black Phone 2 from Scott Derrickson, deepening the saga of “The Grabber.” Lionsgate brings The Strangers – Chapter 2 from Renny Harlin, while Shudder continues its tradition of genre audacity with V/H/S/Halloween, Crazy Old Lady from Martín Mauregui, and The Creep Tapes Season 2 from Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass. A24 once again demonstrates its mastery of risk-taking with Mary Bronstein’s If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, featuring Rose Byrne, Conan O’Brien, Danielle Macdonald, Christian Slater, and A$AP Rocky, while NEON balances prestige and horror with Chris Stuckmann’s Shelby Oaks and Oliver Laxe’s Sirât. The weight of these titles underscores Fantastic Fest’s dual identity as both a playground for genre fans and a platform where major studios test their boldest creations.

The full lineup of films reads like an encyclopedia of global genre cinema, with each title standing out for its inventive premise, its bold creative voice, or its connection to Fantastic Fest’s history. Among the world premieres, Bad Haircut by Kyle Misak takes a seemingly trivial grooming decision and escalates it into a survival nightmare, while Body Blow by Dean Francis ventures into neon-soaked noir with kink and danger. Camp by Avalon Fast explores witchcraft as a path to healing in the guise of a summer camp story, and Coyotes by Colin Minihan pits Justin Long and Kate Bosworth against nature in a kinetic thriller. Night Patrol by Ryan Prows takes audiences into the gritty heart of gang violence and police corruption, while Haunted Heist marks Lil Rel Howery’s directorial debut with Tiffany Haddish leading an ensemble in a haunted Airbnb robbery gone wrong. Horror fans will be particularly intrigued by Dolly from Rod Blackhurst, which promises brutal kills and the intensity of New French Extremity, and The Evil That Binds Us from Nico Postiglione, a Chilean tale of secrets and fury in 1950s rural life.

Restorations and rarities provide another highlight, curated with the help of the American Genre Film Archive. The preservation of S. Torriano Berry’s Embalmer ensures that a vital piece of 1990s horror history is not lost, while screenings of Bruno Mattei’s delirious Cruel Jaws and Prachya Pinkaew’s martial arts masterpiece Chocolate remind audiences of cinema’s wilder legacies. Additional restorations include Brian Yuzna’s Bride of Re-Animator, F. Javier Gutierrez’s Before the Fall, Antoine Pellissier’s Folies Meurtrières, Doris Wishman’s unreleased Dildo Heaven, Skip Schoolnik’s Hide and Go Shriek, and the cult surrealist comedy Freaked by Tom Stern and Alex Winter. Perhaps the crown jewel of this section is the 4K restoration of Angel’s Egg, the ethereal masterpiece by Mamoru Oshii with designs by Yoshitaka Amano, finally returning to U.S. screens four decades after its original release.

The festival’s Burnt Ends sidebar once again offers some of the most daring cinema of the program. This includes the stop-motion cosmic horror Shrine of Abominations by Skinner and Ross Kennedy, the culinary horror Dinner to Die For by Diana Mills Smith, and Tie Man by Rémi Fréchette, a psychotronic revenge tale evoking Frank Henenlotter and David Cronenberg. Katherine Dudas’ Theater is Dead satirizes the intersection of theater kids and horror freaks, while Penance by Nikolas Pelekai brings a blood-soaked tale of brotherhood and revenge. These micro-budget works sit proudly alongside studio offerings, proving Fantastic Fest’s enduring philosophy that vision and madness matter more than budget size.

The international scope of the lineup is particularly notable this year, with films like Beast of War by Kiah Roache-Turner bringing WWII shark horror from Australia, Her Will Be Done by Julia Kowalski offering a Polish vampire curse drama, The Holy Boy by Paolo Strippoli from Italy and Slovenia delving into grief and supernatural encounters, and Marama by Taratoa Stappard, a New Zealand film examining Māori identity in colonial England. Radu Jude’s Dracula pushes Romanian cinema into provocative, taboo-shattering territory, while Gabriele Mainetti’s The Forbidden City from Italy promises martial arts mayhem. French cinema shines through with Lucile Hadžihalilović’s surreal The Ice Tower and Quentin Dupieux’s The Piano Accident, while Chloé Cinq-Mars’ Nesting explores psychological unraveling in Canada and Switzerland. Asian cinema is also strongly represented, with Kenichi Ugana’s The Curse and Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s A Useful Ghost weaving supernatural terror into culturally rooted narratives.

Every anniversary requires a celebration of community, and Fantastic Fest 2025 ensures that its events embody the wild spirit of Austin. From the opening night party with Castle Rat’s medieval heavy metal performance to the anniversary tribute to The Masters of Horror featuring Mick Garris, Don Coscarelli, and Ernest Dickerson, the festival merges cinephilia with carnival energy. Special events like Doug Benson’s Movie Interruption, the Ghoulish Book Fair, a medieval drag show hosted by Louisianna Purchase, and even a fundraiser for The Transgender Film Center with exclusive merch from Super Yaki demonstrate that Fantastic Fest is as much about the collective experience as the films themselves. As Michael Kustermann noted, Fantastic Fest was designed to celebrate genre cinema and remains a beacon for both audiences and filmmakers. This 20th edition underscores that philosophy, balancing outrageous premieres with critical retrospectives, wild parties with meaningful activism.

Looking across the lineup, it is clear that Fantastic Fest 2025 is not merely a festival but a statement: genre cinema is alive, evolving, and capable of carrying both studio ambition and underground experimentation. From Deathgasm 2: Goremageddon’s gleeful promise of “Satan’s anus” chaos to Charlie Polinger’s serious debut The Plague, which scrutinizes adolescent cruelty in a summer water polo camp, the range is breathtaking. The jury lineup, featuring figures like Patton Oswalt, Fred Durst, Otessa Moshfegh, Aaron Schimberg, Mercedes Bryce Morgan, Brandon Hill, Lars Knudsen, and Mònica Garcia Massagué, ensures that awards will be decided by a blend of creative insight and genre expertise.

In its twenty years, Fantastic Fest has premiered films like Parasite, Smile, Jojo Rabbit, John Wick, and Suspiria, while hosting guests from Tim Burton to Taika Waititi and Jamie Lee Curtis. This year’s lineup proves it remains the boldest, most eclectic, and most essential genre festival in the world. Whether it is through blood-soaked midnight madness, soulful restorations, or joyous debates, Fantastic Fest 2025 is poised to remind everyone why Austin remains the capital of the strange and the fantastic.

Film lineup below : 

13 days till summer (Poland) (2025) (International Premiere) (80 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
Director - Prachya Pinkaew
AGFA presents a 35mm screening of the 21st century Thai martial arts classic.

Coyotes (USA) (2025) (World Premiere) (91 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
Director - Antoine Pellissier
Bleeding Skull presents a restoration of the dreamlike 1980s slasher from France.

The forbidden city (Italy) (2025) (US Premiere) (138 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
Directors - Skinner & Ross Kennedy
A stop-motion cosmic horror from artists Skinner and Ross Kennedy.

Silencio (Spain) (2025) (North American Premiere) (56 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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?

The man (Burnt Ends Selection) (Canada) (2024) (International Premiere) (99 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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 minutes)
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.

(Source : press release)