Writer/director Eddie Alcazar latest sci-fi vision, Divinity, had its Texas premiere at Fantastic Fest. Set in an interesting retro-futuristic world full of surreal oddity, the film is a visually stunning slow burn that lightly explores its themes, resulting in an experience that pleases the eye, but can’t quite engage the mind or forge an emotional connection.
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Fantastic Fest kicks off this year’s festival with the world premiere of Macon Blair’s The Toxic Avenger. This is a studio reimagining of the 1984 Troma cult classic that is totally true to its vibe but also moves in its own direction. The film is a great homage with a fresh twist that’s wonderfully wacky, extremely gory, and absolutely hysterical. If you’re anything like us, you will be delighted to see the Toxic Avenger make his return!
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Thar she blows! Writer/director Neil Ferron creates a wild, weird, and wonderful wave of mermaid mutilation with his short film, Fishmonger. The film had its world premiere at this year’s Fantastic Fest and was even one of the first shorts to be programmed as a part of festival’s Burnt End section, a collection of films that “shatter all traditional borders of taste and convention."
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Spanish director David Velduque's new work, Transción, had its world premiere at this year’s Fantastic Fest, screening in its Short Fuse section, a shorts block that delivers “cutting-edge horror that will make you ponder the uncanny.” The film focuses on the abandonment suffered by elderly trans people and delivers unnerving atmosphere and creepy body horror.
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Writer/director Sam Fox latest horror-comedy hybrid, Fck’n Nuts, certainly lives up to its name — and in more way than one. The short has had a phenomenal festival run and recently screened in Fantastic Fest’s Short Fuse section, a shorts block that delivers “cutting-edge horror that will make you ponder the uncanny.”
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Travis Stevens is totally unhinged in his latest film, A Wounded Fawn, a psychedelic giallo-tinged arthouse horror that embraces the psychotic. The film is a gritty and grimy vibe that blends slasher and cabin-in-the-woods subgenres to interesting affect.
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Luca Guadagnino is making somewhat of a home out of horror, and we’re absolutely here for it! Reteaming with Suspira (2018) screenwriter, David Kajganich, Guadagnino cooks up another compelling arthouse horror flick with Bones And All. Based on the novel of the same name, the film successfully mashes coming-of-age, romance, and horror into a ravenous road film that ranks amongst the year’s best offerings.
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Parker Finn’s feature film debut, Smile, kicked off this year’s Fantastic Fest, where the film received its world premiere. The film is the latest in the “transferrable curse” subgenre, which it uses to make a statement on trauma. It doesn’t do anything new, but everything it does, it does in an effective manner.
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Following the success of his indie feature Sister Tempest, New Orleans writer/director Joe Badon is back, and he’s brought his next wild and wacky vision to Fantastic Fest! Paired with Alex Phillips’ All Jacked Up And Full Of Worms, which screened in the festivals “Burnt Ends” section, Badon’s short, The Blood Of The Dinosaurs, delivered the surrealistic comedy goods and properly primed Fantastic Fest audiences at Tuesday’s afternoon screening.
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Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy makes her feature film debut with the wistfully nostalgic genre mishmash, Reminiscence. Blending elements of sci-fi, thriller, mystery, romance, and noir into a soggy pulp, the film plays with a lot of interesting, albeit unoriginal ideas, but doesn’t possess the power to fully captivate. For all its creativity, it will likely remind many viewers of better films, rather than excite them.
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A Las Vegas casino heist, a horde of super-human living dead, and a zombie tiger — oh my! Zack Snyder returns to the director’s chair and his roots with Netflix-distributed Army Of The Dead, delivering a fun and somewhat inspired genre-hybrid blockbuster.
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Sanctum director Alister Grierson returns with a twisted take on the escape thriller. Combining dark comedy and horror with a dash of demented fairy tale, Bloody Hell is a surprisingly entertaining dingy actioner that leaves a trail of mayhem in its warped wake.
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Genre veteran Tyler Savage’s sophomore release, Blinders, recently made its North American Premiere at the Austin Film Festival. The increasingly creepy film follows a lonely transplant to the City of Angels who forms a dangerous friendship with a rideshare driver. With its stylish swagger and unforeseen twist, Blinders makes a solid entry into the stalker sub-genre.
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