Fantastic Fest is a film festival unlike any other I've attended (check out our first half recap for more on that). The very specific special events programming that ties into the lineup is always a highlight. The film program itself is a mix of the year's most anticipated titles and weird little gems that it would be very hard to come across if not for the festival programmers' mission to bring the strange and unusual to the masses. It's also a good way to check the “temperature” of the genre and where we're heading.
Fantastic Fest Director Lisa Dreyer says a freedom to take risks was the main trend she saw when going through submissions and crafting this year's roster: “I'm noticing a lot more freedom in the horror space now. Filmmakers aren't as scared of taking risks; we saw some wild, unclassifiable films the filmmakers really made just for themselves rather than trying to follow a formula to get into a festival or get distribution. One of those films (horror musical comedy Chainsaws Were Singing) actually won Best Picture in our Horror Competition, proving that when a filmmaker follows their instinct and passion, it pays off with our audience.”
International horror is also seeing a huge uptick, “Subtitles don't scare our audience. We actually have more foreign language films than English language films in our lineup every year, and our audience really appreciates those different perspectives.” I can attest that many of these international horror movies are some of the biggest surprises. Oftentimes, they don't have distribution (at least not domestically), and if not for the fest, it would take a long time for these titles to land on our radar. This is the case for some of our favorite Fantastic Fest movies this year (more on that below).
As I've mentioned in previous articles, Fantastic Fest is truly an odd place in all the best ways. The entire festival being housed in the South Lamar Alamo Drafthouse makes it very easy to strike up a conversation with strangers in the Highball between screenings. That stranger may end up being a casual, movie-loving stranger, or a movie-loving lead or director in a film that just premiered. You may be taken aback when a duo unassumingly mounts the karaoke stage to harmonize a Fleetwood Mac track to a maddening level of perfection, only to find out they also made one of the most talked-about titles of the festival.
What I'm saying is it feels like a perfect home for misfits — inclusive and welcoming by design. “We really are trying to make the horror space as inclusive as possible through our programming and our atmosphere. My number one goal is to make sure everyone who loves horror feels welcome and comfortable at the fest. Festivals can be pretty intimidating, and we want to make sure everyone who joins us has a great time and feels like part of our festival family, whether it's their 1st or 19th fest. You don't have to be a horror expert to have fun at Fantastic Fest, no one is going to quiz you, if you show up open and ready to have fun, you're going to be welcomed.”
To be fair, no one is going to quiz you… unless you're at one of the trivia events or on the Fantastic Feud, and those get pretty heated. Other than that, you're in the clear!
Take a look below for some of the unexpected gems discovered by Fantastic Fest and served up fresh to festival attendees.
Even if you watch an average of 25 movies during the fest, (which sounds like an insane number when written out that way), it hardly even makes a dent in the massive lineup of “83 feature films and episodics, as well as a variety of short film selections.” Inevitably, there are titles on my list that I have not yet watched but fully expect to love. These unwatched titles have been suggested to me and raved about by numerous friends and colleagues. I'll give those future favorites a special section below so you know to keep an eye out for them as well. And now, we present the biggest new horror movie surprises of Fantastic Fest 2024.
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Dead Talents Society
Hands down one of my favorites of the fest, it also won John Hsu the Best Director award in the Horror Features category. Fortunately, Sony is distributing this one. Unfortunately, we don't have an official release date just yet, but hopefully good news for Dead Talents Society is not far behind.
Beetlejuice‘s Neitherworld has been the most common reference here, fair because we are inhabiting the Afterlife, but there are also elements of Los Espookys and a good amount of Easter egg/references to Japanese horror icons. It's a surprisingly touching look at mortality and what it means to be seen and to “make it.” (Plus a fair amount at poking a bit of fun at “influencer” and social media culture.) Don't worry, the touching aspect does not discount any of the fantastic horror set pieces or the comedy.
Ick
ICK Joseph Kahn describes his sci-fi/horror satire as a movie parents can watch with their teenagers. It's PG-13 horror at its best, with creature feature elements heavily inspired by The Blob (in tone, not design) and a hefty sprinkling of teenage horror movies of a certain era (The Faculty vibes are particularly strong). Kahn built his career directing music videos for heavy hitters and he utilizes those music industry connections to provide an insane amount of needle drops.
The story follows high school science teacher (Brandon Routh) as he battles a parasitic alien entity while also facing off against the apathy of the small town the parasite has been gradually absorbing.
Fantastic Fest had this tagged under the following: Creature Feature, Emo Soundtrack, Comedy, Horror, Camp, and Beautiful Men. If even five of those six things sound appealing to you, I bet you're going to have a great time with this one.
Get Away
Shaun of the Dead star Nick Frost wrote and stars in this new slasher. That sentence alone was reason enough for us to be chomping at the bit to catch the world premiere at Fantastic Fest. The story centers on a family vacation to a remote getaway which takes an unexpected turn when they discover the island they’re on is inhabited by a serial killer.
The horror comedy hits all the right notes, and Frost is, of course, a delight. While most horror comedies tend to veer closer to the slasher side of subgenres, Get Away utilizes a nice little folk horror backdrop to great effect, and the ensemble cast is phenomenal across the board.
Respati
FANGORIA co-owner Tara Ansley was a big fan of one of those aforementioned international horror movies Dreyer mentioned above. Here's what she had to say about it: “I had the chance to catch Respati during Fantastic Fest's first night. The mix of family drama and supernatural elements was engaging, but the fight sequences were the real standout for me. I'm excited to see what director Sidharta Tata does next, and I'd love for them to dive into even darker themes. Respati is a great example of how international horror, especially from Indonesia, continues to entertain audiences. I would give everything away if I discussed specifics, but I hope it encourages more people to explore the rich and diverse world of international horror.”
The Draft
Without giving too much away, Indonesian horror film The Draft plays with well-worn genre tropes before taking audiences in a whole different direction. It goes meta, but perhaps not in the way you're anticipating. It's certainly a story filmmakers and film lovers will equally appreciate, and I'll stop there lest I say too much. Last we heard, Yusron Fuadi's Indonesian horror comedy was actively seeking distribution. Let's hope it's not much longer before this one is in front of your eyeballs.
Strange Harvest: Occult Murder In The Inland Empire
This is not a true crime documentary. I repeat, this is not a true crime documentary. But kudos to writer/director Stuart Ortiz (one half of the duo behind Grave Encounters) and the marketing team for initially fooling me. There are moments in this faux documentary that seriously had me questioning whether it was indeed truly faux. Grisly crime scene setups presented in the style of the ever-popular true crime docs are unsettling to say the least. Follow a brutal (and fictitious) serial killer wreaking havoc across California's Inland Empire.
What Happened To Dorothy Bell?
Found footage fans will appreciate the use of director Danny Villanueva Jr.'s mixed media to build a cohesive story. Lisa Wilcox (Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and 5) and Michael Hargrove (Nia DaCosta’s Candyman) star alongside Asya Meadows in a story centering on generational trauma. Here's the official synopsis:
As Ozzie Gray (Asya Meadows) begins to understand her own struggle with mental health as an adult, she realizes that her grandmother’s violent attack on her when she was a young child has more to reveal about her past and self. After journeying back to a haunted library in her hometown associated with an urban legend, Ozzie confronts the secrets kept from her and a terrifying supernatural threat.
Asya Meadows is an impressive lead (and also very good at karaoke as witnessed in the Alamo's Highball.)
Little Bites
The terrifying Agyar (Jon Skarloff) of LITTLE BITES Cher executive produced this new horror film, written and directed by Spider One. OneFox Productions are the folks behind Bury The Bride and Allegoria. This time, they're bringing us a tale of a mother willing to sacrifice anything to protect her daughter.
Horror fans will notice lots of familiar faces in this one, the indie filmmaking duo have built up something of an acting troupe made up of horror royalty. Krsy Fox (Bury The Bride, Underworld Evolution) stars alongside horror legends Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, You’re Next), Heather Langenkamp (Nightmare on Elm Street, The Midnight Club), and Bonnie Aarons (The Nun, The Conjuring 2). The film also features Jon Sklaroff, Elizabeth Caro, Chaz Bono, Lyndsi LaRose, Mark Kelly, Christopher Alvarenga, your Fango online creep Angel Melanson, Elle Riot Fox, and James A. Janisse and Chelsea Rebecca of Dead Meat. (Or, as we like to call them, “The Meats”).
Check out our interview with Little Bites‘ Spider One and Krsy Fox right here. And find more in the latest issue of FANGORIA.
The Rule of Jenny Pen
Our EIC Phil Nobile Jr. was a big fan of this one. And he wasn't alone, taking home awards for Best Director (James Ashcroft) and Best Actor (Geoffrey Rush) in the Main Competition category. John Lithgow is fully unleashed into full villain mode to great effect. Lithgow and Rush star in a tale of a former Judge who must stop an elderly psychopath who employs a child's puppet to abuse the home's residents with deadly consequences.
More New Horror Movies To Keep On Your Radar (Presenting: Potential Future Favorites)
Mads
Filmed in a single shot, writer and director David Moreau (Them) set out to immerse the audience into a waking nightmare, plunged into a universe where the boundary between dream and reality blurs. The choice to shoot the film in a single shot stems from the desire to closely follow the leads characters without interruption throughout their hallucinatory journey and become a direct witness to their descent into hell without filter or escape. The story follows a teen who stops to see his dealer, tries a new drug, and sets out to party. On the way, he picks up an injured woman on the side of the road and decides to help her – but when she gets in his car, she suddenly smashes her head against the dashboard, bleeding out until she dies. From there, the night descends into madness as he and two friends try to decipher if they're having a bad trip or if something worse is happening to them.Chainsaws Were Singing
This horror comedy musical won Fantastic Fest's Best Picture in the Horror Competition. We are lamenting missing this, it sounds like an absolutely irreverent and wild ride out of Estonia. A love story cut short by a chainsaw-wielding cannibal on a killing spree.
Gazer
Multiple people described this to me as a distinctly East Coast, gritty noire-type tale. The shot on film feature debuted at Cannes before making its way to Austin.
The story centers on Frankie (Mastroianni), a young mother with dyschronometria, as she struggles to perceive time. Using cassette tapes for guidance, she takes a risky job from a mysterious woman to support her family, unaware of the dark consequences that await.
Side note: Director/producer Ryan Sloan and producer/star Ariella Mastroianni are the filmmakers I was referring to above who blew me away with their Fleetwood Mac karaoke harmonizing.
Párvulos
I was warned this one is an emotional ride that will get you right in the feels. This Spanish-language horror film from Mexico follows three brothers in the wake of a global catastrophe as they learn to navigate the rules of the new world. When a stranger comes to visit, family secrets come to light.
Sister Midnight
Karan Kandhari’s debut feature won Best Picture in the Next Wave Features category. Described as “A genre-bending comedy about a frustrated and misanthropic newlywed who discovers certain feral impulses that land her in unlikely situations.”
Steppenwolf
Another title folks kept coming up to me to ask about was Adilkhan Yerzhanov's Steppenwolf. High praise all around for the tale of Tamara as she searches for her missing son in a violent town. She hires a morally questionable ex-detective to find him. His methods are cruel but she is determined to find him whatever the cost.
Check out our ongoing Fantastic Fest coverage and stay tuned for in-depth interviews and more from the fest.
