While Paul & I are finishing off this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and couldn’t be having a better time, our hero Anna Hanks is in Austin covering the 2026 edition of this year’s Fantastic Fest, taking place entirely
While I (Jason) be there as TIFF is running at the same time, I have covered Fantastic Fest many times over the years. The biggest draw to the Austin-based festival is that the entire event takes place at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar location, using all nine of its screens to deliver the best in genre cinema in North America. Anyways, read on from our Anna!
From Anna:
Fantastic Fest kicks off this weekend 1in Austin, Texas with a lineup that includes thrills, chills, vengeful ghosts, children in peril and more serial killers than you’ll find on a true crime podcast..
The prominent genre festival is known for its innovative programming combining tie-in events, secret screenings, podcasts and even some unique crafting opportunities for festival goers.
Fantastic Fest makes a strong start to the week with the new RESIDENT EVIL series reboot. The movie is based on intellectual property that started off life as a video game of the same name. The film features an ill fated courier making a medical delivery to the Racoon City hospital, where he soon has to fight off a plague of infected monsters. As a fitting tie-in, the festival’s opening night party has a RESIDENT EVIL theme! No word yet on if the partygoers will be chased out by infected monsters at closing time.
There are three particularly interesting Canadian films having their world premieres at the Fantastic Fest this year:
FLAPJAX is a fast food/ horror comedy film from director Rocko Zevenbergen. The film follows painfully enthusiastic middle manager Arrow Bentley, who is working harder than anyone else to get ahead. Unfortunately, where he is working is lacking on several important metrics–like good taste and strong ethical boundaries.
The Fantastic Fest guide explains, “He works at Hamudders, a pork-based eatery with the nutritional value of a landfill and a taste that would have killed the SUPERSIZE ME guy in three days.”
It turns out that the vibe isn’t the only dubious thing at Hamudders. Soon our enthusiastic manager is tasked with relaunching a product called Flapjax, which had been pulled from circulation for unknown reasons. What could go wrong? Maybe everything? We will soon find out!
KYLGOR IN THE GRISLY ABYSS is the directorial debut from writer/director Mason Jeffrey Newton-DeRushie. The plot of the stop -motion animation film reads the oldest of old school: a storming of the castle, the beheading of the king, and then a thwarted escape where both the pursued and the pursuers (the beheaded king’s guards) fall into a deep mystical cave where they are beset by ravenous beasts and dark magics. Can the two sides work together long enough to escape the deep dark and dangerous magical cave? Can they save their foam rubber selves from certain destruction? We’ll find out!
PHREAKER from director Adam Yorke is about blind teenager Jake Bellman who discovers that he has the ability to mimic dial up tones. That doesn’t sound like much of a skill these days, but in the late twentieth century at the analog/ digital cusp, it meant freedom from long distance charges. Considering that long distance charges were often part of dialing someone in the next town over, that was no small skill.
For someone living in a depressing living situation at the turn of the last situation, this lost criminal art was a way to connect with people. Once upon a time, the ability to get free long distance calls from phone companies by imitating the sounds that the machines made talking to each other was like having your own cryptocurrency. But it turns out that having a skill that helps people get things for free can lead to loads of complications and sketchy situations. Based on a true story, with names changed for the usual reasons.
THE BLOOD COUNTESS is a particularly exciting and comically dark entry in this year’s Fantastic Fest, via legendary arthouse director Ulrike Ottinger. The film features luminous and legendary actress Isabelle Huppert as the notoriously bloodthirsty Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Báthory. Our countess wakes up in the modern world and is beset by modern trials… like having a committed vegetarian vampire nephew. I can’t wait to see how this “lesbian vampire/ traveling across modern day America” tale pans out. This is the North American Premiere.
The rep screening lineup at this year’s Fantastic Fest is super strong:
BLOOD FEAST (1963) was the first spatter film in horror history, and was a big influence on director John Waters. It’s also a cautionary tale that you should definitely read the reviews of anyone whom you are hiring to cater an event. BLOOD FEAST follows a caterer named Fuad Ramses who is hired to provide “an authentic Egyptian feast” for a birthday party. He wastes no time in committing multiple mutilation murders to appease an Egyptian goddess Ishtar. Written by Allison Louise Downe and directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis. Fantastic Fest is the world premiere of the 4K restoration!
There’s a screening of the utterly disturbing HENRY, PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986) in a new 35 mm print. The film was directed and co-written by John McNaughton and is loosely based on convicted real life serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole. The portrait of the utter banality of evil results in an utterly disturbing film that left a mark on me when I saw it in the 1990 release. I’m not sure if I’m ready to see it again, but it is one of the most memorable films I have ever experienced.
FRISK (1996). is a film about a gay serial killer with unrepentant dark fantasies and desires. How dark? The film is still banned from distribution or showcase in the UK…31 years after its original release. FRISK includes a number of gay hunks making brief appearances on their way to meet their demise and 90s indie queen Parker Posey as a sexy sadist. Fantastic Fest is the North American Premiere of the 4K Restoration.
Apart from the films, the festival is known for their special events. This year those special events include podcast tapings from both the Stephen King centric KINGCAST (with Eric Vespe and co-host Anthony Breznican) and comedian Doug Benson taping an entirely different sort of podcast.
Two other exciting monster-tastic events at this year’s Fantastic Fest include a live FX makeup demonstration of a look inspired by THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and a custom candle making experience featuring the chance to blend your own monster-inspired fragrance!
I can’t wait! More at www.fantasticfest.com for the full schedule!
