Fantastic Fest 2023 Lineup Is INSANE!

Fantastic Fest is back with an absolutely insanely packed lineup. The world-famous genre festival is back for its eighteenth edition featuring 29 World Premieres, 24 North American Premieres, and 18 U.S. Premieres. It will once again be at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, TX from September 21st – 28th. The opening night film will host the world premiere of The Toxic Avenger, starring Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige, Kevin Bacon, Sarah Niles, Julia Davis, Julian Kostov, and Elijah Wood. On top of that Fantastic Fest will present Your Lucky Day, which features the final performance of Angus Cloud. The Paramount+ prequel Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is set to grace the lineup.

If you thought it couldn’t get any better, strap in. The closing night film is the world premiere of Prime Video and Blumhouse Television’s slasher-comedy Totally Killer by director Nahnatchka Khan. Take a trip back into the twisted mind of Mike Flanagan with episodes 1&2 of Netflix’s The Fall of the Hosue of Usher. What really caught my attention is the inclusion of season two, episodes 1&2, of Álex de la Iglesia’s 30 Coins. I previously covered 30 Coins, and if you haven’t seen the show now is your time to watch season 1. Fright Fest will also be hosting multiple parties, live events, and an epic closing night party.

You can check out anything and everything Fantastic Fest has to offer on their website and read the synopses’ of everything announced below. Festival passes are out now, don’t miss your chance to see some of these amazing films!

Features

Image from 30 Coins — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

Welcome to hell.

Shen An wages war in the streets of Tianjin after losing control of his martial arts academy in a humiliating duel with his father’s apprentice.

Still from Acid — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

In a world messed up by climate change, a girl and her divorced parents must cross a devastated France under strange clouds pouring acid rain.

In veteran Fantastic Fest filmmaker Nate Wilson’s kaleidoscopic and labyrinthine deconstructionist satire, a laid-up polyamorous bicycle courier discovers that her older, scholarly boyfriend has been keeping a sinister secret in his closet.

A struggling actress questions her husband’s account of a brutal act of heroism that has won him national recognition and saved his failing business.

Emile’s dad moves him to southern France, where his mom is held in a facility for patients afflicted with an illness that mutates them into animals.

Still from Anamalia — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

Separated from her husband during a state of emergency, pregnant Itto is stranded in a village, where she starts to experience mysterious phenomena.

The Baby Assassins have been suspended from the Assassin Guild and it’s hard to find a new job when you’ve got a fanboy assassin duo out to kill you.

Still from Bark — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

A businessman tied to a tree deep in the woods struggles to convince an outdoorsman to cut him free after the hunter sets up camp to watch him die.

Blonde Death (Presented by Bleeding Skull) | USA | 1984 | World Premiere of Restoration | Director James Dillinger aka James Robert Baker | 98 min

Bleeding Skull presents a tale of death, drugs, and Disneyland in James Robert Baker’s essential chapter of queer cinema history.

Still from Blood Diner — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

Blood Diner | USA | 1987 | Director Jackie Kong | 90 min

A brain in a jar orders his cannibal nephews to dismember call girls in their diner’s kitchen to patch together a perfect body for an ancient goddess.

Michel Gondry returns with a tongue-in-cheek satire about an idiosyncratic filmmaker who will do anything to execute his vision.

Still from Bugged — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

Bugged! (Presented by Agfa and Troma) | USA | 1996 | Director Ronald K. Armstrong | 82 min

Following a freak lab accident, a woman hires the Dead and Buried Exterminators to rid her house of some overgrown crickets but they all soon realize the bugs are radioactive beasties with a lust for blood!

Caligula: The Ultimate Cut | USA, Italy | 1980 | North American Premiere | 173 min

Art historian Thomas Negovan offers a new cut of one of the most decadent movies ever made, using outtakes to reconcile the film to its original script.

Still from Centipede Horror — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

Centipede Horror (Presented by AGFA and Error 4444) | Hong Kong | 1982 | Director Keith Li | 94 min

After his sister dies under mysterious circumstances while on vacation, Wai Lun decides to take matters into his own hands. Soon enough, he discovers a family curse, battling wizards, and centipedes.

Still from Cobweb — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

Director Kim Jee-woon’s ravishing and raucous tale of a director trying to finish his magnum opus in the censorship-prone 1970s Korean film industry.

Sometimes a gaudy coffee table is just a coffee table, and sometimes it’s the catalyst for a nightmarish descent into ruination.

Still from Conann — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

Fantastic Fest favorite Bertrand Mandico is back with his uniquely beautiful and bizarre time-traveling spin on the myth of Conan the Barbarian.

A magnetic Lee Byung-hun and Park Seo-joon lead this dark, high-stakes disaster parable of Korea’s fevered obsession with real estate and class forms.

Still from Creator — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

The Creator | USA | 2023 | Texas Premiere | Director Gareth Edwards | 133 min

From director/co-writer Gareth Edwards (Rogue One, Godzilla) comes an epic sci-fi action thriller set amidst a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence.

Crumb Catcher | USA | 2023 | World Premiere | Director Chris Skotchdopole | 103 min

An anxiety-inducing chamber piece that will make you fondly remember the worst high-pressure sales pitch you’ve ever delivered (or endured).

Still from Cult of AGFA — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

The Cult of AGFA Trailer Show (Presented by AGFA) | USA | 2023 | World Premiere of 35mm Restoration | Director Joseph A. Zeimba & Bret Berg | 77 min

The world premiere 35mm screening of AGFA’s wildest mixtape yet.

A group of coal miners unintentionally free a bloodthirsty creature after accompanying a professor down to a hidden crypt discovered deep in the mine.

Still from Divinity — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

Divinity | USA | 2023 | Texas Premiere | Director Eddie Alcazar | 88 min

A mad scientist’s serum grants perfect bodies and immortality, but at a cost: rampant infertility leads to an undying society based only on pleasure.

A lonely housewife is held hostage in her own apartment by an increasingly deranged door-to-door salesman in this forgotten home invasion masterpiece.

Still from Eileen — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

Eileen | USA | 2023 | Texas Premiere | Director William Oldroyd | 97 min

Set during a bitter 1964 Massachusetts winter, young secretary Eileen becomes enchanted by the glamorous new counselor at the prison where she works. Their budding friendship takes a twisted turn when Rebecca reveals a dark secret—throwing Eileen onto a sinister path.

Enter the Clones of Bruce | USA | 2023 | Texas Premiere | Director David Gregory | 94 min

In the wake of Bruce Lee’s sudden death, film studios rushed to capitalize on the irreplaceable icon, and a new subgenre was born—Bruceploitation.

The Fall of the House of Usher (Episodes 1&2) | USA | 2023 | World Premiere | Director Mike Flanagan | 120 min

Roderick Usher, CEO of a corrupt pharmaceutical company, must face his past when brutal and mysterious incidents start affecting his family.

Falling Stars | USA | 2023 | North American Premiere | Directors Richard Karpala & Gabriel Bienczycki | 80 min

Three brothers set out on the first night of Harvest to check out the desiccated remains of the witch that their friend has buried in the desert.

Still from Fantastic Golem Affairs — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

After his best friend falls to his death and shatters into pottery shards, Juan uncovers a secret world of living golems in this offbeat comedy.

Still from Found Footage Festival — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

Found Footage Festival Vol. 10 | USA | 2023 | Texas Premiere | Directors Joe Pickett and Nich Prueher | 85 min

Joe Pickett (THE ONION) and Nick Prueher (LATE SHOW) take you on a guided tour through their latest and greatest VHS finds.

Still from Four's A Crowd — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

Two unexpected passengers complicate an Uber driver’s plan to declare his feelings for one of his regular customers during a 300 km drive to Madrid.

Padraig (James O Healy) is pulled into a dark world of Irish Mythology and magic as he struggles to deal with his past actions.

Still from I'll Crush Y'all — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

A retired boxing champion and his dog must defend his family’s country farm from wave after wave of gangsters in this bloody, bare-knuckle brawler.

A Filipino girl living under Japanese occupation learns the tragic consequences of making deals when a fairy’s gifts extract pounds of flesh.

Still from The Invisible Fight — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

After martial artists take out his Soviet post on the China border, a mechanic seeks kung fu mastery at a monastery in this wuxia-inspired comedy.

Jackdaw | UK | 2023 | World Premiere | Director Jamie Childs | 97 min

Former motocross champion Jack Dawson embarks on a dark odyssey through his decaying Rust Belt town after being double-crossed by the local kingpin.

Still from The Jar — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

The Jar (Charon) | USA | 1984 | World Premiere of Restoration | Director Bruce Tuscano | 85 min

After hitting an old man with his car, Paul is left with a jar holding a demonic creature that opens a portal to strange worlds and psychotic visions.

Kennedy works as a contract killer for a corrupt police commissioner with the hope of exacting vengeance on the man who murdered his son.

Still from Kill Dolly Kill — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

Kill Dolly Kill | USA | 2023 | World Premiere | Director Heidi Moore | 79 min

Dolly Deadly is out to win Serial Killer of the Year, and she’ll violate all sense of good taste to snatch the crown and look fabulous while doing it.

A toxic masculinity-bashing karaoke musical phantasmagoria from the magical mind of LEE Won-suk, Killing Romance will stick in your head for months.

Still from Kim's Video — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

An aspiring filmmaker with fond memories of browsing the shelves of a defunct NY video store attempts to rescue its singular collection of VHS tapes.

The Last Stop in Tuma County | USA | 2023 | World Premiere | Director Francis Galluppi | 90 min

A traveling salesman and a waitress face down two murderous bank robbers while waiting for gas at the last pump before a hundred miles of desert.

Still from Last Video Store — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

Blaster Video’s only employee teams up with his best customer’s daughter to fight off an onslaught of B-movie baddies made real by a VHS Necronomicon.

A naive postman finds himself corresponding with a mysterious woman in Felix Dembinski’s auspicious and bewitching folk fable.

Mancunian Man: The Legendary Life of Cliff Twemlow | UK | 2023 | North American Premiere | Director Jake West | 124 min

A hilarious, action-packed documentary chronicling the fascinating life of indie filmmaker Cliff Twemlow and the industry he built in Manchester, UK.

The premise is a simple one: After a night of hard drinking on the night before his wedding, a man falls into an open manhole. How will he escape?

Still from Messiah of Evil — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

Messiah of Evil (Presented by AGFA and Radiance Films) | USA | 1974 | World Premiere of 35mm Restoration | Directors Gloria Katz & Williard Huyck | 90 min

AGFA and Radiance Films present a brand new, restored 35mm print of Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz’ artful nightmare.

An old lady stumbles upon a lost couple while picking mushrooms. They beg for help getting out of the forest, but she senses that something is off.

Still from The Nest — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

The Nest (Presented by AGFA and Shout! Factory) | USA | 1988 | Director Terence H. Winkless | 89 min

Roaches have never tasted flesh… Until now.

Nowhere | USA | 1997 | Texas Premiere of 4K Restoration | Director Gregg Araki | 83 min

A bunch of LA teens realize they’re witnessing the apocalypse as they seek out a wild party in this 4K restoration of Gregg Araki’s cult classic.

Still from One Percenter — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

An aging stuntman caught in a brutal feud between yakuza gangs finally shoots the pure action thriller he’s been obsessing over his entire career.

The Origin | UK | 2023 | North American Premeire | Director Andrew Cumming | 87 min

A group fights for survival against an unknown adversary in this Stone Age thriller.

Still from The Other Laurens — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

When his niece shows up at his door looking for help, shaggy-dog P.I. Gabriel Laurens is unwittingly drawn into his twin’s shady criminal underworld.

Still from The People's Joker — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

The People’s Joker | USA | 2022 | Texas Premiere | Director Vera Drew | 92 min

The Joker finds new purpose in Gotham City after transitioning and opening an illegal comedy club in Vera Drew’s handcrafted superhero genre parody.

Still from Pet Sematary: Bloodlines — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

In 1969, a young Jud Crandall and his childhood friends band together to confront an ancient evil that has gripped their hometown. Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is a terrifying prequel based on chapters from Stephen King’s novel Pet Sematary.

A car pileup on a foggy bridge pits survivors against a pack of vicious dogs in this satirical horror pitched between The Host and Train to Busan.

Still from Property — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

A gang of disenfranchised farmhands traps a traumatized woman in her armored car in Daniel Bandeira’s Brazilian take on the home invasion.

The only child in a rundown gated community mourns his mother’s death as suspicious events lead him to suspect that his father may be a werewolf.

Still from Restore Point — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

A detective investigates a double homicide in a near-future world where technology allows those who die violently to be rebooted from a data backup.

Riddle of Fire | USA | 2023 | US Premiere | Director Weston Razooli | 113 min

Three children go on an epic quest to uncover the password for their TV, finding themselves in their own video game-like adventure in the real world.

Kikaku Theater Group, the team behind our 2021 Audience Award winner Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes, returns with more two-minute time loop hijinks.

Disillusioned demon worshipers end a string of grisly murders by interrupting a boarding school’s quiet Christmas in this ‘70s-era Satanic Panic romp.

Still from Salem — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

A former gang member begins to believe that his daughter will be their slum’s new messiah after a rival curses the neighborhood with his dying breath.

Scala!!! | UK | 2023 | North American Premiere | Directors Jane Giles & Ali Vatterall | 96 min

The story behind London’s legendary Scala Cinema, which screened the most outrageous movies before it was sued and shuttered for showing A Clockwork Orange.

Somnambulism takes on a frightful new meaning in this clever, claustrophobic Korean chiller from former Bong Joon-ho assistant director Jason Yu.

So Unreal | USA | 2023 | World Premiere | Director Amanda Kramer | 95 min

Amanda Kramer’s documentary collage looks back at the subgenre of films concerned with cyberspace, hackers, and the first days of the internet.

Still from Spooktacular — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

Spooktacular! | USA | 2023 | World Premiere | Director Quinn Monahan | 105 min

A new documentary tells the warts-and-all story behind America’s first horror theme park, Spooky World.

An aspiring boxer discovers she’s a reincarnation of the goddess Asih in this Indonesian superhero movie focused on punching terrible men in the face.

Stopmotion | UK | 2023 | World Premiere | Director Robert Morgan | 93 min

A stop-motion animator puts up with her overbearing, sick mother in Robert Morgan’s haunting debut.

Strange Darling | USA | 2023 | World Premeiere | Director JT Mollner | 96 min

One day in the life of a serial killer.

A killer and a detective cross paths as they hunt for an answer to their respective feelings of loneliness in the world premiere of the restoration of this 1970 Giallo.

A young woman reluctantly returns home for her estranged sister’s wedding only to discover that her family is hiding a possessed boy in their home.

Still from Suitable Flesh — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

Suitable Flesh | USA | 2023 | Texas Premiere | Director Joe Lynch | 100 min

A casual, intimate encounter with a patient leads a psychologist into the cosmic, kinky world of Lovecraftian horror headlined by Barbara Crampton and Heather Graham.

After inheriting an old cabin in Norway, an American family moves there with the intention of turning the adjoining barn into a bed and breakfast. They end up disturbing a barn elf who will go to deadly lengths to drive the family away.

A dreamy horror fairy tale about a teenage girl who notices strange, transformative changes in her body soon after getting her first period.

Totally Killer | USA | 2023 | World Premiere | Director Nahnatchka Khan | 106 min

When the infamous “Sweet Sixteen Killer” returns 35 years after his first murder spree to claim another victim, 17-year-old Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) accidentally travels back in time to 1987, determined to stop the killer before he can start.

Still from The Toxic Avenger — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

The Toxic Avenger | USA | 2023 | World Premiere | Director Macon Blair | 102 min

A horrible toxic accident transforms downtrodden janitor Winston Gooze into a new evolution of hero: THE TOXIC AVENGER!

Procuring a job as a night watchman as a re-entry back into civilian life, ex-soldier Miguel finds himself caught in a gun battle between a drug cartel and a corrupt police unit.

Still from UFO Sweden — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

A rebellious teenager seeks out the help of a disgraced meteorologist’s ufology society to locate her father years after he vanished into thin air.

The Uncle | Croatia, Serbia | 2022 | US Premiere | Directors David Kapac and Andrija Mardešić

A family prepares for their uncle’s Christmas visit, but the festivities are dampened by the fact that he’ll return in a few days to celebrate again.

Still from V/H/S/85 — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

V/H/S/85 | USA | 2023 | World Permeire | Directors David Bruckner, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Natasha Kermani, Mike Nelson, and Scott Derrickson | 110 min

The iconic found footage series returns with an array of explosive, bloody scares set in a decade obsessed with serial killers and the Satanic Panic.

Still from Vermin — Image courtesy of Fantastic Fest

A critter collector’s purchase of a venomous spider turns his entire apartment building into a death trap after it escapes from its shoebox enclosure.

A rock ‘n’ roll band drop in unannounced on a friend and find themselves plummeting into a wackadoo reverie of monsters and mayhem.

The gamekeeper of a wealthy man’s rural hunting grounds accepts a bribe from the local hunting guide, which spirals downward into dire consequences.

Gen Z activists are violently picked off by a deranged night watchman after sneaking into an environmentally destructive big-box furniture store.

Canadian filmmaker collective RKSS returns with a hilarious, violent take on a post-apocalyptic world where zombies are misunderstood, unalive citizens.

What You Wish For | USA | 2023 | US Premiere | Director Nicholas Tomnay | 101 min

A down-and-out sous-chef gets more than he bargained for when he steps into the life of an old culinary school pal, a private chef for the über-rich.

Two brothers uncover a deadly secret festering in their village and are soon in a race to contain a demon threatening to extinguish their community.

Where the Devil Roams | USA | 2023 | US Premiere | Directors John Adams, Zelda Adams, and Toby Posner | 92 min

After a fatal trespassing incident, Eve steals a terrifying artifact from a fellow carnival performer in the hope of bringing her parents back.

A strange woman desperate for shelter from a harrowing storm picks the wrong trailer to seek refuge…or did she choose exactly right?

Aitana shows up at her estranged parents’ home for a surprise Christmas visit and discovers they’ve replaced her with a strange live-in caretaker.

Your Lucky Day | USA | 2023 | World Premiere | 89 min | Director Dam Brown | 89 min

After a dispute over a winning lottery ticket turns into a deadly hostage situation, the witnesses must decide exactly how far they’ll go—and how much blood they’re willing to spill—for a cut of the $156 million.