Fantasia 2026 Wrap: All Our Reviews

Before we dive into one of Canada's other great film festivals -- yes, Toronto -- which will kick off on September 10, we wanted to look back at the mighty and mammoth Fantasia International Film Festival, held every year in Montreal, Quebec.

Kurt Halfyard kicked off our coverage with his curtain-raiser gallery, featuring dozens of films.

Our team of reviewers wrote about 18 of the films that had the greatest impact upon them. Their reviews are listed below, in alphabetical order.

Please read, share, and bookmark. Some of the films are already out in theaters, while others are on their way, and still others are seeking distribution.

Reviews by Kurt Halfyard:
HER PRIVATE HELL, A Nightmare Neon Opera
INSECTASY, Are You Into Bugs?
NIKO, All Night Pretentious Delight
PERMANENT DAMAGE, A Loosey-Goosey, Drug-Addled, Hanging-Out Thriller On Housing Insecurity
TIGHT LETTUCE, Addiction Both Binds and Tears Families Apart
YOU ARE THE FILM, A Meta-Cinema Romance That Tears a Hole in the Universe

Reviews by J Hurtado:
ANCESTRAL BEASTS, Indigenous Creature Feature About Generational Trauma
BEASTS CLUTCHING AT STRAWS, A Sack of Cash Causes Problems in This Black Comedy Thriller
FERINE, A Stunning Debut From Andrea Corsini
NIGHTBORN, A Mother's Dream Turned Folk Horror Nightmare
OUR EFFED OUT WORLD, Alice Maio Mackay's Hang Out Movie... With Aliens!
PENNY LANE IS DEAD Is Not For The Weak Of Heart
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF BECKY, It's Nazi Killin' Time Again

Reviews by Andrew Mack:
CAPTURED!, Of Ghosts And Growing Up
CORPUS, Languid Queer Thriller Delivers a Killer Horror Payoff
JIM QUEEN, Bobbypills' Adult Animated Debut Delivers Pure Queer Chaos
RECLUSE, Screenwriter Henry Chaisson Conquers Visual And Sonic Terror in Neo-Gothic Horror
THE GLORIOUS DEAD, When it is The End of The World But You Still Have to Clock in
THE SPECIALS, A Crowd-Pleasing Yakuza Subversion
THE LAST HORROR, Myanmar's First Found-Footage Film Forced to be Too Safe With the Scares
TOKYO BURST: CRIME CITY, Trades in Solo Grit For Buddy-Cop Chaos in a Worthy Expansion of THE ROUNDUP Universe
TRISTES TROPIQUES, Lots of Blood, Little Reward
VILLAGE OF EIGHT GRAVESTONES, Takashi Shimizu Proves Traditional Murder Mysteries Are Better With Ghosts

Review by Lou Cai:
TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA, Bold Queer Exploration