This year's edition of Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, kicks off tomorrow, September 20 and runs through Thursday, September 27. As always, it's filled with glorious genre goodness.
The fest opens with the new Halloween and closes with Bad Times at the El Royale; in between, the J.J. Abrams-produced Overlord will debut. And we can't avoid mentioning Gareth Evans' Apostle, because that movie looks like "the bomb" (Is that how you say it?) and already scares me.
But in the gallery below, fellow editor J. Hurtado and myself have decided to highlight a few strange little films from around the world that have caught our eye so far, along with our past coverage of films that have already screened elsewhere, inspiring reviews from our intrepid international team. We look forward to reuniting with a few fellow team members at the fest and to meeting all our fans -- both of you are very precious to us!
The Night Comes For Us
Yes, Timo Tjahjanto's May the Devil Take You also looks amazing, and very frightening, and will surely fry a few nerves.
If you want a movie that may well kick your ass and mine, though, check out Timo Tjahjanto's other movie at the festival, starring Iko Uwais -- look at that fierce glare! This man survived acting against Mark Wahlberg! -- Sunny Pang (Headshot), Zack Lee (The Raid 2), and Joe Taslim (The Raid). I may need to bring a spare bottom so I can still sit down comfortably after this movie because it's going to kick my ass.
(Full disclosure: excessive hyperbole entirely my responsibility.)
by Peter Martin
World premiere; Fantastic Fest - information page.
The Standoff at Sparrow Creek
Burbling with tension from its first moment, writer/director Henry Dunham's feature debut follows a private militia that gathers in their remote, secret warehouse after a police shooting is reported. Quickly sussing out that the culprit must be one of their own, the leader (Chris Mulkey) assigns former cop Gannon (James Badge Dale) to find out who is responsible, even as further outbreaks of violence are reported.
A small ensemble of good actors, including Patrick Fischler, Brian Geraghty, Happy Andersonm, Robert Aramayo and Gene Jones, inhabit their characters with weary, wary resignation. We all know that something bad is going down, but we're not quite sure what, and filmmaker Dunham continually tightens the coils. Precision work by film editor Josh Ethier is also evident. It's nearly all talk and tension, but what talk and what tension!
Full Disclosure: Screen Anarchy founder and editor Todd Brown is credited as an executive producer on the film, but he was not involved in the writing or editing of this blurb.
by Peter Martin
U.S. Premiere; Fantastic Fest - film page
Piercing
Nicolas Pesce's Eyes of My Mother was a surprise hit of Fantastic Fest 2016 and ended up being one of the most talked about horror films of the year by the time all was said and done. That film was a very subtle, black and white slow burn tale of inherited madness.
His new film makes a big 180 degree turn toward the gonzo. Pesce utilizes the sights and sounds of classic '70s giallo - right down to the Goblin scores of some of Argento's biggest hits - to create a pastiche exploitation gem that is a far nastier product than his first film. This tale of dueling psychos is sure to be of interest to any fans of greasy '70s drive-in fare, with far more visual flair than most of those films could afford.
by J. Hurtado
Texas premiere; Fantastic Fest - information page
Ladyworld
Who knows the mind of a teenage girl? Not me, for a certainty! But in Amanda Kramer's feature debut, she brings the audience directly into the minds of eight teenage girls who have been trapped in an undisclosed location, without food, water or fresh air. With any hope of a rescue quickly dismissed, the young women must decide how they will live in very perilous times.
The film avoids easy genre traps and thereby becomes ever more frightening and disturbing. It's the sort of approach that may well polarize moviegoers, which doesn't diminish the claustrophobic atmosphere and state of dread that develops surely and steadily.
by Peter Martin
U.S. premiere; Fantastic Fest - information page.
An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn
The Greasy Strangler divided Fantastic Fest audiences back in 2016 with its aggressively gross and unpleasant tone and execution. Those who didn't like it, really didn't like it, but those who did would not stop talking about how great this weird little assault on decency was.
Director Jim Hosking returns this year with a film that is likely to be just as divisive in what could possibly be described as the unholy collision of the writing of Cry Baby-era John Waters, the art direction of Wes Anderson, and the calculated performances and direction of Yorgos Lanthimos in what is a decidedly lighter entry into his oeuvre. This time around Hosking employs bigger names - Aubrey Plaza, Craig Robinson, Jemaine Clement, Emile Hirsch - to act out his weird discomforting anti-romantic comedy that will leave half of the audience scratching their heads, and the other half begging for more.
by J. Hurtado
Texas premiere; Fantastic Fest information page.
Madam Yankelova's Fine Literature Club
As the title and image suggest, Guilhad Emilio Schenker's debut feature is not about an ordinary book club, where distinguished ladies might be expected to gather and linger over their distinguished thoughts. Instead, we are introduced to the lonely Sophie and the more pragmatic Hannah as they endeavor to lure a man -- any man, really, if he's "good-looking" and meets certain other requirements -- into attending a meeting where the women are in charge and the men are made fully aware of their, er, "limitations."
This ghoulish delight lurches happily between genuine emotions and dastardly deeds that are, at the least, unkind, and, at most, very deadly indeed. If the destination is not readily apparent, its intentions eventually become all too clear, yet still surprising.
by Peter Martin
International premiere; Fantastic Fest information page.
The Boat
A man in a dinghy discovers a lovely sailing vessel off-shore from his home. The boat appears to have been abandoned, which perplexes the man and prompts him to investigate further. The boat is soon wrapped up in a mysterious fog and his own small boat vanishes, stranding the man on a vessel which is even more mysterious than the fog.
Very much a family affair, The Boat stars Joe Azzopardi as the sailor; he also wrote the script with Winston Azzopardi, who directed. Featuring a driving, dramatic musical score by Lachlan Anderson, The Boat is filmed as a thriller without giving any easy clues as to the nature of its true antagonist. Is someone controlling it -- and torturing the hapless sailor -- from a hidden place on board? Could a supernatural presence be involved? Director of photography Marek Traskowski captures a flurry of gorgeous, sunny images that only reinforce the deceptive power of the sea, and this particular boat, which appears to take on a life of its own.
by Peter Martin
World premiere; Fantastic Fest - information page.
Feral
We could all use another found-footage documentary, right? I know, I know, I haven't been terribly open to new found-footage films in recent times, yet this particular entry intrigues me, not simply because it's from Mexico -- OK, that's part of it -- but also because the premise sounds uncomfortably relevant.
A psychoanalytic priest in the Oaxacan mountains claimed that he was rehabilitating "savage" children so they could return to "normal" society. The footage apparently reveals something else entirely, but what, exactly? I do not know, but I believe I want to know the truth.
by Peter Martin
World premiere; Fantastic Fest - information page.
Tumbbad
I will be the first to admit that I have very limited knowledge about the incredibly huge range of films that come from India. Normally, in fact, I would defer to my friend and colleague J. Hurtado, who is an expert in the field.
But in spite of my ignorance, the idea of "a decaying castle [hiding'] an immeasurable ancestral fortune" that is an essential element of a horror movie definitely speaks to my ancient heart. If I keel over and die, please carry on watching the movie; I trust you will be too enraptured to notice anyway.
by Peter Martin
U.S. premiere; Fantastic Fest - information page.
Previous coverage
Enjoy catching up with our previously-published reviews of films that will be screening at the fest.
Border by Tom Kiesecoms
Burning by Pierce Conran
Cam by Kurt Halfyard
Chained for Life by Shelagh Rowan-Legg
Climax by Kwenton Bellette
Dogman by Martin Kudlac
The Guilty by Peter Martin
Holiday by Kwenton Bellette
Luz by Kurt Halfyard
Murder Me, Monster by Martin Kudlac
The Night Shifter by J. Hurtado
One Cut of the Dead by J. Hurtado
Piercing by Kwenton Bellette
Terrified by Andrew Mack
Tumbbad by J. Hurtado
Violence Voyager by J. Hurtado