This weekend, I was hard at work trying to determine the list of films I want to see this year at Fantastic Fest. I thought I had a good plan laid out…then came this third and final wave of titles playing this year. Well, I guess it’s back to the drawing board.
While I figure out what to cram in my eye sockets during the first half of the fest, I hope you get to enjoy the titles that the Alamo team have lined up. There really isn’t a bad one in the bunch.
Aside from huge titles (like JoJo Rabbit, Knives Out, Parasite and In the Shadow of the Moon) announced in the earlier waves, there are a slew of sensational smaller titles that I just know are going to stick with me years after this fest. Have a look, and let us know what sounds the best to you!
ADORATION
France, Belgium, 2019
North American Premiere, 98 min
Director – Fabrice du Welz
Paul lives with his mother on the grounds of a mental institution and has little contact with the outside world. When Gloria’s admitted, he’s immediately fascinated by her and events take an unexpected turn.
AMIGO
Spain, 2019
World Premiere, 83 min
Director – Óscar Martín
After a serious car accident (for which he’s responsible), David decides to care for his best friend Javi at a remote house. It doesn’t take long until the animosity insidiously builds between them.
THE DEEPER YOU DIG
USA, 2019
US Premiere, 95 min
Directors – Toby Poser & John Adams (Co-director: Zelda Adams)
The creation of a family production team in upstate New York, this unsettling supernatural tale explores the aftermath of a roadside accident, bringing together a mother, her daughter, and a stranger in increasingly surreal circumstances.
HOMEWRECKER
Canada, 2019
International Premiere, 86 min
Director – Zach Gayne
Societal expectations create a pressure cooker in HOMEWRECKER, a darkly hilarious satire that plays like the best bonkers thriller Lifetime wishes they made. I LOST MY BODY France, 2019 US Premiere, 82 min Director – Jérémy Clapin A severed hand escapes from a laboratory and sets off on a series of adventures across Paris, determined to find its owner.
JALLIKATTU
India, 2019
US Premiere, 91 min
Director – Lijo Jose Pellissery
The line between man and beast dissolves when a buffalo escapes slaughter in a sleepy South Indian village, leaving a trail of chaos and explosive machismo in its wake. It’s a landlocked JAWS, a bestial 2001, and a contemporary MAD MAX: FURY ROAD all rolled into one.
KEEP ME COMPANY
Portugal, 2019
North American Premiere, 82 min
Director – Gonçalo Almeida
Two lovers meet in a secluded country home to try to heal their relationship without distraction, but the property’s pool has other mysterious intentions.
LITTLE JOE
Austria, United Kingdom, Germany, 2019
Sneak Preview, 105 min
Director – Jessica Hausner
A genetically modified scarlet flower has mood-enhancing antidepressant effects on its owners, which become increasingly alarming as its influence spreads in this body snatchers for the drugged-out millennium.
THE MORTUARY COLLECTION
USA, 2019
World Premiere, 108 min
Director – Ryan Spindell
A young girl enters a secret room in a mortuary and learns the backstory of the mortician’s favorite deaths in this twisted anthology by Fantastic Fest alum Ryan Spindell.
NIGHT DRIVE
USA, 2019
World Premiere, 82 min
Directors – Meghan Leon & Bradford Baruh
When Russell picks up an enigmatic young woman through a ride-share app, his boring evening perks up. But all bets are off after they hit a guy with the car in this charming comedy of errors.
THE OTHER LAMB
Ireland, Belgium, USA, 2019
US Premiere, 97 min
Director – Malgorzata Szumowska
Selah lives with her mothers and sisters in a mysterious cult led by Shepherd. When she begins to question his teachings, it threatens to destroy the very nature of their existence.
PELICAN BLOOD
Germany, Bulgaria, 2019
US Premiere, 121 min
Director – Katrin Gebbe
German acting treasure Nina Hoss headlines Katrin Gebbe’s (NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN) sophomore feature about a single mother who adopts — and won’t give up on — a troubled little girl with a horrific past.
RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE
Canada, 2019
World Premiere, 80 min
Director – Jay Baruchel
A comic book writer visits the town where a serial killer previously wreaked havoc, only to encounter a new series of murders that strangely mirror the deaths he created in his comics.
RIDE YOUR WAVE
Japan, 2019
US Premiere, 96 min
Director – Masaaki Yuasa
Surf-loving college student Hinako crosses paths with Minato, a handsome firefighter, but a tragedy will change all they know to be true.
SAINT MAUD
United Kingdom, 2019
US Premiere, 83 min
Director – Rose Glass
While caring for an attractive woman dying of cancer, devoutly religious nurse Maud develops an all-encompassing case of holy possession mixed with real-life obsession.
SEA FEVER
Ireland, Sweden, Belgium, 2019
US Premiere, 91 min
Director – Neasa Hardiman
The crew aboard a West of Ireland fishing trawler marooned at sea fall victim to a gradually spreading parasite in their water supply.
SWEETHEART
USA, 2019
Texas Premiere, 82 min
Director – J.D. Dillard
After a storm at sea leaves her stranded on a deserted island, Jenn gathers all her strength to find ways to survive. But when night falls, Jenn discovers that the island isn’t as deserted as she might have thought… or hoped.
WE SUMMON THE DARKNESS
USA, 2019
World Premiere, 90 min
Director – Marc Meyers
When Val, Beverly, and Alexis meet a group of fun-loving dudes in the parking lot of a heavy metal concert, they all decide to have an after-party, but it isn’t long before the group finds themselves fighting for their lives.
WYRM
USA, 2019
World Premiere, 106 min
Director – Christopher Winterbauer
In a strangely futuristic yet analog alternate universe, a lonely, dinosaur-obsessed youth struggles to complete a unique school requirement or risk being held back and enduring a lifetime of embarrassment.
Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the U.S., specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world. This one-of-a-kind festival also features world, national, and regional premieres of new, up-and-coming genre films. Celebrating its 15th year, Fantastic Fest 2019 runs September 19-26.
