It’s Fall, and to the team at GoSeeTalk, the end of September is truly the most wonderful time of the year. We’re heading to Austin, TX to our cinematic safe haven to cover the one-and-only Fantastic Fest. Celebrating its 17th year as the best damn fest there is, Fantastic Fest continues to showcase and unleash some of the mightiest, macabre and mind-bending genre films out there. And there’s no paucity of WTF during this precious little Fest that serves Texas-sized tricks and terror.
So let’s get to the good stuff as the press blast touts the entire slate of delights and frights hitting screens (silver and digital) late September and early October. We’ll be on the ground 9/22-9/26 and will let you know what’s going on when we’re in Austin. Keep an eye on our socials for some surprises. Now let’s get on with the show, shall we???
There’s only one place where you’ll find killer teddy bears, man-eating sharks, elderly zombies, cocktail-serving robots, and Park Chan-wook… all under one roof. That’s right, world-famous genre festival Fantastic Fest is back for its seventeenth edition featuring 21 World Premieres, 14 North American Premieres, and 21 U.S Premieres. The festival will once again take over the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, TX from September 22nd – 29th and on the web via a virtual FF@Home experience from September 29th – October 4th.
“It’s been far too long since we’ve all been able to gather together and celebrate film the Fantastic Fest way,” says Festival Director Lisa Dreyer. “We’ve really put our all into crafting an extraordinary week, from the exceptional programming that spans exciting discoveries to highly-anticipated features, to our signature events that will inject a much-needed dose of fun into 2022.”
Badges are available now at FantasticFest.com.
The opening night film for Fantastic Fest 2022 is the world premiere of Paramount Pictures’ SMILE, the intensely creepy debut feature from Parker Finn that’ll have even the seasoned FF crowd gripping their armrests in genuine fright.
This year’s edition of Fantastic Fest will also honor a legendary genre filmmaker and show his latest masterpiece. Park Chan-wook, the South Korean director of OLDBOY, SNOWPIERCER, and THE HANDMAIDEN has been defining (and defying) genre films for decades, and his latest work – MUBI’s DECISION TO LEAVE – is a stunning achievement. In conjunction with the U.S. Premiere of his new film, Park Chan-wook will be present at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar to accept a lifetime achievement award from Fantastic Fest in celebration of his mind-bending, artfully-crafted body of work.
The closing night film at Fantastic Fest 2022 will be director Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or-winning pitch black comedy from Neon, TRIANGLE OF SADNESS. The latest “Drafthouse Recommends” selection, TRIANGLE OF SADNESS is an outrageously funny and audacious social satire, with a second act that could have been engineered in a lab specifically to delight Fantastic Fest audiences. It’s a joyful romp that’ll serve as a fitting capper to the fest, and the perfect segue to closing night festivities.
Other major studio films include two Searchlight films perfectly tuned to the Fantastic Fest palate – the U.S. Premiere of THE MENU, a sharp satire about a destination-dining experience with unexpected surprises, and the U.S. Premiere of director Martin McDonagh’s THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN, chronicling the dissolution of a friendship that escalates with shocking consequences.
A24 brings us the North American premiere of MEDUSA DELUXE, a murder mystery set in the world of competitive hairdressing, MGM and Distributor United Artist Releasing’s BONES AND ALL, from director Luca Guadagnino and starring Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, André Holland, Chloë Sevigny, David Gordon-Green, Jessica Harper, Jake Horowitz and Mark Rylance, and the U.S. premiere of Miramax’s SICK, the latest slasher from John Hyams.
Other World Premieres include:
- Noah Segan’s directorial debut, BLOOD RELATIVES, a father-daughter vampire comedy.
- Dark Side of the Ring co-creator Jason Eisener’s KIDS VS. ALIENS, which sees a group of friends face off against evil space invaders.
- An anthology horror film featuring many Fantastic Fest alumni, SATANIC HISPANICS, from Epic Pictures.
“Fantastic Fest has always been the purest expression of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s founding principle: share the joy of cinema with people you love,” says Fantastic Fest founder Tim League. “I am beyond proud of the team for forging one of, if not the all-time best, Fantastic Fest experiences ever. This is my favorite week of the year, and I cannot wait to share it with all of you.”
The Parties
For the first time since 2019, Fantastic Fest’s legendary parties and events are back.
- A special performance in The Highball from the experiential sonic sorcerers Itchy-O while they’re in Austin for a show at the Far Out Lounge.
- Hailing all the way from Vienna, Roboexotica makes its Texas-debut at the Fantastic Fest opening night party, bringing their famous cocktail-concocting robots to astonish and amuse.
- Podcast recordings and live events on The Highball stage with Leonard Maltin, Scripts Gone Wild, The Kingcast and Screen Drafts.
- Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher of The Found Footage Festival fame will perform a live show after their documentary CHOP & STEELE.
- And finally, Fantastic Fest essentials like 100 Best Kills, the Fantastic Feud and the Fantastic Debates will return at this year’s festival.
FF@Home
For the second year in a row, Fantastic Fest will be a hybrid festival that offers in-person and virtual screenings. The Burnt Ends lineup will headline the online festival, with programming that seeks to champion eccentric and obscure indie cinema. Two in-person screenings will introduce audiences at South Lamar to the new series: THE PEOPLE’S JOKER and ALL JACKED UP AND FULL OF WORMS, both with filmmakers in attendance. The rest of this virtual lineup will be announced at a later date, featuring a selection of films from this year’s in person fest and will also include virtual exclusives such as a retrospective of cult DIY filmmakers Matt Farley and Charles Roxburgh’s MOTERN MEDIA movies.
Shark Attack & AGFA Takeover
This year’s sidebar is dedicated to the man-eater from the deep blue sea. Centered around the North American Premiere of FF alumni Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma’s YEAR OF THE SHARK, Fantastic Fest programmers dug deep to bring audiences the most entertaining shark movies from around the world. Many of them have never before screened in the USA and are now available thanks to our friends at AGFA.
The shark sidebar features TINTORERA! (Mexico) — which will be shown on 35mm from a print coming directly from Quentin Tarantino’s vault — as well as AATANK (India), GAMERA VS ZIGRA (Japan), MAKO: THE JAWS OF DEATH (USA), and 12 DAYS OF TERROR (USA).
Speaking of AGFA, the American Genre Film Archive team has gone all out for this year’s festival, with the debut of the AGFA theater takeover. For two days of the fest, AGFA has free reign over their own theater, and will fill it with mind-melting films from morning to night, featuring premieres of new restorations the first day, and a whiplash-inducing celluloid mystery marathon with five features and ten fingers on the trigger the second day.
Formed in 2009, the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to preserving the legacy of genre movies through collection, conservation, and distribution . From TERMINAL USA (a new restoration of Jon Moritsugu’s underground classic) to THE STAIRWAY TO STARDOM MIXTAPE (the definitive presentation of the most otherworldly public access TV show of all time), the AGFA team has brought out their best for the fest.
Partnerships
Fantastic Fest is proud to join the WomanInFan initiative, launched by the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia. WomanInFan was born with the aim to celebrate and elevate the role of the female filmmakers within the fantasy genre. The initiative aims to provide historical visibility, support for new projects, and foster connections and opportunities for female filmmakers.
Spanish and French Genre cinema are a big part of this year’s Fantastic Fest. With topics ranging from killer sharks, urban exploration gone wrong, space exploration, time travel, witchcraft, alien invasion to real life monsters and space rangers, it is clear that our cross-Atlantic neighbors were pretty busy during the pandemic. Fantastic Fest is thankful for the support of Acción Cultural Española and Unifrance, two cultural entities facilitating the travels of their national filmmakers.
We are thrilled to present 85 feature film titles and episodics, as well as a variety of short film selections to be announced at a later date — all showcasing World, North American, U.S. and Regional Premieres. See below for the full lineup of feature film programming at this year’s festival.
FESTIVAL FILM LINEUP BELOW:
12 DAYS OF TERROR
USA, 2004
Retrospective, 95 min
Director – Jack Sholder
In attendance – Director Jack Sholder
During the record-breaking summer heat of 1916, beachgoers on the Jersey shore are threatened by a shark that has developed a taste for human flesh.
AATANK
India, 1996
North American Premiere, 113 min
Directors – Prem Lalwani & Desh Mukherjee
A gangster’s hunt for black pearls sparks a series of vicious shark attacks. No diver, boat, or helicopter is safe in this B-grade Bollywood oddity.
ALL JACKED UP AND FULL OF WORMS (Burnt Ends Selection)
USA, 2022
Texas Premiere, 72 min
Director – Alex Phillips
In attendance – Director Alex Phillips
A psychedelic journey of self-discovery leads to romance when a man shares his addiction to psychotropic worms… and Chicago will never be the same.
AMAZING ELISA
Spain, 2022
World Premiere, 104 min
Director – Sadrac Gonzalez-Perellon
In attendance – Director Sadrac Gonzalez-Perellon
In the aftermath of a horrific accident, Elisa believes that she’s been given super powers and will stop at nothing to avenge her mother’s death.
THE ANTARES PARADOX
Spain, 2022
World Premiere, 96 min
Director – Luis Tinoco Pineda
In attendance – Director Luis Tinoco Pineda
An astrophysicist working for the SETI project risks her career and family to verify an extraterrestrial radio signal before her access is cut off.
ATTACHMENT
Denmark, 2022
Texas Premiere, 105 min
Director – Gabriel Bier Gislason
In attendance – Director Gabriel Bier Gislason
Maja and Leah’s relationship is off to a great start, but they face two perilous threats: the whims of a Jewish demon and Leah’s overbearing mother.
BAD CITY
Japan, 2022
North American Premiere, 118 min
Director – Kensuke Sonomura
A jailed cop is released to lead a crack unit against a corrupt businessman in this bone-crunching dust-up starring V-cinema legend Hitoshi Ozawa.
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
UK/Ireland, USA, 2022
US Premiere, 114 min
Director – Martin McDonagh
In attendance – Director Martin McDonagh
Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
BIRDEMIC 3: SEA EAGLE
USA, 2022
World Premiere, 83 min
Director – James Nguyen
In attendance – Director James Nguyen
The birds are back, and global warming has them roiled! James Nguyen returns with the director’s cut of his thrilling, romantic, and worthy sequel.
BLOOD FLOWER
Malaysia, 2022
World Premiere, 102 min
Director – Dain Said
A psychic teenage boy battles a bloodthirsty, malevolent spirit in this gory Malaysian horror from BUNOHAN’s Dain Said.
BLOOD RELATIVES
USA, 2022
World Premiere, 88 min
Director – Noah Segan
In attendance – Director Noah Segan
A nomadic recluse living on the fringes of society reconsiders his bloodthirsty legacy when a teenage girl shows up claiming to be his daughter.
BONES AND ALL
USA, 2022
Texas Premiere, 129 min
Director – Luca Guadagnino
In attendance – Director Luca Guadagnino
A story of first love between Maren, a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee, an intense and disenfranchised drifter; a liberating road odyssey of two young people coming into their own, searching for identity and chasing beauty in a perilous world that cannot abide who they are.
CHOP & STEELE
USA, 2022
Austin Premiere, 81 min
Directors – Ben Steinbauer & Berndt Mader
In attendance – Directors Ben Steinbauer & Berndt Mader, Actors Joe Pickett & Nick Prueher
After pranking unsuspecting morning show hosts, the brains behind the beloved Found Footage Festival earn the ire of a major media conglomerate.
COUNTRY GOLD
USA, 2022
US Premiere, 84 min
Director – Mickey Reece
In attendance – Director Mickey Reece
Rising star Troyal Brux spends an evening with his idol George Jones, unaware that the country music legend has a rather cold deadline the following morning.
DECISION TO LEAVE
South Korea, 2022
US Premiere, 138 min
Director – Park Chan-wook
In attendance – Director Park Chan-wook
Laced with wicked humor, master filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s dazzlingly cinematic romantic thriller surprises and delights to the very last.
DEEP FEAR
France, 2022
North American Premiere, 80 min
Director – Grégory Beghin
Three friends are caught between a skinhead gang and an otherworldly enemy after discovering a forgotten secret in the depths of the Paris Catacombs.
DEMIGOD: THE LEGEND BEGINS
Taiwan, 2022
US Premiere, 103 min
Director – Chris Huang Wen Chang
Martial arts, magic, and marionettes collide in a dazzling kaleidoscope of blood-spattered puppetry in this one-of-a-kind wuxia spectacular.
DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY
Mexico, 2022
World Premiere, TBD min
Director – Luis Javier Henaine
After sneaking onto a crime scene to snap pictures of a corpse, an ambitious photographer stumbles into a curse that takes away his senses one by one.
THE ELDERLY
Spain, 2022
US Premiere, 95 min
Directors – Raul Cerezo & Fernando Gonzalez Gomez
An octogenarian starts behaving weirdly in the wake of his wife’s sudden suicide as he prepares for events leading up to a mysterious apocalypse.
EVERYONE WILL BURN
Spain, 2021
North American Premiere, 120 min
Director – David Hebrero
In attendance – Director David Hebrero
A mysterious young girl interrupts María José’s suicide attempt, offering the power to take revenge on the villagers responsible for her son’s death.
EVIL EYE
Mexico, 2022
World Premiere, 100 min
Director – Isaac Ezban
In attendance – Director Isaac Ezban, Actor Paola Miguel
Left in the care of their eccentric grandmother, Nala discovers that the tough old lady has sinister plans for her chronically ill sister, Luna.
FAMILY DINNER
Austria, 2022
Texas Premiere, 96 min
Director – Peter Hengl
In attendance – Director Peter Hengl
An insecure teenager begs her nutritionist aunt for help shedding weight over the Easter holiday, unaware of how extreme the diet plan will become.
FINAL CUT
France, 2022
US Premiere, 111 min
Director – Michel Hazanavicius
Oscar-winning French director Michel Hazanavicius’ meta-remake of the Japanese cult movie ONE CUT OF THE DEAD manages a little tour de force.
THE FIVE DEVILS
France, 2022
North American Premiere, 103 min
Director – Léa Mysius
A young girl’s ability to smell and reproduce any scent transports her into her family’s troubled past in this gorgeous, magical realist drama.
FLESHEATER (Presented by AGFA)
USA, 1988
Texas Premiere of 4K Restoration, 89 min
Director – Bill Hinzman
The “spiritual sequel” to George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, newly restored in 4K from the original 16mm camera negative by Vinegar Syndrome.
FLOWING
Italy, Belgium, 2022
World Premiere, 93 min
Director – Paolo Strippoli
In attendance – Director Paolo Strippoli
A broken family violently confronts their tragic past as the Roman sewers exhale a hallucinatory toxin that revives repressed memories and fears.
GAMERA VS. ZIGRA
Japan, 1971
North American Premiere, 87 min
Director – Noriaki Yuasa
A classic case of mutated, talking murdershark vs. nuclear turtlebeast when Japanese cinema’s second-most iconic reptile takes on an oceanic threat!
GARCIA!
Spain, 2022
World Premiere of 1st 2 Episodes, 114 min
Director – Eugenio Mira
In attendance – Director Eugenio Mira
On the hunt for a scoop that could secure her a job, a journalist intern inadvertently awakens a superhuman agent created by Franco’s regime.
GIVE ME PITY!
USA, 2022
US Premiere, 80 min
Director – Amanda Kramer
Sissy St. Clair’s debut television special, a variety show evening of music and laughter, quickly curdles into a psychedelic nightmare.
H4Z4RD
Belgium, 2022
North American Premiere, 86 min
Director – Jonas Govaerts
When Noah Hazard volunteers to drive his beloved gold Lexus to help his jailbird cousin pick up a friend from prison, he doesn’t expect to be drawn into a murderous drug war.
HOLY SPIDER
Denmark, 2022
Texas Premiere, 115 min
Director – Ali Abassi
A female journalist descends into an Iranian city’s underbelly to investigate a serial killer stalking sex workers to cleanse the streets of sinners.
HUESERA
Mexico, Peru, 2022
Texas Premiere, 97 min
Director – Michelle Garza Cervera
In attendance – Director Michelle Garza Cervera
An expectant young mother confronts her past demons in Michelle Garza Cervera’s creepy mash-up between a folk ghost story and an anxiety attack.
HUNT
South Korea, 2022
Texas Premiere, 125 min
Director – LEE Jung-jae
Rival KCIA agents hunt for an elusive North Korean spy in this ‘80s espionage thriller, the explosive directorial debut from SQUID GAME’s Lee Jung-jae.
JOINT SECURITY AREA (Presented by AGFA)
South Korea, 2000
US Premiere of Restoration, 110 min
Director – Park Chan-wook
Arrow Film’s new restoration of Park Chan-wook’s explosive exploration of the madness of war set in the DMZ between North and South Korea.
KIDS VS. ALIENS
USA, 2022
World Premiere, 75 min
Director – Jason Eisener
In attendance – Director Jason Eisener
Jason Eisener’s long-awaited follow-up to Canuxploitation classic HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN pits a group of moviemaking pals against sinister alien invaders.
KING ON SCREEN
France, USA, 2022
World Premiere, 105 min
Director – Daphné Baiwir
In attendance – Director Daphné Baiwir
A documentary exploration of the many screen adaptations of the work of Stephen King, with commentary from the filmmakers he’s influenced the most.
LA PIETÀ
Spain, Argentina, 2022
US Premiere, 84 min
Director – Eduardo Casanova
In attendance – Director Eduardo Casanova
A terminal cancer diagnosis upends a claustrophobic mother-son relationship in Spain’s auteur of weirdness, Eduardo Casanova’s sophomore film.
THE LEGACY OF THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE
United Kingdom, 2022
World Premiere, 83 min
Director – Phillip Escott
In attendance – Director Phillip Escott
Fest alumnus Phillip Escott presents a journey into THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, exploring the elements that garnered the film its cult status.
LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE
Philippines, 2022
Texas Premiere, 99 min
Director – Martika Ramirez Escobar
In attendance – Director Martika Ramirez Escobar
A falling TV hits Leonor on the head, and she ends up in the action movie she’s writing, but there’s just one problem: she hasn’t finished the script.
A LIFE ON THE FARM
United Kingdom, USA, 2022
Texas Premiere, 75 min
Director – Oscar Harding
In attendance – Director Oscar Harding, Executive Producers Joe Pickett & Nick Prueher
An often-macabre deep-dive into the inspiring legacy of the long-lost home movies of a filmmaking farmer’s life in rural Somerset, England.
LIVING WITH CHUCKY
USA, 2022
Texas Premiere, 102 min
Director – Kyra Gardner
In attendance – Director Kyra Gardner
The daughter of one of Chucky’s puppeteers examines the family relationships that contributed to the success of the queer camp classic CHILD’S PLAY.
LYNCH / OZ
USA, 2022
Texas Premiere, 108 min
Director – Alexandre O. Philippe
Documentary filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe dissects director David Lynch’s lifelong obsession with THE WIZARD OF OZ.
MAKO: THE JAWS OF DEATH
USA, 1976
Texas Premiere, 86 min
Director – William Grefé
A rabidly anti-human Vietnam vet cranks his telepathic shark-bond to 11 in William Grefe’s lethally entertaining shipwreck of JAWS and CARRIE.
MANTICORE
Spain, 2022
US Premiere, 115 min
Director – Carlos Vermut
In attendance – Director Carlos Vermut
Spanish cult director Carlos Vermut returns to the festival with an unsettling, intimate portrait of a real-life monster tortured by a grim secret.
MEDUSA DELUXE
United Kingdom, 2022
North American Premiere, 100 min
Director – Thomas Hardiman
In attendance – Director Thomas Hardiman
Tensions and hairspray run high when a stylist is murdered at an elite hairdressing competition where a passion for extravagance borders on obsession.
THE MENU
USA, 2022
US Premiere, 107 min
Director – Mark Mylod
In attendance – Director Mark Mylod
A couple (Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult) travels to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.
MISSING
Japan, 2021
US Premiere, 124 min
Director – Shinzô Katayama
A distraught daughter searches for her widower father, after he disappears while trying to collect the reward for capturing an unknown serial killer.
MISTER ORGAN
New Zealand, 2022
World Premiere, 96 min
Director – David Farrier
In attendance – Director David Farrier
Following reports of fraudulent car clamping in Auckland, journalist and filmmaker David Farrier opens an investigation that pushes him to the limits of his sanity in this incredible true story of psychological warfare.
THE NIGHTMARE
Norway, 2022
World Premiere, 99 min
Director – Kjersti Helen Rasmussen
Mona’s domestic bliss with her devoted boyfriend unravels as her night terrors intensify, but attempts at lucid dreaming reveal something sinister.
NIGHTSIREN
Slovakia, Czech Republic, 2022
US Premiere, 109 min
Director – Tereza Nvotová
Šarlota returns home decades after losing her sister in an accident, only to be faced by the brutal village patriarchy and accusations of witchcraft.
NOTHING
Denmark, Germany, 2022
International Premiere, 88 min
Directors – Trine Piil & Seamus McNally
In attendance – Directors Trine Piil & Seamus McNally
A group of teenage classmates face an existential crisis, pushing them into darker and darker territory as they confront the meaninglessness of life.
THE OFFERING
USA, 2022
US Premiere, 93 min
Director – Oliver Park
In attendance – Director Oliver Park
A desperate man defends his unborn child from an ancient demon brought into their family-owned, Hasidic funeral home inside a mysterious corpse.
OINK
The Netherlands, 2022
Texas Premiere, 70 min
Director – Mascha Halberstad
A young girl suspects that her estranged butcher grandfather has sinister plans for the family’s cute little piglet.
