Starting September 18th, Austin once again transforms into the ultimate sanctuary for genre lovers as Fantastic Fest kicks off its 20th anniversary. With more than 70 features on the slate, pulling in highlights from Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, and TIFF, the city becomes a paradise for anyone chasing the wild, the weird, and the wonderful. From big-ticket premieres to scrappy indie horror discoveries, here are the five films I’m most excited to catch at this year’s Fantastic Fest..
Black Phone 2. Directed by Scott Derrickson
The Black Phone was possibly one of the biggest horror surprises of 2021. It was unsettling, well made, and led by two great performances from Mason Thames and Ethan Hawke. Now, four years later, the Grabber returns and is haunting Finney from the dead. Promising to be an unconventional horror sequel, the Black Phone 2 is promising to be another terrifying entry into the Black Phone franchise.
Dracula. Directed by Rabu Jude
Promising to be a satirical and contemporary take on the horror icon, Rabu Jude’s Dracula is promising to be a lot of movie as it spans nearly three hours. Satirazing the use of AI technology in film, and juxtaposing it with microbudget filmmaking, this intentionally ambitious take of Dracula is promising to be heartfelt, sincere, and outright hysterical.
Shelby Oaks. Directed by Chris Stuckmann
Over a year after its initial world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival, a one million dollar reshoot, and a re-edit, Chris Stuckmann’s Shelby Oaks is finally hitting the festival circuit again before its October premiere. Promising to be bloodier and gorier than its initial release, the YouTube Film Critic turn filmmaker’s directorial feature debut is sure to be a promising one, especially given that it is being distributed by NEON.
Sisu: Road to Revenge. Directed by Jalmari Helander
The Finnish goldminer named Sisu, who refuses to die, has finally returned to the silver screen. After his family is murdered by Soviets, Sisu goes on a blood-soaked quest to avenge his loved ones. Promising to be a ridiculously stupid fun ride, Sisu: Road to Revenge, will be a crowd-pleasing romp, perfect for Fantastic Fest.
Whistle. Directed by Corin Hardy
If you have ever heard an Aztec Death Whistle, you know they are terrifying. So it amazes me that it has taken this long for a cursed object horror with an Aztec Death Whistle to finally be made. Following a group of misfit teens who stumble across the whistle, they inadvertently summon their future deaths to hunt them down. Promising to be a fun twist on the curse object genre, Whistle will be a fun terrifying ride.
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