The 10 Films We're Most Excited To See At Fantastic Fest 2022
It's the most fantastic time of the year, because Fantastic Fest is right around the corner! After a few unusual years of virtual premieres, location changes, and smaller lineups, Fantastic Fest seems to be coming back in full swing this year. This means the best movie week for cinephiles, genre fans, and overall weirdos is making its triumphant return, with new titles promising laughs, scares, depravity, and bizarre imagery coming to Austin next month in between all the parties and events.
For those who can't make the physical trip to Texas, Fantastic Fest will once again have a virtual FF@Home component running September 29 through October 4, featuring a selection of the physical lineup and even some virtual exclusives to be announced soon.
This year's lineup just got revealed, and even before we get to speculating what the secret screening will be, there already are plenty of movies we're very excited about.
Fantastic Fest 2022 takes place September 22 through September 29, 2022.
Shin Ultraman
American audiences are finally getting the chance to feast their eyes on "Neon Genesis Evangelion" creator Hideaki Anno and his "Shin Godzilla" co-director Shinji Higuchi's new take on the iconic Japanese superhero Ultraman. After successfully rebooting "Godzilla" with a grounded, hysterical new film that shows how people in suits react to giant monsters wreaking havoc, the duo is taking the same approach with the iconic TV character, mixing different eras and interpretations to create something new.
Fans of the hugely influential "Evangelion" should pay special attention to "Ultraman." An early obsession of Anno's, he not only played Ultraman in a fan film he made when he was still a student, he even got to do motion capture for the superhero in the new film, which is part of the Shin Japan Heroes Universe.
Fantastic Fest synopsis:
"Ultraman descends from space after Japan suffers a devastating series of kaiju attacks in this homage to the classic, genre-defining TV series."
Bones and All
Luca Guadagnino is returning to Fantastic Fest with his much-anticipated new film "Bones and All," a cannibal road trip movie. The coming-of-age tale reunites Guadagnino with the internet's boyfriend, Timothée Chalamet, and even if the trailer doesn't necessarily sell a gory or bloody trip, the synopsis and cast have us very intrigued. Everyone from Michael Stuhlbarg and André Holland, to Jessica Harper and Mark Rylance are starring in the film.
Fantastic Fest synopsis:
"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."
Birdemic 3: Sea Eagle
Widely considered one of the best bad movies ever made, it is baffling that "Birdemic" has become a trilogy, but here we are. After not one, but two bird attacks in the U.S., it seems now a different bird species wants a piece of the pie, with sea eagles now on the offensive. These movies, while fun, also deliver poignant commentary on global warming. The description even pokes fun at the trend of director's cuts, so you know this will get delightfully meta.
Fantastic Fest synopsis:
"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."
Smile
This one already has earned the award for the best jump scare of the year, at least in a trailer. Sure, the plot may seem overly familiar for fans of movies like "The Ring" or "It Follows," but that jump scare, man. That jump scare alone is enough to shoot this straight into our most anticipated movies list. The film is adapted from writer/director Parker Finn's 2020 short film "Laura Hasn't Slept" which won the SXSW Film Festival's special jury Midnight Short award.
Fantastic Fest synopsis:
"After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality."
Gamera vs. Zigra
Everybody knows Godzilla, and most people may have heard of Mothra, but there is another kaiju icon that is huge in Japan but didn't quite reach the same level of popularity in the U.S. — Gamera.
The giant turtle monster started as a straight competitor/knock-off of Godzilla, but quickly became a popular franchise in its own right, fighting a multitude of elaborate monsters. Fantastic Fest is doing a repertoire screening of the seventh entry in the franchise, "Gamera vs. Jiger" which never made it to American theaters but was covered by "Mystery Science Theater 3000" at one point. Whether you've never seen a "Gamera" movie, or want to revisit its tokusatsu fun, what a better time to experience this film than at a festival?
Fantastic Fest synopsis:
"A classic case of mutated, talking murdershark vs. nuclear turtlebeast when Japanese cinema's second-most iconic reptile takes on an oceanic threat!"
Unicorn Wars
The best part about attending film festivals is going into a film knowing extremely little, like a title and a two-sentence description. "Unicorn Wars" is such a film, one that has a catchy title and a premise so bonkers you simply have to see it. It's an animated war film following the apocalyptic war between teddy bears and unicorns. Director Alberto Vázquez already made a name for himself with "Birdboy: The Forgotten Children," an animated horror movie that hides a rather dark and violent story behind a storybook look. If "Unicorn Wars" is anything like it, we're in for a treat.
Fantastic Fest synopsis:
"After a bloody defeat in their apocalyptic war against the Unicorns, the Teddy Bear army launches a desperate attack in the heart of the magic forest."
Kids vs. Aliens
Jason Eisener is back to making genre fiction, following his successful "Dark Side of the Ring" documentary series. The filmmaker is set to follow up his cult favorite "Hobo with a Shotgun" with a title that feels rather kid-friendly, but knowing Eisener, that is only a red herring. Indeed, the synopsis teases a meta film about filmmaking friends fighting aliens, which sort of brings to mind "This Is the End," and anything that reminds me of that magnificent comedy is already a triumph in my book.
Fantastic Fest synopsis:
"Jason Eisener's long-awaited follow-up to Canuxploitation classic HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN pits a group of moviemaking pals against sinister alien invaders."
Satanic Hispanics
An anthology horror film featuring many Fantastic Fest alumni, "Satanic Hispanics" aims to celebrate the way Hispanic culture and horror have become so intertwined. As usual with anthology films, we know rather little of what is in store, but the names involve peak our interest, including Gigi Saul Guerrerro, Alejandro Brugues, Mike Mendez, Demian Rugna, and Eduardo Sanchez.
Fantastic Fest synopsis:
"Five crazy and original shorts from five entertaining Hispanic directors, together in an anthology that will make you laugh and jump in fright."
Oink
One of only two animated films (so far) in the line-up, "Oink" seems like an unexpected mix of "Okja" and "Babe: Pig in the City" through the eyes of Roald Dahl. A stop-motion film about a girl who gets a pet piglet and the troubles they get in together. There's plenty of room for kid-friendly fun, and darker, nightmare-inducing imagery.
"A young girl suspects that her estranged butcher grandfather has sinister plans for the adorable piglet he has given her as a birthday gift."
Triangle of Sadness
A movie that already made waves when it premiered at Cannes this year, Ruben Östlund is back to make audiences feel deeply uncomfortable while delivering laugh-out-loud moments of absurd levity and poignant commentary. The film has a fantastic cast, and one of the grosses, most hilarious sequences in a film this year.
Fantastic Fest synopsis:
"In Ruben Östlund's wickedly funny Palme d'Or winner, social hierarchy is turned upside down, revealing the tawdry relationship between power and beauty. Celebrity model couple, Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged boat captain (Woody Harrelson). What first appeared instagrammable ends catastrophically, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island and fighting for survival."
Everything playing at Fantastic Fest 2022
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 adorable piglet he has given her as a birthday gift.
ONE AND FOUR
China, 2021
Texas Premiere, 88 min
Director – Jigme Trinley
A Tibetan forest ranger must deduce who among the three visitors seeking refuge in his cabin from a coming blizzard are poachers and who are cops.
THE PEOPLE'S JOKER (Burnt Ends Selection)
USA, 2022
US Premiere, 92 min
Director – Vera Drew
In attendance – Director Vera Drew
The Joker finds new purpose in Gotham City after transitioning and opening an illegal comedy club in Vera Drew's handcrafted superhero genre parody.
PIGGY
Spain, 2022
Texas Premiere, 90 min
Director – Carlota Pereda
In attendance – Director Carlota Pereda
When a bullied girl's tormentors are kidnapped, she faces the ultimate moral test: Does she help or allow them to suffer as payback?
PROJECT WOLF HUNTING
South Korea, 2022
US Premiere, 121 min
Director – KIM Hongsun
On the choppy seas between Manila and Busan, violent convicts run amok on a hellish cargo ship in this blood-soaked slice of maritime carnage.
SATANIC HISPANICS
USA, Mexico, Argentina, 2022
World Premiere, 105 min
Directors – Mike Mendez, Demian Rugna, Eduardo Sanchez, Gigi Saul Guerrero & Alejandro Brugues
In attendance – Directors Mike Mendez, Demian Rugna, Eduardo Sanchez, Gigi Saul Guerrero & Alejandro Brugues
Five crazy and original shorts from five entertaining Hispanic directors, together in an anthology that will make you laugh and jump in fright.
SHIN ULTRAMAN
Japan, 2022
Texas Premiere, 113 min
Director – Shinji Higuchi
Ultraman descends from space after Japan suffers a devastating series of kaiju attacks in this homage to the classic, genre-defining TV series.
SICK
USA, 2022
US Premiere, 82 min
Director – John Hyams
As the pandemic steadily brings the world to a halt, Parker and her best friend Miri decide to quarantine at the family lake house alone – or so they think. Directed by John Hyams (ALONE), written by Kevin Williamson (SCREAM, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER) and Katelyn Crabb (SICK) and starring Gideon Adlon (BLOCKERS, THE CRAFT: LEGACY), Bethlehem Million (AND JUST LIKE THAT), Marc Menchaca (THE OUTSIDER, OZARK), and Jane Adams (TWIN PEAKS, POLTERGEIST, HACKS).
SICK OF MYSELF
Norway, Sweden, 2022
US Premiere, 95 min
Director – Kristoffer Borgli
Fueled by a need for attention, Signe plays a perverse game of one-upmanship with her boyfriend, popping a drug that causes a painful skin condition.
SMILE
USA, 2022
World Premiere, 116 min
Director – Parker Finn
In attendance – Director Parker Finn
After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.
SMOKING CAUSES COUGHING
France, 2022
Texas Premiere, 80 min
Director – Quentin Dupieux
Five anti-smoking avengers are forced to take a mandatory team-building retreat in Quentin Dupieux's absurdist take on the superhero genre.
SOLOMON KING
USA, 1974
World Premiere of 4K Restoration, 85 min
Directors – Jack Bomay & Sal Watts
Think twice before you mess with Solomon King! Deaf Crocodile's meticulous restoration of Sal Watts' '70s cult classic will soon be your new favorite.
SOMETHING IN THE DIRT
USA, 2022
Texas Premiere, 115 min
Directors – Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
In attendance – Directors Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
A pair of Los Angeles misfits' investigation into the city's occult history sends them down a rabbit hole that threatens their friendship and sanity.
SPOONFUL OF SUGAR
USA, 2022
World Premiere, 94 min
Director – Mercedes Bryce Morgan
Desperate for connection, Millicent enmeshes herself in the lives of a dysfunctional family as her disturbing, LSD-fueled hallucinations grow violent.
THE STAIRWAY TO STARDOM MIXTAPE (Presented by AGFA)
USA, 2022
World Premiere, 70 min
Director – AFGA
Culled from more than 15 hours of footage, the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) presents the definitive cut of public access TV's most otherworldly show.
THE STRANGE CASE OF JACKY CAILLOU
France, 2022
North American Premiere, 92 min
Director – Lucas Delangle
Jacky has his grandmother's gift of healing, but when a woman turns up on his doorstep with an unusual problem, he must decide how far he'll go for love.
SWALLOWED
USA, 2022
Texas Premiere, 94 min
Director – Carter Smith
In attendance – Director Carter Smith and Actor Mark Patton
Forced to mule drugs on their crossing of the southern US border, two friends realize that the packages they ingested seem to be alive.
TERMINAL USA (Presented by AGFA)
USA, 1993
World Theatrical Premiere of 4K Restoration, 60 min
Director – Jon Moritsugu
Jon Moritsugu's genre-melting underground classic, newly restored from the original camera negative by the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA).
TERRIFIER 2
USA, 2022
North American Premiere, 137 min
Director – Damien Leone
Resurrected by occult forces, Art the Clown returns to wreak bloody havoc on the residents of Miles County, targeting a frazzled mother and her kids.
TINTORERA!
Mexico, United Kingdom, 1977
Repertory 35mm Screening, 85 min
Director – René Cardona Jr.
A tiger shark disrupts two best friends' blissful plans to enjoy life in the Caribbean in this Mexican sharksploitation classic from 1977.
TRIANGLE OF SADNESS
Sweden, 2022
US Premiere, 149 min
Director – Ruben Östlund
In Ruben Östlund's wickedly funny Palme d'Or winner, social hierarchy is turned upside down, revealing the tawdry relationship between power and beauty. Celebrity model couple, Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged boat captain (Woody Harrelson). What first appeared instagrammable ends catastrophically, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island and fighting for survival.
TROPIC
France, 2022
North American Premiere, 110 min
Director – Edouard Salier
In attendance – Director Edouard Salier
An extraterrestrial substance cripples an aspiring young astronaut, forcing his twin brother out of his shadow to continue his training alone.
ULTRAMAN (4K EDITION)
Japan, 1966
Texas Premiere of 2022 4K EDITION, 101 min
Directors – Samaji Nonagase, Hajime Tsuburaya & Akio Jissoji
Four episodes from the brand new 4k restoration of the original Ultraman television series.
UNICORN WARS
Spain, France, 2022
US Premiere, 92 min
Director – Alberto Vázquez
After a bloody defeat in their apocalyptic war against the Unicorns, the Teddy Bear army launches a desperate attack in the heart of the magic forest.
UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS
USA, 2022
Texas Premiere, 100 min
Director – Juan Felipe Zuleta
In attendance – Director Juan Felipe Zuleta
An internet sex worker convinces her reclusive neighbor to road-trip across North America for a rendezvous with visitors from a distant galaxy.
V/H/S/99
USA, 2022
US Premiere, 99 min
Directors – Johannes Roberts, Maggie Levin, Flying Lotus, Tyler MacIntyre, Vanessa Winter & Joseph Winter
In attendance – Directors Maggie Levin & Tyler MacIntyre
The found footage anthology's latest scare package rewinds the tape back to 1999 with bloody tales set against the end of the millennium.
VENUS
Spain, 2022
US Premiere, 100 min
Director – Jaume Balagueró
In attendance – Director Jaume Balagueró
Injured in an attempt to steal from her boss, Lucía hides with her sister, unaware that something's very wrong with the rundown building's residents.
VESPER
Belgium, France, Lithuania, 2022
US Premiere, 112 min
Directors – Kristina Buožytė & Bruno Samper
In attendance – Directors Kristina Buožytė & Bruno Samper
In a post-apocalyptic world, a peasant girl's encounter with an oligarch's lost daughter leads to a discovery that could reverse ecological collapse.
VIDEO DIARY OF A LOST GIRL (Presented by AGFA)
USA, 2012
World Premiere, 96 min
Director – Lindsay Denniberg
The American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) presents a new preservation of DIY filmmaker Lindsay Denniberg's hypercolored, VHS-inspired horror valentine.
THE VISITOR FROM THE FUTURE
France, 2022
North American Premiere, 102 min
Director – François Descraques
A snarky time traveler from the year 2555 arrives to save the world from ecological disaster by attempting to assassinate a climate activist's father.
WE MIGHT AS WELL BE DEAD
Germany, Romania, 2022
Texas Premiere, 93 min
Director – Natalia Sinelnikova
When a dog disappears from a secluded high-rise building, fear spreads among the residents, threatening to turn their utopia into Absurdistan.
A WOUNDED FAWN
USA, 2022
Texas Premiere, 91 min
Director – Travis Stevens
In attendance – Director Travis Stevens, Actors Sarah Lind & Josh Ruben
Bruce is erudite, handsome, and charming... but he's also a psychotic serial killer urged to violence by the gigantic red owl that lives in his head.
YEAR OF THE SHARK
France, 2022
North American Premiere, 84 min
Directors – Ludovic Boukherma & Zoran Boukherma
A maritime police sergeant-major spends her last days before retirement in the relentless pursuit of the shark terrorizing her small beach town.