Eriko Katagiri’s debut feature When You Open the Door arrives at Fantasia 2026 with the kind of industry backing most directors can only dream of. The film received the Japan Horror Award (sponsored by entertainment titan Kadokawa) – an accolade that has gained a reputation for discovering fresh talent, previous […]
From the Festivals
Sour Minnows (Fantasia Film Festival 2026)
Surrealism has a history stretching back as long as cinema itself, and while it currently seems to be in a long‑tenured lull, it always dips in and out of popularity. The best place to pick up on new voices working in this space is the festival circuit, and with Fantasia […]
Godhead (Fantasia International Film Festival 2026)
I haven’t seen Mark H. Rapaport’s debut feature Hippo, but I’m familiar enough with its story (“an adopted Hungarian teenager who desperately wants a baby from her mentally‑ill stepbrother with a God complex”), to know he gravitates toward difficult, uncomfortable territories. Godhead, which received its world premiere at Fantasia 2026, […]
Nightborn (Fantasia Film Festival 2026)
We kick off our Fantasia 2026 coverage with the return of the director behind one of our favourite recent genre debuts. Hanna Bergholm’s name may not leap off the page, but her feature debut Hatching certainly did, striking a blend of body horror and coming‑of‑age allegory centred on a young […]
Our Picks for Frightfest 2026
Forget “Summerween” – every long-time U.K. horror fan knows that FrightFest is the place to go if you’re looking for midsummer monsters and seasonal scares. This August, the beloved London-based genre film festival returns for its 26th year running for five days and nights of cinematic terror, both unseen and […]
Dance Freak (Fantasia International Film Festival 2026)
I’m pretty sure you haven’t seen a movie like Dance Freak – I know I haven’t. Let’s rewind a little to the process of picking movies to cover for this year’s Fantasia. I tend to be ruled by my immediate gut reaction when choosing what appeals to me, and sometimes […]
Attack On Paradise (Fantasia Film Festival 2026)
I think enough time has passed in pop culture for us to stop claiming one movie has utter dominion over a single plot idea or structure, a case in point being Gareth Evans’ The Raid, which isn’t unique enough for the community to claim preferential placement. The World Premiere of […]
You Are The Film (Fantasia Film Festival 2026)
Makoto Ueda is a name that may not leap off the page within the community of Japanese movie lovers, but his work certainly does as he’s the scriptwriter behind two of the most wholesome sci‑fi movies of the past five years – River (2023), and Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes […]
The Curse (2025) Energetic love letter to the ’90s Japanese Horror Boom
Long wanting to catch Kenichi Ugana’s work, it wasn’t until we caught the inimitable punk fever of last year’s The Gesouidoz (at London Fanta) that we finally caught up with the eclectic director making a name for himself on the international festival circuit. When his name popped up again for […]
Our Picks from Fantasia Film Festival’s 2026
Happy 30th Anniversary to Fantasia Film Festival, the Montreal‑based titan of the genre space. Over the past three decades it has grown from upstart festival to one of the few global events genre fans look to for upcoming trends, talent breakouts, and the next 12 months of must‑see titles. Put […]