It’s a breakout year for director Casey Walker, who has two films hitting the festival circuit almost simultaneously – Home Bodies at Fantasia, and Ithaqua set to play at FrightFest later in the summer. Based on a script by Adrian Murray and Marcus Sullivan, Home Bodies is a sci‑fi film […]
Movies & Documentaries
Backstage Madness (Fantasia International Film Festival 2026)
One of the things I enjoy about Fantasia Film Festival is the cosmopolitan nature of its programming as while they have big names and anticipated features, they also give space to movies from corners of the world that rarely get international visibility. I’d love to see more African features, but […]
Into the Forest: Folktales at DEFA (1955-77) The Film That Made Paul Whitehouse Pee His Pants (as a child)
If you asked a person on the street if they know anything about East German folk tales, there’s a good chance they’ll say no, but if you mention The Singing Ringing Tree to people of a certain generation then some will feel twinges of nostalgia, and possibly trauma. Eureka have […]
Desperate Living (1977) The darkest, cruellest, and most shocking entry in Waters’ Trash Trilogy
John Waters’ filmography is proof that you don’t need to be classy to be canonical, but that being said, the man dubbed as the “Pope of Trash” is by all accounts a witty, intelligent, and stylish individual. It’s delightful to see Waters’ work – not least his more vulgar and […]
Sicko (Fantasia Film Festival 2026)
Here in the UK, and across much of the developed world, we’re in the middle of a cost‑of‑living crisis, with people drowning under bills, rent and debt. The sheer exhaustion of trying to stay afloat begs the question of how far someone would go to escape that pressure – something […]
When You Open the Door (Fantasia International Film Festival 2026)
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 […]
The Odyssey (2026) Grounded & Terrifying, Nolan’s Boldest Adaptation to Date
‘The Odyssey’ is one of the foundational texts of Western literature, with adaptations ranging from Georges Méliès’ ‘L’île de Calypso: Ulysse et le géant Polyphème’ to the animated series ‘Ulysses 31’, Tony Robinson and Richard Curtis’ children’s book series ‘Odysseus: The Greatest Hero of Them All’ and ‘Odysseus II: The […]
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 […]