The Fantasia International Film Festival, arguably the definitive international genre fest, is returning July 16 through August 2. Here at Dread Central, we’ve got a stellar team of writers– including myself, Caroline Colvin, Matt Konopka, and Ashliene McMenamy– locked in for all your Fantasia coverage needs. This year looks to be one of the strongest blocks of programming in years, and we can’t wait to share the titles we’re most excited for at this year’s fest.
Starting off strong, Jenn Wexler helms The Last Temptation of Becky, which is having its World Premiere at the fest. Lulu Wilson returns in the third entry of this gonzo action/horror spectacle, this time squaring off against Neil Patrick Harris’ new Nazi threat after she’s recruited by the CIA. Closing out the fest is the World Premiere of Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein’s Freaks Part II, the long-awaited follow-up to their 2018 hit, Freaks. Expect more mutant mayhem from the team behind last year’s Final Destination Bloodlines.
The Last Temptation of Becky
There are other heavy-hitters we can’t wait to see, including the North American Premiere of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s historical whodunnit The Samurai and the Prisoner, and after garnering rave reviews out of Cannes, Jane Schoenbrun’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is at the top of our must-see list in its Canadian Premiere. We’re so excited for Mark H. Rapaport’s mind-bending odyssey Godhead, having its World Premiere, and for Edwin’s Indonesian body-horror outing Sleep No More, having its North American Premiere.
The Samurai and the Prisoner
My list includes Nightborn, the newest nightmare from Hatching filmmaker Hanna Bergholm, which is having its North American Premiere, and the World Premiere of Big Break, the horror/comedy from the minds behind standup comedy troupe Simple Town. I’m just as keen on Tim Riedel’s Ancestral Beasts, an Indigenous creature feature, having its World Premiere, and Unholy Night from filmmaker Michael Gabriele, whose 2023 Fantasia debut Get Away won the Gold Audience Award.
Vampiric horror has never looked better than Kasper Kalle’s Danish No Rest for the Wicked, which is having its World Premiere, and balancing out the monstrous mythos is the Italian Ferine from filmmaker Andrea Corsini, which promises plenty of feral, unholy bloodshed. Similarly, South Korean horror fans won’t want to miss The Eyes on the international horror front, Yeom Ji-ho’s stalker thriller that looks like a riff on Guillem Morales’s Julia’s Eyes. Home Bodies, helmed by Casey Walker, is a sci-fi odyssey whose retro stylings have me foaming at the mouth.
Action fans won’t want to miss either the World Premiere of Bob Colaers’ Attack on Paradise, or Takashi Shimizu’s Village of Eight Gravestones whose folk-horror roots look absolutely terrifying. Horror fans will also want to note Junction Row, The Last Footage (yes, found-footage is back, baby), and Bowels of Hell, all of which promise to deliver new nightmares unto us in the best possible way.
Less conventional, though still worth adding to your watchlist, are Someone’s Daughter (a must for Heated Rivalry fans), Nameless, Penny Lane is Dead, and the bonkers-in-the-best-way Dance Freak, all of which are part of this year’s electric program. We’re just as excited for The Mouths, When You Open the Door, Sour Minnows, Anymart, Captured!, and the doc Rubberhead: The Life and Monsters of Steve Johnson.
Rubberhead: The Life and Monsters of Steve Johnson
This year’s festival is one of the most stacked yet, and you can view the entire program for Fantasia 2026 at the link here. It’s going to be a gauntlet in the best possible way, so stay tuned to DreadCentral and our social channels for our ongoing coverage of the fest. We’ll be bringing you the latest news, previews, interviews, and reviews of all things Fantasia, and if you’re as excited as we are for the genre event of the year, follow along with us!
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