It’s the 30th anniversary of Montreal’s storied Fantasia Festival, and the screenings at this year’s edition are sure to match the excitement of a milestone year. In addition to screening some of the year’s biggest festival hits, such as “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” “Buddy” and “Her Private Hell,” there are plenty of brand-new visions set to be unleashed. Check out some of the world premieres and North American debuts we’re most excited for.
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Sour Minnows
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fatasia Fest Harrison Atkins’ first feature was the strange and delightful “Lace Crater,” in which a woman got an STD from a ghost. His follow-up, “Sour Minnows,” seems certain to amp up the weird factor, as Ricky (David Brown) and Tepper (Chase Williamson) accidentally pierce a veil of reality and see six men licking a street. From there, things get extra-weird, including his relationship with Aura (Suzanna Son) and the pursuit of “The Yellow Thing,” which comfortably wears others’ skin. Only at Fantasia!
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The Last Temptation of Becky
The Nazi-killing badass is back for the third “Becky” film, with this chapter helmed by “The Ranger” director Jenn Wexler. This time, the vengeful Becky (Lulu Wilson) is a CIA agent and prepares to combat a key modern Nazi, played by Neil Patrick Harris. Plenty of wild kills and lunatic fun follow in this emotional battle of good vs. evil.
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The Eyes
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fantasia Festival A remake of the 2010 Guillermo del Toro-produced thriller “Julia’s Eyes,” Shin Min-a stars as Seo-jin, a woman who is scheduled to get a corneal transplant from her twin sister in order to combat a degenerative eye disease. But she suddenly commits suicide; Seo-jin suspects it’s the work of her just-released former boyfriend, who was arrested for stalking. Director Yeom Ji-ho holds together this spooky mystery.
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Corpus
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fantasia Festival Corrin Evans’s period thriller transports audiences back to late-’90s New York City, where a fixture of the decadent nightlife, Sayo (Jeff Wahlberg), heads to a party upstate to connect with a hot movie star (Brodie Townsend). But when Sayo gets to the party, things aren’t as he expected. Expect a dreamy, sexy and unabashedly queer portrait of youth.
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Freaks Part II
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fantasia Festival Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein introduce a sequel to the world of their 2018 indie sci-fi hit. While the pair went Hollywood since the first movie by helming the 2025 hit horror sequel “Final Destination Bloodlines,” the duo was drawn back into their own world of “Freaks.” In this chapter, Mary (Amanda Crew) and her daughter Chloe (Lorelei Olivia Mote) are on the run from the Abnormal Defense Force, and must do whatever they can to stay out of their grasp, all while Chloe learns how to manage her powers. While the importance of family drives the film, there are also plenty of creatively gory moments promised.
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The Glorious Dead
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fantasia Festival The Adams Family’s latest film has a higher platform after their previous feature, “Mother of Flies,” won last year’s Cheval Noir Award. “Glorious Dead” is another family affair, with a sheriff (Toby Poser) and her deputy (Zelda Adams) trying to figure out the evil that has taken over their small town.
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Unholy Night
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fantasia Fest A bloody Christmas feature reminiscent of a lost “Evil Dead” chapter, a dead grandma won’t stay down during family time, which leads to plenty of funny and gross-out moments. Even though it’s off-season, director Michael Gabriele’s first full feature promises to bring holiday cheer (and queasiness) to Montreal.
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Suzuki=Bakudan
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fantasia Fest A man captured by police for assault (Jiro Sato) says he can predict the future and starts warning police about all the bombs that are timed to go off every hour. Once they do, it’s up to a detective (Yuki Yamada) to figure out what is going on in Akira Nagai’s feature.
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Nameless
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fantasia Festival Early footage of this one looks wild, as a man without a weapon is able to instantly kill people he passes by on the street, as if he’s carrying a sword. Police are baffled as they see his deadly antics on CCTV and must try to catch him before he can kill more. The film is based off star Jiro Sato’s web-manga, and Hideo Jojo’s kinetic filmmaking will make the brief 81-minute runtime fly by.
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The Mouths
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fantasia Festival This slick-sounding J-horror entry from director Takashi Shimizu is about a cursed tree in a haunted cemetery that unleashes nastiness on anyone who dares to disrupt it. Would you believe that, in this movie, someone messes with the tree?!? Early word is that “The Mouths” is much more dependent on creepy atmosphere and lore versus big jump scares, which sounds like an engaging entry in a dependable genre.
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