Fantasia 2026.
Grab your party hats, because she’s turning thirty and flirty and she’s coming to scare the shit out of us. This year’s Fantasia 2026 is here to gag you, both literally and figuratively. This lineup is insane. Zero surprise there. Here are just a handful of the films and short blocks on our ever-growing list of magic and mayhem to check out:
The Fantasia International Film Festival will celebrate its upcoming 30th edition with an electrifying program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 16 through August 2, 2026, returning to the Concordia Hall and J.A. de Sève cinemas, with additional screenings and events at Montréal’s Cinéma du Musée.
NIGHTBORN
With dreams of starting a perfect family, Saga (Seidi Haarla, Compartment No. 6) and her British husband Jon (Rupert Grint, Knock at the Cabin) move to the isolated house where she spent much of her childhood, deep in the Finnish forest. But as soon as their baby is born, despite the reassurance of all around her, Saga knows there’s something terribly wrong with her son. As their marriage starts to crack, Jon struggles to support his wife, but only Saga suspects the terrible truth about her newborn.
From the director of Hatching, NIGHTBORN is a visceral, gripping and terrifying dark fable about motherhood and unconditional maternal love.
Director: Hanna Bergholm
Screenwriters: Ilja Rautsi and Hanna Bergholm
Cast: Seidi Haarla, Rupert Grint, Pamela Tola, Pirkko Saisio, Rebecca Lacey, John Thomson, Silvia Saloranta
Producer: Daniel Kuitunen
Executive Producers: Brahim Chioua, Nick Shumaker, David Levine, Scott Shooman, Emily Gotto
Cinematographer: Pietari Peltola
Editor: Jussi Rautaniemi
Language: English, Finnish
Runtime: 92 mins
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF BECKY
Now working as a field agent for the CIA, Becky (Lulu Wilson) is sent undercover to Poland to infiltrate a family of innkeepers who are running a tourist venture at The Wolf’s Lair, Hitler’s WWII bunker. After learning that the father, Wilhelm Reuss (Neil Patrick Harris), is on a mission to bring about the Fourth Reich, Becky takes matters into her own hands.
Director: Jenn Wexler
Writers: Jenn Wexler and Matt Angel
Story By: Matt Angel & Suzanne Coote
Cast: Lulu Wilson, Kate Siegel, Brandon Flynn, Catherine Walker, with James Urbaniak and Neil Patrick Harris
Run Time: 89 minutes
Rating: Not Yet Rated
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Distributor: Quiver Distribution
RUBBERHEAD: THE LIFE AND MONSTERS OF STEVE JOHNSON
Known for his intense work ethic, perfectionism, and obsession with breaking new ground, Steve Johnson created iconic creatures and effects for some of the most beloved horror and sci-fi movies in cinema history. RUBBERHEAD is a humorous and heartfelt portrait of the life and times of one of Hollywood’s most prolific monster makers, as well as a historical journey through the golden age of special effects makeup.
Steve shares endless, outrageous anecdotes about his freewheeling adventures in Hollywood, while also telling the inspirational but tragic story of his meteoric rise and subsequent fall. His drive and ambition led to some of cinema’s most groundbreaking effects and techniques, but also to heartbreaking acts of self-sabotage, divorce, and serious struggles with addiction.
RUBBERHEAD is a captivating reflection on the game-changing practical FX glory days and a fascinating, entertaining, and moving story of an FX master whose greatest monster may have been himself.
Director: Nick Taylor
Writers: Joseph Krings, Nick Taylor
Cast: Steve Johnson, John Landis, Linnea Quigley, Tom Holland, Bill Corso
Run Time: 105 minutes
Rating: Not Yet Rated
Genre: Documentary
Production Company: American Nightmare Studios
UNHOLY NIGHT
UNHOLY NIGHT – World Premiere
Synopsis: Gino’s traditional family Christmas Eve turns into a bloody battle for survival when his long-dead grandma drops by and goes on a murderous rampage. Amid the chaos, Gino reunites with his ex and the dysfunctional duo must avoid his dead Italian relatives popping up all around the neighbourhood as they search for a way to get rid of these Yuletide revenants and survive his family Christmas.
Director/Writer: Michael Gabriele
Producers: Jason Levangie, Marc Tetreault, Jenna MacMillan, Michael Gabriele
Executive Producers: Tina Carbone, Jef Burnham
Cast: Marc Bendavid, Shailene Garnett, Jacqueline Robbins, Toni Ellwand, Ron Lea, Christina Rosato, Olivier Renaud, Celia Owen, Ellen David, Frank Spadone, Al Sapienza
Genre: Horror/Comedy
Fantasia Premiere Status: World Premiere
Fantasia Section: Septentrion Shadows
Run Time: TBC
TIGHT LETTUCE
Near the border between Ontario and Quebec, Joel (Dakota Daulby, LONGLEGS) works in the construction industry. He has a healthy relationship with his partner (Christie Burke, ETERNITY), his mother (Maxim Roy, SHORESY), and his grandmother (France Castel, LES FURIES). The only stain on this picture is his father, Bodo (Emmanuel Bilodeau, CURLING), who has been struggling with a fentanyl addiction for years. He is unable to hold down a job, turns every place he ends up in into a slovenly dive, and is a potential danger to himself and others. Despite everything, Joel continues to try to help him, telling himself that if he loves his father enough, he will eventually manage to get the man’s life back on track.
Director
Harrison Houde
Producer
Serge Desrosiers
Writers
Dakota Daulby, Harrison Houde
Cast
Emmanuel Bilodeau, Christie Burke, France Castel, Josh Cruddas, Dakota Daulby, Guy Jodoin, Didier Lucien, Maxim Roy
Cinematographer
Serge Desrosiers csc
Sound Designer
Jérôme Boiteau
Composer
Pierre-Philippe “Pilou” Côté
Editor
Harrison Houde, Étienne Plasse
HOME BODIES
Red (Emma Ho, CODE 8, THE EXPANSE) and Blue (Ian Ho, THE EXPANSE, CHAPELWAITE) live a “Waiting for Godot” existence within the confines of a retro, automated dwelling. Food is always available, they are entertained by VHS tapes of a show called “Barn” starring a cow, a pig, and a chicken, and soothed by each other’s company. They report to Papa, a disembodied voice through a locked door that enforces the rules they live by. On a holiday that resembles Christmas, they receive a gift: Pal (Ess Hödlmoser, THE BOYS, STATION ELEVEN), an androgynous humanoid who doesn’t speak, and follows their lead. But Pal isn’t as benign as they seem. Pal also receives VHS tapes, but they are more disturbing, and Red, who was once wary of her new friend, becomes more enamoured of their expressionless new roommate. As Red and Blue learn about Pal, their discoveries soon drive a wedge between them. With vibes of Canadian genre classics PIN and CUBE, HOME BODIES is a surreal look at control, autonomy, nature vs. nurture, and the automation of our lives.
Director
Casey Walker
Producer
Karen Harnisch, Casey Walker
Writer
Adrian Murray, Marcus Sullivan
Cast
Emma Ho, Ian Ho, Ess Hödlmoser
SOUR MINNOWS
Synopsis: Two friends stumble upon an unusual sight: six men sensually licking the pavement on an empty LA street. For Ricky, this moment ruptures something. As his reality grows porous, and his memories begin to slip and slide, he finds himself in contact with “The Yellow Thing,” an entity that wears people like costumes. As Ricky adapts to his expanding worldview, a delirious new logic takes hold.
Director
Harrison Atkins
Producer
Harrison Atkins, Kate Banford, Mel Barnes, Allison Bunce, Anne Gormley, Suzanna Son, Sarah Winshall
Writer
Harrison Atkins
Cast
David Brown, Phil Burgers, Julia Jones, Suzanna Son, Chase Williamson
THE GLORIOUS DEAD
A small-town sheriff (Toby Poser) and her young deputy (Zelda Adams) wake to find the world they believed in no longer exists. Blood drips from faucets, people and pets are missing, and fleshy creatures walk the woods. Soon, the dirt can’t keep the dead down. Anger and fear spread through the community. Co-written and co-directed by John Adams and Toby Poser, the latter of whom also stars, and co-starring Zelda and Lulu Adams, THE GLORIOUS DEAD is a personal genre vision that speaks to the increasing horrors of American life in times of enormous, instigated division while retaining the interpersonal poetry, imagination, and dark humor that its creators are renowned for. This will be the sixth consecutive work from the singularly talented filmmaking family to World Premiere at Fantasia following the festival’s launches of THE DEEPER YOU DIG, HELLBENDER, WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS, HELL HOLE, and MOTHER OF FLIES, the latter having won our 2025 Cheval Noir Award for Best Feature. In their words: “This film takes dangerous fundamentalism at face value and asks what remains for the rest of us.” World Premiere.
Directed by Toby Poser, John Adams
Cast Zelda Adams, Toby Poser, Lulu Adams
BIRDCALL
BIRDCALL tells the story of a foolhardy scientist and his wife, a wayward survivor, as they endure a world overtaken by an avian-borne disease that has forced humanity into secluded cities. Unbeknownst to his wife, the scientist has recently become infected himself. While isolated in a cabin outside of their compound, he uses their seclusion as a trial run for an untested cure, risking both their lives in the process.
The 15-minute short is directed by Justin Calandriello; Written by Halle Kott; Produced by Calandriello, Sam Beaton and Halle Kott; Associate Producer: Casey Marie Ecker and Cinematography by Joshua Popovsky.
BORN OF WOMAN 2026
This shorts block is my absolute favorite every year. Full Stop.
Fantasia’s top-tier showcase of uncompromising personal genre visions returns with nine works from five countries that will leave you shaken and astonished. From Germany to South Korea, Brazil to the USA and more, dark brilliance awaits.
Angels (USA, dir. Sam Mandich, World Premiere)
Breeder (USA, dir. Sapphire Sandalo, International Premiere)
Fingerbang (South Korea, dir. Kim Yeon-woo, Canadian Premiere)
Imprint (USA, dir. Ran Jing, International Premiere)
O Novo Corpo (Brazil / Portugal, dir. Luciana Malavasi, North American Premiere)
Redneck (USA, dir. Alexandria Basso, International Premiere)
Sam (USA / Germany, dir. Catharina Schürenberg, World Premiere)
Strange Egg (USA / USA, dir. Liv Mershon, World Premiere)
Ultraviolet Damage (Germany, dir. Pola Rader, North American Premiere)
For all things Fantasia, click here!!
Fantasia 2026 Fantasia 2026 Fantasia 2026 Fantasia 2026 Fantasia 2026 Fantasia 2026
OBSESSION
For more trailers, 
EGGHEAD & TWINKIE
Asahi Hirano plays Jess with a comfortability that is chef’s kiss. Acting like an LGBTQ+ sensai for Twinkie, Hirano makes the conversation flow easily. She is a delight, someone who could carry a spinoff film. Louis Tomeo as Egghead is fantastic. He is laugh-out-loud funny in his natural delivery. The sass is perfection. Holland allows him to show his comedy chops through the script and hilarious editing from Anna DeFinis and Kristina League. Sabrina Jie-a-fa plays Twinkie with a perfect balance of audaciousness and hesitancy. We see authentic coming-of-age and coming-out stories in her journey. Together, Tomeo and Jie-a-fa are a spectacular duo. You will fall in love with them. 
The teenage shenanigans ring true. That feeling of invincibility and daring reminds me of my crazy ideas and dumb decisions in the late 90s. Egghead and Twinkie take risks, make mistakes, hurt each other, get their hearts broken, and confess their fears. The film is a helpful guide for parents struggling to understand their kids’ feelings. Regardless of their core beliefs, 
For more LGBTQ films, click 
Two friends trudge through a Michigan forest 
SXSW 2025
Director: Gerard Johnson, Producers: John Jencks, Isabel Freer, Matthew James Wilkinson, Patrick Tolan, Screenwriters: Gerard Johnson, Austin Collings
Director: Elaine Epstein, Producers: Elaine Epstein, Robin Hessman
Directors/Screenwriters: Helena Ganjalyan, Bartosz Szpak, Producers: Maria Gołoś, Monika Matuszewska
Director/Screenwriter: Alex Scharfman, Producers: Drew Houpt, Lucas Joaquin, Alex Scharfman, Lars Knudsen, Tyler Campellone, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page
Director: Yana Alliata, Producer: Jack Forbes, Screenwriters: Yana Alliata, Amy Miner
Director: Jessica Earnshaw, Producers: Holly Meehl Chapman, Jessica Earnshaw
Director: Eli Craig, Producers: Marty Bowen, John Fischer, Wyck Godfrey, Screenwriters: Carter Blanchard, Adam Cesare, Eli Craig
Director/Screenwriter: Kaspar Astrup Schröder, Producers: Maria Helga Stürup, Katrine A. Sahlstrøm
Director/Screenwriter: Amy Landecker, Producers: Amy Landecker, Bradley Whitford, Valerie Stadler, Jenica Bergere, James Portolese
Director/Screenwriter: Geremy Jasper, Producers: Michael Gottwald, Noah Stahl
Director: Kahane Corn Cooperman, Producers: Innbo Shim, Kahane Corn Cooperman
Director: Anayansi Prado, Producers: Ina Fichman, David Goldblum, Screenwriters: Anayansi Prado, Pablo Proenza
Director: Matt Johnson, Producers: Matthew Miller, Matt Greyson, Screenwriters: Matt Johnson, Jay McCarrol
Director: Ari Gold, Producers: Michelle Stratton, Starr Sutherland, Screenwriters: Ari Gold, Ethan Gold, Lara Louise, Brian Bell, Herbert Gold, Tongo Eisen-Martin, John Flanigan
Director/Screenwriter: Chelsea Christer, Producers: Clinton Trucks, Alexa Rocero, David B. Lyons
Director/Screenwriter: Lucy Davidson, Producers: Vanessa Batten, Amy Upchurch
Synopsis
Legendary underground filmmaker Scooter McCrae (SHATTER DEAD, SIXTEEN TONGUES) returns after a 21-year absence from feature filmmaking with the bold, vulgar, and deeply thought-provoking BLACK EYED SUSAN. Simultaneously brutally challenging and deeply vulnerable, the latest from the New York-based provocateur appropriates bleeding-edge science fiction concepts to address the seemingly-endless lengths that men will go to satisfy their darkest impulses without questioning the consequences of their actions.
Here is the first-look trailer for Scooter McCrae’s dark sci-fi drama BLACK EYED SUSAN, which 
MISSING
The reservation has its own justice system, under which not a single white man has been prosecuted in connection to a disappearance. Families must rely on the Feds to intervene. They never do. It is endless, lawless mayhem. 
A quote from a manual given to households when children the government was ripping from their homes reads, “The goal is not to make scientists, or doctors or lawyers out of these citizens. The goal is to make domestic housewives and farmers and laborers.” Keeping the population suppressed remains the goal. It’s cyclical genocide. It is the continuation of colonization, plain and simple. 
Goodnight Mommy filmmakers Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz‘s latest film, The Devil’s Bath, opens with a 
SYNOPSIS – In 1750 Austria, a deeply religious woman named Agnes has just married her beloved, but her mind and heart soon grow heavy as her life becomes a long list of chores and expectations. Day after day, she is increasingly trapped in a murky and lonely path leading to evil thoughts, until the possibility of committing a shocking act of violence seems like the only way out of her inner prison. Giving a voice to the invisible and unheard women of the rural past; THE DEVIL’S BATH is based on historical court records about a shocking, hitherto unexplored chapter of European history.
VERONICA FRANZ (Writer & Director) studied German and philosophy and worked as a journalist. She has also worked as an artistic collab-orator with Ulrich Seidl since 1997 and co-wrote the screenplays for all of his films including DOG DAYS (2001), IMPORT EXPORT (2007), the PARADISE trilogy (2012/13) and WICKED GAMES – RIMINI SPARTA (2023). In 2003 she also founded the Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion GmbH with him.
A celebration of family-friendly indie filmmaking, Invaders From Proxima B has arrived to delight the budding cinephile. Ward Roberts brings audiences a whimsical story of intergalactic mayhem.
Bo Roberts is a natural as daughter Ruby. Her comic timing is a hoot. Samantha Sloyan is effortlessly charming as Mom, Jane. We get both sitcom motherly goodness and slackstick joy from Sloyan. She is a dynamo.
The inspiration from Disney’s Lilo and Stitch is unmistakable, but Invaders From Proxima B has an edgier narrative. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you Chuck’s first line of dialogue elicited a genuine guffaw from my mouth. Incredible Seusian animation acts as transition storytelling. The editing and use of GoPro add to the kid-centric perspective. This alien invader, body-swapping comedy is a laugh-out-loud, enchanting watch for the weekend. Check it out!
When Abby’s grandma dies, the only thing she inherits a stupid kite – after giving it to her brother; he is mysteriously killed and the kite disappears. While searching for the truth, she is tangled in a strange supernatural plot, where this killer kite continues to kill! Now, Abby must string together a way to stop the kite before it blows us all away. Kites may not be the scariest monster ever, but they’re up there.
Could KILLER KITES be the new Midnight Madness screening? Anything is possible. Check out the trailer below. 
Directed by John Slattery
When two women with the same name are murdered days apart, small-town police chief Jordan Sanders (Hamm) finds himself wading through an unlikely collection of cheating husbands, lonely hearts, nosy neighbors and contract killers in an effort to put the pieces of the case, and his life, together. The film is inspired by actual events.
One of the most extraordinary and exciting cinematic experiences of the year, GRIMMFEST 2023 audiences got a taste of the uniqueness of Moon Garden. A five-year-old girl’s trauma manifests as bizarre and visceral images as she sits in a coma. The audience hears the real-time action as the doctors and her parents navigate their tumultuous relationship. Guided by her parents’ voices, Emma attempts to escape her mysterious prison world, wading through creatures of good and evil. Moon Garden is an industrial steampunk fairy tale that is relentlessly haunting and undeniably riveting.
Moon Garden is character and world-building at its best. Fascinating and terrifying all at once, we are right alongside Emma in this frightening in-between existence. A bit of Return To Oz with a touch of Pan’s Labyrinth, the magic of Moon Garden grows with each passing second. The editing is stunning. In addition to the monstrous action, writer-director Ryan Stevens Harris incorporates memories, giving Emma the tools to survive in her strange surroundings. It’s a beguiling screenplay tackling love and fear. 
Slamdance 2023 Premiere of
After jail-time, 12-step programs and five marriages, Annie begins her acting career in her mid-fifties with the help of a young director she met at a Burger King. In this show within a show, Annie tackles both her gigs as an actor and the role of herself in her own life story.
A farcical meta delight, Slamdance 2023 episodic WHO’S ANNIE skewers the absurdity of Hollywood, but that’s only the beginning. Annie Pisapia plays herself and doesn’t. Yup. You read that correctly. This “series within a series” is wildly entertaining and wholly bizarre. 
Writer-director Sophia Peer plays “herself,” a television director with awkward and quirky energy. Peer bears a striking resemblance to Rhea Pearlman. It’s a head-scratching role, and I could not look away. Sofia Dobrushin plays the “series” version of Peers. Wide-eyed and perfectly cast, Dobrushin appears both afraid and at home in coordinated chaos. I adored her. Annie Pisapia owns the screen, as her comic timing is something to behold. Her rough exterior feels part false flag, part true identity. She is so convincing it is genuinely tough to discern between Annie’s real life and the script. That is the entire point of the series, and Peer has succeeded with flying colors. Adding in Peer’s manic confidence and Dobrushin’s “yes, and” attitude, these three women exquisitely complement one another.
Because the show jumps in style, so does the cinematography. It is eye candy that never gets boring. It is pure silliness, and I’m dying for more. It’s Comedy Central meets Mad TV. There is a lot of meat on the bone for series development. Everyone has enough (or a lot) of backstory to expand upon and plenty of weirdness to start. 
You must be logged in to post a comment.