FANTASTIC FEST 2024
Our merry band of misfits, muckrakers, and miscreants is making it’s way to Austin, TX, for an 8-day carnival of cinematic delights – Fantastic Fest is back on Sept. 19th – 26th, taking place at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar cinema.
Fantastic Fest 2024 is upon us! The entire lineup is spectacular. Here are 6 films we are stoked for this year.
You can find the full Fantastic Fest 2024 Film Guide here!
PÁRVULOS
Director: Isaac Ezban (LOVED The Similars & Parallel)
Three young brothers living in a cabin in the middle of the woods hide a dark, disturbing secret in their basement.
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Year:2024
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Runtime:119 minutes
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Language:Spanish
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Country:México
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Premiere:US
TERRIFIER 3
Director: Damien Leone
After surviving Art the Clown’s Halloween massacre, Sienna and her brother struggle to rebuild their shattered lives. As the holiday season approaches, they try to embrace the Christmas spirit and leave the horrors of the past behind. However, just when they think they’re safe, Art returns, determined to turn their holiday cheer into a new nightmare.
IN THEATERS: October 11, 2024
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Year:2024
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Runtime:125 minutes
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Language:English
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Country:USA
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Premiere:World
FRANKIE FREAKO
Director: Steven Kostanski
After calling a late-night party hotline that promises out-of-this-world fun, uptight yuppie Conor Sweeney must battle the pint-sized forces of evil that get unleashed through his phone line, led by the maniacal rock ‘n’ roll goblin Frankie Freako.
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Year:2024
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Runtime:82 minutes
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Language:English
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Country:Canada
- Premiere: International
THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF CHRISTOPHER LEE
Director: Jon Spira
Follows fresh interviews, archival footage, and various animation techniques like marionation to recreate one of the world’s leading actors on screen, bringing them back to life through innovative methods.
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Year:2024
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Runtime:103 minutes
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Language:English
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Country:UK
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Premiere:North American
STRANGE HARVEST: OCCULT MURDER IN THE INLAND EMPIRE
Director: Stuart Ortiz
A faux true-crime documentary about two detectives’ pursuit of an infamous serial killer named Mr. Shiny, who terrorized Southern California for almost two decade
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Year:2024
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Runtime:94 minutes
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Language:English
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Country:USA
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Premiere:World
Boasting unbelievable practical FX, the scares in V/H/S/94 are brilliant. I’m talking legitimate, meticulously timed jump scares from every single director. The quality of the film forces you to sit up and pay closer attention, sometimes squinting over the tracking adjustments as they crowd the screen. The V/H/S franchise has been able to capture something glorious beyond the found footage genre. It’s the mystery behind the overall arch that keeps you creeped out and engaged on top of the fantastic individual stories. It’s a double whammy of horror goodness. You’ll shiver and gag and think, “Damn, this is good shit.”
The grand scheme of V/H/S 94, or “Holy Hell,” has the audience following a SWAT team into an industrial building filled with monitors and plenty of body parts. They don’t know who or what they’re searching for, exactly. As they sweep the rooms a new tape begins to play. Each one is completely different and spectacularly twisted. Tape 1, titled “Storm Drain” features a local legend of Ratman. An ambitious reporter and her cameraman get in over their heads. Tape 2, “The Empty Wake,” sees a young woman left to record the wake of a recently deceased man. Alone with a dead body during a storm? No thanks. This segment was my personal favorite. It’s old-school scary meets nuts visuals. I couldn’t help but yell NOPE at the screen, again and again.
Tape 3 “The Subject,” tells the tale of a mad doctor attempting to improve humans with technology. If you ever wanted a live first-person shooter game experience, now you’ve got one. Tape 4 “Terror” takes aim at domestic terrorism with a group of militiamen planning to cleanse America with s monstrous weapon. I also have to mention, director Steven Kostanski’s infomercial “The Veggie Masher.” It’s totally maniacal and random as hell. But at the same time, perfectly harkens back to those 3 am hour-long commercials for ridiculous kitchen gadgets. The finale actually gives you answers. As the 4th installment of the franchise, V/H/S94 makes it clear that these films are alive and well and ready to fuck you up.
Mimi is me as a kid; overly dramatic, kooky, aggressively brimming with sass. I played with all the boys, digging holes, making forts, playing with stick lightsabers. Am I obsessed with the fact that PG: Psycho Goreman is energized by a truculent little girl?! Hell yes. Do I love the fact that it’s over-the-top in every single way? You betcha. Is this one of the most fun viewing experiences I’ve had in lockdown? 100%. It’s a genre-bending romp of relentlessly violent, gore-filled, sci-fi weirdness and I am here for it all.
Essentially, if you’ve ever been a genre nerd, you’ll love this film. Think Peter Jackson‘s splatstick trilogy, add a pinch of The Gate, with a side of Saturday morning cartoon realness and you can begin to comprehend what this film is. The costume and creature builds are out of this world fun. Every single detail of Psycho Goreman screams an homage to fans. It feels like it was tailormade for my 40-year-old self, and I will continue to tell myself this lie.
The chemistry between cast members is outstanding. The family dynamics are hilarious. I hope I talk to my kids that way when they get to be Mimi and Luke’s age. The dialogue is delivered with such commitment, it’s magical. The kids interacting with PG will force a grin that just won’t go away. Writer/director Steven Kostanski, who I already knew from his ABC’s of Death 2 segment, really gets it. You can tell from his extensive resume that he’s a fan that not only writes for an audience but for himself and I cannot wait to see what’s next. PG: Psycho Goreman is destined for cult classic status. If I don’t see this costume pop up at a future Comic-Con, I will be shocked.
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