Fantastic Fest is back with another massive celebration of genre cinema.
The festival’s 21st edition will take place September 17–24, 2026, at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas, bringing together 73 feature films and episodics, including 35 World Premieres, 21 International and North American Premieres, and 14 U.S. Premieres.
This year’s program spans horror, sci-fi, fantasy, action, animation and experimental cinema, alongside restorations, live events, filmmaker appearances, Fantastic Pitches and the return of the Burnt Ends sidebar.
Fantastic Fest 2026 at a Glance
When: September 17–24, 2026
Where: Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, Austin, Texas
Edition: 21st Fantastic Fest
Program: 73 feature films and episodics
World Premieres: 35
International & North American Premieres: 21
U.S. Premieres: 14
Opening: BEWARE BOIÚNA World Premiere + RESIDENT EVIL Gala Screening
Closing: THE SWALLOW World Premiere
From major studio releases and emerging filmmakers to micro-budget discoveries, restorations and live events, Fantastic Fest 2026 is once again positioning Austin as a major destination for genre cinema from around the world.
‘Beware Boiúna’ and ‘Resident Evil’ Lead Opening Night
Fantastic Fest will open with the World Premiere of Lionsgate’s BEWARE BOIÚNA, directed by Mike P. Nelson.
The 104-minute creature feature follows a medical mission deep in the Amazon that becomes a fight for survival when Boiúna — “the mother of the waters” — a legendary giant snake protecting her domain, awakens.
The film stars Kiana Madeira, Jessica Rothe and Logan Marshall-Green.
Opening Night will also feature a gala screening of RESIDENT EVIL, the highly anticipated reinvention of the franchise from BARBARIAN and WEAPONS filmmaker Zach Cregger.
The 93-minute film stars Austin Abrams as Bryan, a medical courier who becomes trapped in an increasingly chaotic fight for survival over the course of one horrifying night.
Produced by TriStar Pictures, Constantin Film and Davis Films, Resident Evil hits theaters September 18, 2026.
‘The Swallow’ Will Close the Festival
Fantastic Fest will close with the World Premiere of THE SWALLOW, directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer.
The 82-minute survival-horror creature feature follows a group of young people who enter a fenced-off section of the woods and find themselves terrorized by a sentient, quicksand-like sludge.
The film stars Grace Van Dien.
The Biggest Premieres at Fantastic Fest 2026
Beyond its Opening and Closing Night selections, the festival has assembled a substantial slate of new genre films.
PLAY HOUSE – Chroma’s 2025 Fantastic Pitches winner receives its World Premiere. Directed by Nicolas Jon Curcio, the film follows a man renovating a dilapidated home who discovers VHS recordings of an unaired children’s television show.
THE CYCLE – Shudder’s World Premiere stars Deborah Ann Woll in a story involving the discovery of the body of a man who had been missing for 36 years.
PATHETIC FALLACY – Director Adam Egypt Mortimer delivers a psychedelic journey about a grieving man attempting to bring his wife back, starring Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi and Jessica Rothe.
GODMOTHER – Director John Veron, with Executive Producer Seán “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin, takes audiences into a desert vacation that becomes a nightmare. The film stars horror icon Dee Wallace.
FULL PHIL – Quentin Dupieux presents a new cut of his first English-language feature, starring Kristen Stewart and Woody Harrelson.
DEATH OF A YELLOW BIRD – Director Cody Calahan and Black Fawn Films deliver an emotional supernatural story about a dying father encountering a presence inside his childhood home.
VICTORIAN PSYCHO – Receiving its North American Premiere, Zachary Wigon’s period horror stars Maika Monroe as an eccentric governess arriving at a remote Gothic manor.
BLOODY TENNIS – Shudder’s North American Premiere turns an elite summer tennis academy into a bloody coming-of-age nightmare.
CARRIE – Two episodes of Mike Flanagan’s Prime Video series will receive their U.S. Premiere. The new adaptation places Carrie inside the pressures of modern high school, viral bullying and social media as her telekinetic abilities begin to emerge.
RIVER – Independent Film Company & Shudder’s brutal survival slasher receives its U.S. Premiere. Three estranged siblings attempting to scatter their father’s ashes become stranded on a remote river.
The lineup also includes a screening of Searchlight Pictures’ WILD HORSE NINE, directed by Martin McDonagh.
Walter Hill to Receive Special Honor
Fantastic Fest will honor legendary Director Walter Hill with a special award recognizing his contributions to genre filmmaking.
The celebration includes a special screening of Hill’s EXTREME PREJUDICE (1987), starring Nick Nolte and Powers Boothe, followed by a conversation with Hill.
Following the festival, Alamo Drafthouse will present a nationwide retrospective of Walter Hill’s work in January.
Fantastic Pitches Returns With $100,000 Prize
Fantastic Pitches returns for its second edition after last year’s winning project, PLAY HOUSE, made it all the way to this year’s Fantastic Fest lineup.
Six filmmaking teams will pitch their projects live.
The winner receives $100,000 in financing, distribution and sales support from Chroma and Narrative Global Sales, plus music supervision services from MakeSound.
The jury will be led by Directors Catherine Hardwicke and Gore Verbinski.
Shooter Jennings will separately select a project and contribute an original piece of music and scoring at Sunset Sound Studios, while another project will receive a Blackmagic camera package sponsored by Blackmagic Design and Fangoria.
Travel support comes from Full Spectrum Features.
Restorations and Genre Rarities
Fantastic Fest is again partnering with the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA), the nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving genre cinema.
Among this year’s restoration highlights:
- BLOOD FEAST (1963) – World Premiere of the new 4K restoration
- HELL HOUSE (2001) – World Premiere of the restoration, with Director George Ratliff in person
- DOG GOD (1997) – International Premiere after being banned for almost 30 years in Thailand
- FRISK (1995) – North American Premiere of the 4K restoration
- HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986) – World Premiere of a new 35mm print created for its 40th anniversary
- OGROFF (1983) – World Premiere of the restoration, presented by Bleeding Skull
- ROY FROM SPACE (1983) – World Premiere of the restoration of one of Mexico’s first fully animated feature films
- SCREAMPLAY (1984) – World Premiere of the 4K restoration
Burnt Ends Is Back
Fantastic Fest’s Burnt Ends sidebar, dedicated to micro-budget outlier cinema, returns with another unconventional selection.
Its 2026 films include the World Premieres of I HAVE PROOF, MR. CREAMJEANS’ HIDEY HOLE and MAGICK MTN., alongside the U.S. Premiere of Anthony Oberbeck’s post-apocalyptic sci-fi mumblecore LITTLE DOORS.
The BURNT ENDominations anthology also returns with another collection of gonzo outsider animation.
More Than Just Movies
Fantastic Fest’s live events remain a major part of the experience.
The 2026 program includes:
- Opening Night party featuring synthpunk band Drakulas
- Evil Laugh Competition presented by the Blerdy Massacre podcast
- Live recordings of Doug Loves Movies and The Kingcast
- Fresh Frights with Rotten Tomatoes, exploring all things horror
- Closing Night concert featuring gore-rock legends GWAR
Fantastic Fest will also host the exclusive World Premiere of the Scarlet Church Trailer for Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival.
Developed and published by Saber Interactive, the first-person survival-horror action game launches for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam on October 8, 2026.
Fantastic Fest 2026 – Complete Feature Lineup
For those looking to explore the entire program, here is the full feature and episodic lineup announced for Fantastic Fest 2026:
3 WEEKS AFTER — Miroslav Terzić — North American Premiere
A teenager joins a school trip three weeks after his friend’s suicide, where escalating bullying begins forcing uncomfortable truths into the open.
5 MORE MINUTES — Javier Ruiz Caldera — International Premiere
A struggling husband and wife discover that actions have consequences in a darkly comic take on the time-loop concept.
ADULT SUPERVISION — Alex Schulman — World Premiere
Three fathers chaperoning their teenage daughters’ school trip find themselves caught up in unexpectedly brutal social dynamics.
ATTACK ON PARADISE — Bob Colaers — U.S. Premiere
After seven years of grief, nightmares and sleeplessness, Suleyman reunites with his mother only to be pulled back into violence.
BEWARE BOIÚNA — Mike P. Nelson — World Premiere
A medical mission in the Amazon encounters an enormous ancient predator determined to reclaim her domain.
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY — Léa Mysius — North American Premiere
Nora’s 40th birthday is interrupted by three strangers whose claims threaten to unravel her carefully constructed identity.
THE BLOOD COUNTESS — Ulrike Ottinger — North American Premiere
A reawakened Elizabeth Báthory searches present-day Austria for an ancient artifact capable of destroying her family.
BLOOD FEAST — Herschell Gordon Lewis — World Premiere of 4K Restoration
AGFA and Something Weird restore the landmark 1963 splatter film.
BLOODY TENNIS — Nikias Chryssos — North American Premiere
A summer tennis academy turns Sophie’s coming of age into something increasingly strange and bloody.
CARRIE (Two Episodes) — Mike Flanagan — U.S. Premiere
Carrie navigates public high school, viral bullying, social-media cruelty and the emergence of mysterious telekinetic powers.
CINEMA RECOMPOSED: SILENT MONSTERS — World Premiere
A live string quartet performs newly composed scores for seven classic silent horror shorts originally released between 1908 and 1930.
COMPLIANCE — Kyle Mangione-Smith — North American Premiere
A corporate client relations representative uncovers a vast conspiracy in a found-footage thriller.
CORPUS — Corrin Evans — U.S. Premiere
Three friends attending an exclusive party at a remote estate experience increasingly erotic and violent supernatural attacks.
THE CYCLE — Jordan Downey — World Premiere
A woman investigates her father’s dark past after his body is discovered 36 years after his disappearance.
DEATH HAS NO MASTER — Jorge Thielen Armand — North American Premiere
Caro travels to Venezuela to sell her family cacao plantation and encounters an occupant who refuses to leave.
DEATH OF A YELLOW BIRD — Cody Calahan — World Premiere
A dying father recording messages for his son discovers a supernatural presence inside his childhood home.
DOG GOD — Ing K — International Premiere
The controversial 1997 Thai film returns after being banned for almost three decades.
DONKEY PRINCESS — Cristóbal León & Joaquín Cociña — North American Premiere
In a kingdom where love is considered a plague, a princess travels through different realities searching for love and confronting grief.
EXTREME PREJUDICE — Walter Hill — Special Presentation
Nick Nolte and Powers Boothe face off in Walter Hill’s classic 1987 neo-Western action thriller.
THE FACE OF HORROR — Anna Biller — U.S. Premiere
A vain knight, an inconvenient wife and a marriage founded on murder collide in a lurid supernatural story.
FLAPJAX — Rocko Zevenbergen — World Premiere
An optimistic fast-food manager remains determined to relaunch a dormant product despite increasingly mysterious disappearances.
FRISK — Todd Verow — North American Premiere of 4K Restoration
Todd Verow’s 1995 gay serial-killer cult film returns in a newly restored edition.
FULL PHIL — Quentin Dupieux — World Premiere
Dupieux teams with Tim, Eric, Kristen Stewart and Woody Harrelson for an offbeat feature-length comedy.
FUTURE TENSE — Jenna Cato Bass — U.S. Premiere
A young couple clashes during a time-traveling vacation in a dystopian future.
GAME MASTER — Éric Judor — International Premiere
A celebration of imagination, parenthood and the eccentric world of live-action role-playing.
GHOST IN THE CELL — Joko Anwar — North American Premiere
Supernatural horror, prison thriller, martial arts action and political satire collide in Joko Anwar’s latest genre film.
GIMME TRUTH — Brad Abrahams & Simon Ennis — U.S. Premiere
A documentary exploring conspiracy theories across North America.
GIRL IN THE NIGHT — Luka Marčetić — World Premiere
A lonely man steals a local vigilante’s bicycle and unexpectedly becomes involved in her nightly adventures.
THE GLORIOUS DEAD — John Adams & Toby Poser — U.S. Premiere
A sheriff and deputy awaken to bloody chasms, grotesque creatures and the recently deceased returning to life.
GODMOTHER — John Veron — World Premiere
A carefully planned desert vacation becomes a nightmare involving family tensions and mysterious hosts.
HALF — Samjad — International Premiere
Two half-human, half-vampire siblings are left for dead by scavengers and return seeking bloody revenge.
HELL HOUSE — George Ratliff — World Premiere of Restoration
AGFA restores the influential 2001 documentary, with Ratliff appearing in person.
HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER — John McNaughton — World Premiere of 35mm Print
A brand-new 35mm print celebrates the film’s 40th anniversary and Michael Rooker’s defining performance.
THE HERETIKS — Gregg Bishop — World Premiere
A woman joins forces with a renegade witch after a coven marks her younger sister for sacrifice.
I HAVE PROOF — James Cullen Bressack — World Premiere / Burnt Ends
Alex has proof — and he wants you to see it.
INTO THE SKY — Evan Wolf Buxbaum & Drew Mylrea — World Premiere
A man trying to reunite with his estranged wife repeatedly finds himself taken from Earth by an extraterrestrial force.
JANUR IRENG: SEWU DINO THE PREQUEL — Kimo Stamboel — North American Premiere
Two siblings become caught in a centuries-old satanic ritual orchestrated by wealthy relatives.
JIM QUEEN — Marco Nguyen & Nicolas Athane — U.S. Premiere
As a virus that turns gay people straight spreads worldwide, Jim Perfect travels through Paris looking for a cure.
JOLLYFACE — Justin Floyd — World Premiere
A woman investigating her fiancé’s murder finds herself hunted by a killer determined to suppress the truth.
KICK ON — Nick Kozakis — U.S. Premiere
Four friends trying to extend a late-night bender wind up at a mobster’s apartment, where the party turns violent.
KUNG FU DEADLY — Fergal Costello — World Premiere
Two irresponsible friends become humanity’s unlikely defense against an ancient Chinese evil.
KYLGOR IN THE GRISLY ABYSS — Mason Jeffrey Newton-DeRushie — World Premiere
Grimdark fantasy, an epic quest and plenty of blood — performed entirely with puppets.
LITTLE DOORS — Anthony Oberbeck — U.S. Premiere / Burnt Ends
Two socially awkward survivors find love in a post-apocalyptic world before discovering a mysterious wooden door in the side of her body.
MAGICK MTN. — Hana Mae Lee & Hal Satin — World Premiere / Burnt Ends
Ghosts, goblins and Crowley collide in an occult rock-and-roll fairy tale set in Laurel Canyon.
MR. CREAMJEANS’ HIDEY HOLE — Heath Benfield — World Premiere / Burnt Ends
A raunchy anthology of horrifying, hilarious and deliberately outrageous vignettes.
NO REST FOR THE WICKED — Kasper Kalle — U.S. Premiere
A passionate relationship between Baldur and the whaler who saved him begins requiring sacrifices to an Elder God.
NO WAY DOWN — Mohamed Chabane & Théo Jourdain — World Premiere
Fresh from prison, Idriss enters a derelict apartment complex and is dragged back toward the violent past he hoped to escape.
OGROFF — Norbert Moutier — World Premiere of Restoration
Bleeding Skull presents a restoration of the underground 1983 French slasher.
THE ONES WHO GRIEVE — Quarxx — North American Premiere
As plague spreads across the late-19th-century countryside, a young woman struggles to escape her deeply religious father’s control.
PATHETIC FALLACY — Adam Egypt Mortimer — World Premiere
A grieving man embarks on a surreal journey to bring his deceased wife back.
PHREAKER — Adam Yorke — World Premiere
A blind, isolated teenager becomes part of a new generation of telecom criminals.
PLATYPUS — Joshua Gratton — World Premiere
A woman’s recurring dreams of a masked killer begin closing in on her real life.
PLAY HOUSE — Nicolas Jon Curcio — World Premiere
A home renovation uncovers mysterious VHS recordings of an unaired children’s show whose dark history begins seeping into reality.
POSTHUMOUS — Josh Tanner — World Premiere
A woman watching VHS birthday messages left by her deceased mother uncovers an occult ritual surrounding her death.
A PRAYER FOR THE DYING — Dara Van Dusen — North American Premiere
In 1870 Wisconsin, a Civil War-haunted sheriff faces a deadly plague as wildfires close in.
RED SNOW — Ilja Rautsi — World Premiere
A vampire disguised as Santa Claus invades the home of a teenager who desperately wants to become a vampire herself.
RESIDENT EVIL — Zach Cregger — Gala Screening
Austin Abrams stars as a medical courier trapped in a horrifying fight for survival during one chaotic night.
RIVER — Joshua Giuliano — U.S. Premiere
Three estranged siblings attempting to scatter their father’s ashes become stranded on a remote river.
ROMA ELASTICA — Bertrand Mandico — North American Premiere
Bertrand Mandico and Marion Cotillard deliver a hyper-pulp transmission inspired by 1980s Italian cinema.
ROY FROM SPACE — Héctor López Carmona — World Premiere of Restoration
One of Mexico’s earliest fully animated feature films returns in a newly restored edition.
SCREAMPLAY — Rufus Butler Seder — World Premiere of 4K Restoration
The 1984 queer horror film returns as a newly restored genre rediscovery.
SICK — Agata Trzebuchowska — World Premiere
Two siblings caring for their ailing grandmother watch the situation spiral out of control.
THE SPIRAL — Paolo Strippoli — U.S. Premiere
A confession about a 20-year-old bargain reveals that the miracle that saved Alice came with a debt.
THE SQUIRREL — Markus Lehmusruusu — International Premiere
In a future without nature or emotion, a robotic companion designer rescues an injured squirrel and begins questioning society.
THE SWALLOW — Kevin Kölsch & Dennis Widmyer — World Premiere
A sentient, quicksand-like substance terrorizes a group of young people.
TOO MANY BEASTS — Sarah Arnold — North American Premiere
A disgraced cop investigating conflict between farmers and hunters in rural France uncovers deeper corruption.
UPIRO — Óscar Martín — World Premiere
A woman sent to a remote monastery during the Age of Enlightenment encounters a mysterious blood disease connected to a supernatural upyr.
ÜREI — Yerkezhan Baizhan — World Premiere
A girl staying with her elderly grandmother in rural Kazakhstan experiences an unsettling descent into the unknown.
VERTIGINOUS — Quentin Dupieux — U.S. Premiere
Dupieux explores the simulation hypothesis through early-Y2K visuals and his signature absurdist humor.
VICTORIAN PSYCHO — Zachary Wigon — North American Premiere
An eccentric governess arrives at a remote Victorian manor where strange events raise questions about her true nature.
WELCOME TO DOLLY’S HOUSE — Seven Ych, Rady Fu & Tree Muta — North American Premiere
Taiwan’s first major rotoscoped 2D animated feature follows a ghost-debunking influencer.