Fantastic Fest 2026 The Blood Countess has enough color, costuming, and elaborate scenery to keep the eyes occupied long after the story should have wrapped up. At Fantastic Fest, I admired its visual extravagance while wishing someone had edited it more firmly. This peculiar vampire comedy offers plenty to appreciate, including a solid cast and… Continue reading Blood Countess: A Lavish Vampire Comedy That Overstays Its Welcome
Author: Laurie Coker
Wild Horse Nine: a pairing of actors that pleases unabashedly
Fantastic Fest 2026 John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell are a pairing I could happily watch argue their way through almost anything. In Wild Horse Nine, their chemistry turns a buddy comedy with a serious undercurrent into one of my favorite Fantastic Fest experiences. Writer-director Martin McDonagh gives them clever material, and they deliver it with… Continue reading Wild Horse Nine: a pairing of actors that pleases unabashedly
Alpha Gang Review: An All-Star Alien Comedy That Gets Lost in Its Own Weirdness
Fantastic Fest 2026 Alpha Gang was one of the strangest films I saw at Fantastic Fest 2026, and I am still not entirely sure what to make of it. Directed by David and Nathan Zellner, this science-fiction comedy pairs an impressive cast with vivid colors, memorable costumes, and an enthusiastic commitment to absurdity. It was… Continue reading Alpha Gang Review: An All-Star Alien Comedy That Gets Lost in Its Own Weirdness
Fantastic Fest 2026: Red Snow – Plenty of Blood, but Its Vampire Left Me Cold
Red Snow wastes no time showing what kind of Christmas movie it intends to be. This Finnish horror comedy sends a vampire dressed as Santa Claus into people’s homes, where holiday cheer quickly gives way to graphic deaths. Written and directed by Ilja Rautsi, the film is violent, gory, and deliberately disgusting at times. It… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2026: Red Snow – Plenty of Blood, but Its Vampire Left Me Cold
Fantastic Fest 2026 Recap: Great Hospitality, Free Parking, and a Blanket Required
I spent most of my Fantastic Fest week in screenings, which meant getting well acquainted with the theater’s seats, menu, and occasionally ambitious air conditioning. The festival crew was great, the public-relations companies were extremely accommodating, and the ADA accommodations were especially helpful. Those things make a difference during several days of moviegoing, particularly when… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2026 Recap: Great Hospitality, Free Parking, and a Blanket Required
Fantastic Fest 2026: Into the Sky – one of those purely enjoyable sci-fi comedies
Into the Sky turned out to be one of the more purely enjoyable films I saw at Fantastic Fest. Co-written and directed by Evan Buxbaum and Drew Mylrea, it blends science fiction, comedy and a touch of romance into something strange, funny and surprisingly sweet. The premise is ridiculous in exactly the right way, and… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2026: Into the Sky – one of those purely enjoyable sci-fi comedies
Fantastic Fest 2026: Little Doors – undeniably weird and wildly thought-provoking
Little Doors is undeniably weird, but unlike some films that use strangeness for its own sake, this one left me thinking about what it meant. Writer-director Anthony Oberbeck sets an awkward romance in a quietly apocalyptic world, then introduces a bizarre physical mystery that upends everything. The result is funny at times, uncomfortable at others,… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2026: Little Doors – undeniably weird and wildly thought-provoking
Fantastic Fest: Ürei – bleak, disturbing, but well done
Some films I admire more than I enjoy fall squarely into that category, and Ürei is one of them. Written and directed by Yerkezhan Baizhan, the Kazakh horror film is bleak, unsettling, and at times genuinely difficult to watch. It is also very well done. Baizhan expands the story from her 2024 short film of… Continue reading Fantastic Fest: Ürei – bleak, disturbing, but well done
5 More Minutes Movie Review: A Clever, Darkly Funny Time-Loop Comedy
Fantastic Fest 2026 Of all the films I saw at Fantastic Fest 2026, 5 More Minutes was among the easiest to enjoy. It is clever, darkly funny, violent without being overwhelming, and just strange enough to feel perfectly at home at this festival. Directed by Javier Ruiz Caldera, the Spanish film stars Berto Romero and… Continue reading 5 More Minutes Movie Review: A Clever, Darkly Funny Time-Loop Comedy
Fantastic Fest 2026: Half – a Bloody, Relentless Revenge Film
Half is an absolute bloodbath. Directed by Samjad, the Indian action film follows Ethan and Ivy, half-human, half-vampire twins whose road trip turns horrific when a gang of armed bandits attacks them. They survive, but what follows is essentially an all-out revenge mission, and the film wastes little time getting there. The supernatural premise gives… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2026: Half – a Bloody, Relentless Revenge Film