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
Category: Banner Slideshow
Fantastic Fest 2026: PRIMETIME
In 2004, NBC debuted To Catch a Predator. It was a reality television show where NBC journalist and host Chris Hansen and a group of associates set up an undercover sting, in conjunction with local police, to catch sexual predators in the act of targeting minors. The show became a ratings success for the network,… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2026: PRIMETIME
HEART OF THE BEAST: A Solid Survival Thriller
From writer Cameron Alexander and director David Ayer comes a riveting wilderness survival thriller starring Brad Pitt as Army Special Forces veteran James Belmont, and four German Shepherd dogs portraying Belmont’s best friend, Odin. Though the story plays out more or less as expected, Ayer and his crew develop and execute intense, nail-biting, harrowing sequences… Continue reading HEART OF THE BEAST: A Solid Survival Thriller
Fantastic Fest 2026: RESIDENT EVIL
The unofficial festival opener of this year’s Fantastic Fest is the new movie from acclaimed horror filmmaker Zach Cregger. The film is the latest adaptation of the Resident Evil video game franchise. When I initially heard that Cregger’s latest cinematic offering would screen at Austin’s beloved genre film festival, I was ecstatic. Though I have… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2026: RESIDENT EVIL
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
Fantastic Fest 2026: 5 More Minutes – a nearly perfect fest film
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 Belen Cuesta as… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2026: 5 More Minutes – a nearly perfect fest film
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
Fantastic Fest 2026: Roma Elastica – a fever dream easy to sleep through
When the person introducing Roma Elastica called it a “fever dream,” my instincts told me to walk away. I should have listened. Director Bertrand Mandico’s film is so strange, disjointed, and deliberately disturbing that any meaning beneath its excesses is hard to find. Set in 1982, the story follows Eddie (Marion Cotillard), a French actress… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2026: Roma Elastica – a fever dream easy to sleep through