The 26th edition of Fantastic Fest is preparing to kick off and this is the sixth time I’m covering the festival. This acclaimed genre fest has introduced me to some of my new favorites, which makes digging through a new crop of titles all the more exciting. In advance of fest start, here’s a short list of 20 films that hold the potential of being *your* new favorite, so be sure to examine your schedule and see where you can fit what.
**These recommendations are primarily based on reading the summaries and finding them intriguing. If I’m able to cover (or EoM has covered previously), the titles will be hyperlinked with a review – so be sure to check back.**
Fantastic Fest takes place in Austin, Texas, from September 17th – September 24th, 2026.
5 More Minutes
Official Synopsis:
A husband and wife in an ailing marriage discover that actions really do have consequences in this darkly funny twist on the time loop motif.
Adult Supervision
Official Synopsis:
When three fathers volunteer to chaperone their teenage daughters’ school trip, the initially idyllic getaway quickly reveals brutal social dynamics that have them in over their heads.
A scene from ADULT SUPERVISION. Photo courtesy of Fantastic Fest.
Attack on Paradise
Official Synopsis:
After seven years of no sleep, grief, and nightmares, Suleyman finally reunites with his mother in Paradise—just as henchmen, cops, and one very bad raid drag him back into hell.
Beware Boiúna
Official Synopsis:
Deep in the Amazon, a medical mission spirals into a fight for survival when Boiúna, a colossal ancient predator, awakens to reclaim her domain. In the jungle where nature holds absolute power, she decides who lives and who dies.
The Birthday Party
Official Synopsis:
Happy biiiirthday to you! Nora is turning 40, and for her birthday she’ll be getting three uninvited guests who claim she isn’t who she says she is, plus the unraveling of her carefully constructed life.
A scene from THE BIRTHDAY PARTY. Photo courtesy of Fantastic Fest.
Corpus
Official Synopsis:
Three friends flee the club scene for an exclusive, steamy party at a remote estate only to find themselves victims of increasingly erotic and violent supernatural attacks.
Brodie Townsend as Vince in CORPUS. Photo courtesy of Fantastic Fest.
Flapjax
Official Synopsis:
An annoyingly optimistic, but endearingly earnest, fast food restaurant manager is tasked with relaunching the long-dormant product, Flapjax, and no amount of mysterious warnings or disappearances are going to get in his way in this campy horror-comedy.
A scene from FLAPJAX. Photo courtesy of Fantastic Fest.
Future Tense
Official Synopsis:
In a dystopian future, a young couple clashes during their time-traveling vacation.
A scene from FUTURE TENSE. Photo courtesy of Fantastic Fest.
Ghost in the Cell
Official Synopsis:
Witness Indonesian genre visionary Joko Anwar’s most deliriously ambitious film: a blood-soaked fusion of supernatural horror, prison thriller, martial arts action, and pitch-black political satire.
HALF
Official Synopsis:
Two half-human, half-vampire siblings are run off the road and left for dead by a gang of scavengers—and they’re coming back for bloody revenge.
A scene from HALF. Photo courtesy of Fantastic Fest.
I Have Proof
Official Synopsis:
Alex has proof. He needs you to see it. I Have Proof is a psychological descent where reality is never quite what it seems.
A scene from I HAVE PROOF. Photo courtesy of Fantastic Fest.
Into the Sky
Official Synopsis:
A man’s efforts to win back his estranged wife are derailed by a mysterious extraterrestrial force that keeps snatching him from Earth.
A scene from INTO THE SKY. Photo courtesy of Fantastic Fest.
Kung Fu Deadly
Official Synopsis:
A late-to-launch young man and his even less responsible friend realize they may be the last line of defense between humanity and an ancient Chinese evil. Martial arts and supernatural horror collide in this romp of a buddy comedy.
A scene from KUNG FU DEADLY. Photo courtesy of Fantastic Fest.
Little Doors
Official Synopsis:
Two socially awkward people find love and then define it for themselves in a barren, post-apocalyptic world before they discover a small, wooden door in the side of her body and decide whether or not to open it.
A scene from LITTLE DOORS. Photo courtesy of Fantastic Fest.
No Way Down
Official Synopsis:
Fresh out of prison, Idriss enters the derelict Kraken apartment complex to find his ex-girlfriend’s brother, only to be dragged back into violence by a ruthless squatter tied to the past Idriss is fighting to leave behind.
A scene from NO WAY DOWN. Photo courtesy of Fantastic Fest.
Phreaker
Official Synopsis:
A blind lonely teen becomes the latest breed of telecom criminal in this crackling dial-up thriller.
A scene from PHREAKER. Photo courtesy of Fantastic Fest.
Red Snow
Official Synopsis:
A vampire posing as Santa Claus invades the home of a family whose rebellious teenage daughter wants only one thing: to become a vampire herself and escape her miserable life.
A scene from RED SNOW. Photo courtesy of Fantastic Fest.
Victorian Psycho
Official Synopsis:
Set in Victorian England, Victorian Psycho sees an eccentric governess arrive at a remote gothic manor, where strange happenings stir suspicion that she’s not what she seems.
Welcome to Dolly’s House
Official Synopsis:
Taiwan’s first major rotoscoped 2D animated feature tells the story of a ghost-debunking influencer who begins to question her own identity after entering the mansion of a famously reclusive doll-maker.
What Happened to Doris?
Official Synopsis:
In 1974, single mother Doris Bither reported being violently assaulted by an unseen force inside her Culver City home. As the attacks escalated, investigators from UCLA documented a series of terrifying events that would become one of the most infamous paranormal cases in American history. Based on the true story that inspired The Entity, What Happened to Doris? tells the story through the eyes of the family who lived it. Starring Heather Graham, What Happened to Doris? is a harrowing supernatural horror film about an unimaginable haunting—and the devastating cost of refusing to believe its victim.
A scene from WHAT HAPPENED TO DORIS?. Photo courtesy of Fantastic Fest.
About Fantastic Fest:
Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the US, championing challenging and thought-provoking cinema while celebrating new voices and new stories from filmmakers around the world. We collaborate with other festivals, archives, cinematheques, and individuals to spotlight lesser-known film regions and luminaries in an ongoing effort to expand the general knowledge and appreciation of cinema. Supporting film in its most provocative, ground-breaking, and under seen forms is our all-consuming passion, giving audiences a chance to find new favorites and future genre classics in the process.
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Categories: Coming Soon, Recommendation
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