Later this month — from September 17th to September 24th — the 21st edition of Fantastic Fest takes place at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, TX. Over the years, the beloved film festival all about genre film has featured world premieres of such films as There Will Be Blood, Zombieland, and Apostle, as well as the U.S. premiere of Obsession, which now, just a year later, has taken the world by storm following its theatrical release. Now, while I won’t be in Austin, I have been approved for remote coverage of the festival. Thus, I plan to post standalone reviews of select films over the course of the week of the festival, which I am very much looking forward to.
In this preview, I’ll highlight some of the major premieres, screenings, and titles. But this article also dives deeper into Fantastic Fest‘s fascinating line-up, as I have prepared a list of ten films that have caught my eye based on intriguing loglines, the creative team involved, or, in certain cases, the cast that appears in the film. Although it is unlikely that I’ll get to see all of them during my remote coverage, these are some of the films that I think you should seek out if you are going to be in Austin, TX this month.
HEAVY HITTERS
In the festival’s press release, they listed 35 world premieres, 21 International and North American premieres, and 14 US premieres, but the biggest title being announced was TriStar Pictures’ Resident Evil from Weapons director Zach Cregger. Although not technically a world premiere, since the film premieres internationally that week, the festival’s opening night presents a gala screening of the much-anticipated horror film. Another festival opener is Lionsgate’s Beware Boiúna from Mike P. Nelson. This is a world premiere of an Amazon-set creature feature about a massive ‘ancient predator’ that comes into contact with humans. If you don’t suffer from ophidiophobia, then this sounds like a really entertaining flick.
At the opposite end of the festival, you find Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer’s The Swallow, starring Stranger Things‘ Grace Van Dien. This is the closing night film. The creative duo made names for themselves through their 2019 remake, Pet Sematary, and now they’ve made a film about “a […] sentient sludge [that] terrorizes a group of young people.” Fantastic Fest also houses the Texas premiere of a likely Oscar-contender in Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, which had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival earlier this month. McDonagh’s black comedies — like In Bruges or The Banshees of Inisherin — are extremely popular and sharply written, and industry buzz suggests this could be another major film once awards season rolls around.
In addition to significant films that have their premieres at the festival, Mike Flanagan’s much-anticipated Carrie series adaptation for Amazon Prime Video will premiere two episodes at the festival before it releases on the streamer in October.
10 (OTHER) FILMS TO LOOK FORWARD TO
Adult Supervision
Alex Schulman’s Adult Supervision, or Arkipelag (as it is called in Sweden), is a world premiere title at Fantastic Fest 2026. We’re roughly a month away from its Swedish theatrical release, and it sure looks like a film that the local audience will flock to. It supposedly follows three fathers who agree to chaperone their daughters’ school trip, and one imagines that said school trip will be quite an experience for the three fathers. The film stars Gustaf Skarsgård (Vikings) and Fares Fares (Chernobyl), among others.
A Prayer for the Dying
This directorial feature debut from Dara Van Dusen already had its world premiere earlier this year at the Berlinale, but her Western-adjacent film is receiving its North American premiere later this month prior to its release in US theaters on October 9th. It follows a sheriff with a mysterious past, who is “pushed to his psychological limits” when his community comes into contact with a potentially life-threatening disease. The film stars Johnny Flynn (Emma.), Kristine Kujath Thorp (Den Store Stilhed), and John C. Reilly (We Need to Talk About Kevin), among others.
The Cycle
An upcoming Shudder release, Jordan Downey’s The Cycle is a film about “a woman who discovers the body of her father at a gruesome crime scene after being missing for decades,” and at the center of it, we find a cast that includes relative stars like Deborah Ann Woll (Daredevil) and Jeffrey Donovan (Sicario).
The Face of Horror
This is the latest film from Anna Biller, the American filmmaker behind the critically acclaimed comedy-horror art film titled The Love Witch from 2016. Now, ten years later, her next film is about to receive its US premiere following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, which, by the way, is also taking place these days. It is supposedly based on a Japanese ghost story known as Yotsuya Kaidan, and this 14th-century-set flick stars Jonah Hauer-King (I Know What You Did Last Summer) and Norway’s Kristine Froseth (Looking for Alaska), among others.
Into the Sky
Evan Buxbaum and Drew Mylrea’s Into the Sky appears to be somewhat of a sci-fi genre blend, as it, according to the festival press release, tells the story of a man whose “efforts to win back his estranged wife are derailed by a mysterious extraterrestrial force that keeps snatching him from Earth.” It sounds very ambitious to me, but it also sounds like something that could be really entertaining. This is perhaps my reading of the logline because of its cast. It stars Sam Richardson (Veep) and David Cross (Arrested Development) in prominent roles.
No Rest for the Wicked
Kasper Kalle’s No Rest for the Wicked is a Danish-Faroese film that has been described as everything from a dark romance to a queer horror film. This Nordic genre-bender is set in the 1800s, and it has already garnered strong reactions following its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival earlier this year. Fantastic Fest marks its US premiere. The film stars Egor Venned and Pilou Asbæk (Game of Thrones; Overlord), among others.
No Way Down
No Way Down, or Kraken as it appears to be known in France, is preparing for its French theatrical release on September 30th. But Fantastic Fest gets an early peek at it with the official world premiere. This is a film set inside a mysterious apartment complex, where darkness and terror of some sort take place. I have to say that the film’s trailer is quite effective. It looks like a very intense and often quite dark film that could make you lean forward in your seat. Mohamed Chabane and Théo Jourdain’s horror-thriller stars Alassane Diong and Manon Bresch, among others.
River
Joshua Giuliano’s feature debut as a writer-director is going to Fantastic Fest for its US premiere following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It is a film about three siblings who reunite to scatter their father’s ashes on a river, only to then be caught in a horrific situation. The film stars Jane Levy (Evil Dead) and Jessica Rothe (Happy Death Day), among others.
Victorian Psycho
This is the third feature from film critic-turned-film director Zachary Wigon, who, a few years back, made Sanctuary, which was one of my favorite films the year of its release. He has followed up on that psychological thriller with a horror film set in 1858. Victorian Psycho is based on Virginia Feito’s novel of the same name, and Feito also wrote the film’s screenplay. Maika Monroe (It Follows) is the film’s leading lady, and the film follows an unhinged governess that appears to run wild on a gothic manor. This is gearing up for its North American premiere, following its initial world premiere at Cannes, and if the trailer is anything to go by, then this is going to be a super entertaining watch.
What Happened to Doris?
I’ll end my list of ten films with Nick Simon’s What Happened to Doris, a Heather Graham-led horror film that is going to have its world premiere at the festival. The film is supposedly based on the Doris Bither case, an alleged 1970s paranormal phenomenon, in which a woman claimed to have had violent encounters with something supernatural. This is the second film based on the event after 1982’s Sidney J. Furie film The Entity starring Barbara Hershey.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
To reiterate, Fantastic Fest 2026 takes place in Austin, Texas from September 17th to September 24th. For more information on the films showing at the festival, or scheduling details, check out the official website linked here. Click here for answers to the frequently asked questions regarding ticketing. At the time of writing, there are still some 2026 badges on sale, which you can buy directly on their website here. Stay tuned to I’m Jeffrey Rex if you’re interested in reading standalone film reviews of select titles premiering at the festival.
– Article written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
