Fantastic Fest Returns: Genre-Defying Films and Premieres Galore

The annual pilgrimage for cinephiles, the artful, and the offbeat returns with the esteemed Fantastic Fest. Now in its 18th year, the festival is bringing a plethora of film premieres - 29 world premieres, 24 North American premieres, and 18 U.S. premieres, to be precise - to Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas from September 21-28.

Fantastic Fest will once again showcase cinematic oddities and genre-defying films from around the world. Festival Director Lisa Dreyer enthused, “We’ve taken the best week of the year and supercharged it: more movies, more parties, more fun. If you want to see the best new movies from around the world first with the best audience, Fantastic Fest is the place to be.”

The festival's opening-night film is the world premiere of Legendary Pictures’ action-comedy "The Toxic Avenger." Directed by Macon Blair, the film reimagines the classic Troma film and includes an all-star cast, such as Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige, Elijah Wood, and Kevin Bacon.

Fans can also look forward to the eagerly anticipated premiere of Angus Cloud’s final performance in the thriller "Your Lucky Day" and Nahnatchka Khan’s slasher-comedy "Totally Killer,” the slated closing-night film.

Resting beyond the borders of Hollywood, the festival will also feature anticipated films like Neon’s noir thriller "Eileen," Paramount+'s Stephen King prequel “Pet Sematary: Bloodlines,” and Bleeker Street's primordial thriller "The Origin." Furthermore, attendees will have the exclusive opportunity to witness the world premiere of HBO's second season of "30 Coins" and Netflix's much-anticipated horror series "The Fall of the House of Usher."

For a complete list of the films at this year’s festival, including world premieres like director JT Mollner’s "Strange Darling" and the concluding entry of the horror anthology "V/H/S/85," visit Fantastic Fest’s website.

Now, for those of you who thought Austin was just about BBQ and live music, turn your tables and look again. Fantastic Fest is here to douse you in a week-long hurricane of creativity and a humbling reminder that the film industry and its fans have far more appetite for the unique, the iconoclastic, and the singularly strange than a cursory glance at your local multiplex might suggest.

As a space where the vivid colors of global cinema gather under the Texas sky, Fantastic Fest blooms as a testament to the boundless power of film to amuse, astound, and provoke. From the pulp and grime of genre cinema to the glossy veneer of Hollywood fare gone astray, there's a substantial something for everyone at Fantastic Fest.

And in the hallowed halls of Alamo Drafthouse, reverence for the oddball and audacious is the rule rather than the exception. The Toxie-lovers will be grinning at the premiere of "The Toxic Avenger," and arthouse devotees will find much to appreciate in contributions from William Oldroyd and Ottessa Moshfegh. To sum it up with eloquently borrowed words from first-time festivalgoers: 'Once you’ve tasted Fantastic Fest, you are family.'

That's the spirit that gives the festival a heart that beats as loudly as the soundtracks of the films it features - an unspoken oath that however large the festival grows or however far it reaches, under the Austin sun or across the digital ether, it will always be a home for the cinephiles, the weird, and the unorthodox. Thanks be to Fantastic Fest and pass the popcorn, things are about to get interesting.