AUSTIN, Texas — It's almost time for Austin's weirdest film festival, and this year's event has a stacked lineup of premieres from both major and independent studios.
If you're unfamiliar, Fantastic Fest – presented by Austin-based theater chain Alamo Drafthouse – is the largest genre film festival in the U.S., specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and cult films. Movies that make you think, cringe, jump and scream are all the rage at the annual festival, held almost every fall since 2005.
And we now know which films will make their debut during this year's event, scheduled for Sept. 19-26 at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. This year's fest will include 28 World Premieres, 23 International and North American Premieres and 15 U.S. Premieres.
The festival will open with "The Rule of Jenny Pen," starring Geoffrey Rush as a judge who finds himself in a nursing home after an unexpected health scare. There, he encounters a bizarre resident, played by John Lithgow, who is dead-set on terrorizing the other patients.
The festival's opening night gala will include Lionsgate's horror psychological thriller "Never Let Go," starring Halle Berry as a mother trying to protect her sons from an evil taking over the world – while also fighting doubt that threatens to tear them apart forever. And opening night will also feature the world premiere of "Terrifer 3" – from Cineverse, Bloody Disgusting, Screambox and Dark Age Cinema – featuring the return of Art the Clown in a Christmastime sequel.
Here are a few of the other notable premieres scheduled from major studios:
- "Will & Harper" (Netflix documentary)
- "Mr. Crocket" (Hulu)
- "House of Spoils" (Amazon MGM Studios and Blumhouse Television)
- "V/H/S/Beyond" (Shudder)
- "Anora" (Neon)
- "Bring Them Down" (Mubi)
- "Apartment 7A" (Paramount+'s prequel to "Rosemary's Baby")
- "Dead Talents Society" (Sony Pictures International Productions)
- "The Wild Robot" (DreamWorks Animation)
- "A Different Man" (A24)
- "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin" (Netflix documentary)
- "Memoir of a Snail" (IFC Films)
- "The Legend of Vox Machina" Season 3 (Prime Video series based on Critical Role)
- "Teacup" (Peacock series)
For a full list of films, short films and more scheduled to screen at the festival, click here.
"Cult Member" and "Superfan" badges are sold out, but "Fan" and "Second Half" badges are still available.
Other Fantastic Fest events
In addition to the nearly 90 film and TV screenings scheduled during the fest, there are also a number of other events to keep fans entertained.
Those include: a performance by Mac Sabbath, the world's only McDonald's-themed Black Sabbath cover band; Day of the Devs, the inaugural Fantastic Games event showcasing a selection of genre video games; live podcast recordings from SpecreVision Radio, including Mike Flanagan’s "Director’s Commentary" and Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah's "Visitations"; a "Ghoulish Book Fair"; a circus-themed drag show hosted by Austin legend Louisianna Purchase; and much more.
Learn more about what fans can expect during this year's fest.
Highlights of previous Fantastic Fests
Fantastic Fest has become known as something of a launchpad for genre films and has seen the premieres of films like "Smile," "John Wick," "There Will Be Blood," "Zombieland" and many more.
The festival has also hosted many artists for Q&As and other events, including Tim Burton, Lilly and Lana Wachowski, Robert Rodriguez, Rian Johnson, Bill Murray, George Romero, Winona Ryder, M. Night Shyamalan, Jamie Lee Curtis and many others.
