The 30th Annual Fantasia International Film Festival is just around the corner. Hosted in Montreal, Fantasia boasts the title of biggest genre film festival in North America. Fantasia audiences know they can expect weird and wonderful science fiction, fantasy, horror, from the sublime to the absurd.
This year, the Canadian Trailblazer Award will be given to Bruce McDonald (PONTYPOOL, DARK MATTER, FROM) for 30 years with Fantasia. Fantasia will screen PONTYPOOL during the festival, as well as host his master class on July 20. Other featured guests include DJ XL5, Jane Schoenbrun, Blood Brothers Fx, and Don Hertzfeldt.
Two guests will receive a Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn (PUSHER, DRIVE, THE NEON DEMON) and Takashi Shimizu (the JU-ON franchise).
Screenings will be held July 16-August 2, 2026, in theaters around Montreal. To purchase tickets, go here.
Without further ado, here’s my baker’s dozen of films I’m looking forward to seeing at Fantasia. All movies are in English, unless indicated otherwise. See you at the movies!
ANCESTRAL BEASTS by Tom Riedel (Indigenous haunted house horror)
Description: Four years after the loss of her mother, Elyse can’t get her head right. Feeling like she can’t win, Elyse takes off to their auntie’s house outside the city to regroup. But there’s something lurking in the house’s foundation, and the more Elyse tries to deal with her mental health, the more she notices a dark presence surrounding her.Why it’s my jam: Be still my beating heart. All the public relations rep had to say was “Indigenous horror.” Ever since I’ve been a film critic, I’ve made it my business to support Indigenous filmmakers and immerse myself in their stories. That would be enough. In this case, my heart leap with joy that to find Indigenous storytelling mixed with haunted house horror. The mention also of generational family trauma hints at an emotionally intense, atmospheric story.
COLONY, directed by Yeon Sang-ho (zombie horror) [Korean language]
Description: Professor Se-jeong attends a biotech conference to hopefully start looking for a new career in the field. What is supposed to be a simple day of finding a new job turns into blood-soaked terror as she and other survivors are trapped in the building with nowhere to run. A dangerous virus mutates people into infected beings undergoing horrifying transformations.Why I’m interested: Yeon Sang-ho gave us the commute of our lifetimes in TRAIN TO BUSAN, crafting one of the most action-packed zombie films ever made and one of the puzzle pieces that put Korean cinema onto the worldwide map. After a brief stint in other genres, he’s back with another promising film that starts with a job search – a real type of horror that many are facing today.
THE CONFESSIONAL by Robert Lepage (mystery-drama) [French language]
Description: In 1989 Quebec City, Pierre Lamontagne searches for his estranged brother Marc to help unravel a family mystery. Simultaneously, Alfred Hitchcock is in the studio in the 1950s, directing I CONFESS. The film explores themes of identity, guilt, morality, and the conflict between faith, destiny, chance, and justice.Why I’m interested: Anything that pays homage to Hitchcock sounds intriguing, but I also like the creativity of exploring a place across time periods. If you’ve never seen I CONFESS, it’s an intriguing film that explores what happens when keeping a vow to God comes into conflict with your own self-preservation. And as part of my Fantasia coverage, I always try to see a retro feature. This LePage debut came out in 1995.
FERINE, directed by Andrea Corsini (horror) [English/Italian language]
Description: Excited to explore a new chapter in life, wealthy and influential art collector Irene has just adopted a baby through a surrogate arrangement. This exploration will take on unexpectedly darker shapes when a sudden tragedy shatters Irene’s world, grief tearing through her to such paralyzing extremes that primal, violent instincts begin to guide her in ferocious ways.Why I’m interested: Cannibalism horror became a favorite subgenre after the French film RAW came out in 2016. Often cannibalism serves as a metaphor for female characters who have repressed parts of themselves in order to fit societal expectations. In that way, even with all the grisly imagery, there’s often a rich subtext of meaning to explore.
THE GLORIOUS DEAD, directed by Toby Poser and John Adams (small town horror)
Description: Over the course of a single hellish winter day, a rural U.S. town finds itself in an irrationally changed state. A trusted sheriff and her young deputy try to bring reason and stability to circumstances that are impossible to navigate, let alone understand.Why this matters: With fear and trembling, many in our country are trying to make sense of the current state of affairs. This peep into what happens to small town American when things get rough could be hellish and healing at the same time. And this filmmaking team, known as The Adams Family has a good track record of Fantasia releases (HELLBENDER, MOTHER OF FLIES, WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS).
HOT SPOT, directed by Agnieszka Smoczynska (science fiction police procedural)
Description: Several years from today, in a society surveilled and controlled by global sentient AI, a private detective, Djonny investigates a grisly murder in a refugee camp. There he meets Rana, a feared member of a religious sect said by many to be a witch of sorts. Within her rebel group, she may have the power to hack into the system and create severe, existential disruption.Why I’m interested: The trailer promises a stylish police investigation that explores modern fears about AI and cyber security. Movies like BLADE RUNNER and MINORITY REPORT have paved the way for other directors to create world-building science fiction that mirrors our contemporary fears. Also, I’m always down to watch Noomi Rapace (THE GIRL WITH A DRAGON TATTOO) tackle a strong female character.
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF BECKY, directed by Jenn Wexler (action thriller)
Description: Becky’s skill at opening a can of whoop-ass is harnessed by the CIA as a secret weapon of its undercover operations. There’s also a new Nazi in town, General Wilhelm Reuss, and he wants to create the Fourth Reich. With inventive weapons now improved with U.S. government funds, she sets out to crush Nazi ne’er-do-wells!She’s back: It was only a matter of time before some government organization recruited Becky to their employ. This time, Lulu Wilson’s Becky will be joined by Kate Siegel and Neil Patrick Harris. As a film critic, I’ve watched the character of Becky grow up on screen. It was one of the first films I chose to review as an official film critic. So yes, until this franchise runs dry, I will watch every chapter. I am curious how this will land. Part of Becky’s initial charm was that she was a child using childhood toys to fight Nazi punks. Now that she’s being resourced by the government, can the creativity continue?
THE LEADER, directed by Michael Gallagher (crime drama based on a true story)
Description: The true story of the Heaven’s Gate cult, the largest mass suicide in American history, is dramatized by writer/director Michael Gallagher as a study in how vulnerable people can be preyed upon by “leaders” who are actually two lost souls feeding off each other’s delusions.What leads to religious madness: Cults receive publicity at the height of their madness, but every madness begins with something true. Someone with unmet needs has a longing and searches for an answer. Perhaps by examining such seemingly harmless beginnings, we can understand how cults begin and who is most vulnerable to their lure.
LOS VAMPIRES, directed by Craig Mitchell (experimental horror) [Some Spanish language]
Description: With names respectfully altered, LOS VAMPIRES is a fantastical fictionalized account of the making of George Melford’s Spanish DRACULA (1931), which had been shot in the evenings on the stages of Tod Browning’s soon-to-be classic. The two actors playing Dracula regularly meet at the transitory hours of their shoots, and a rivalry begins to stir between them. All the while, a string of murders are occurring on and around the soundstage.Why I’m interested: This film promises to be an homage to old school Hollywood filmmaking and a veil into a fascinating missing piece of film history for me. Imagine what it would be like to have to base your performance on what another actor did that day. As challenging as it is to get a movie made, there are always people who have it worse.
METAL MESSIAH, directed by Tibor Takács (musical fantasy)
Description: After learning of an evil rock ’n’ roll music promoter’s plan to use heavy metal as a means of enforcing society’s cyclical self-destructive nature and to keep individuals from true self-realization, a metallic-skinned and incredibly well-dressed alien beams down to earth to try to save humanity. However, as his presence attracts the attention of private investigators and corrupt police forces, the stranger must fight to keep society from reaching its hedonistic end.Heavy metal 4K restoration: In 2024, my podcast host and I did an episode on BLACK ROSES, a Canadian horror film about a rock band who tries to enslave teens through the power of rock music. This sounds like a similar schtick with actual metal music and a well-dressed alien playing savior instead of a high school teacher. Let’s elevate more Canadian rock musicals!
THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (historical action thriller [Japanese language]
Description: A boy is murdered with a seemingly invisible arrow. An enemy’s severed head becomes startlingly misshapen. A teapot of great value vanishes, and a turncoat is struck by lightning. Four impossible occurrences, one for each season. Signs of divine intervention—or perhaps very human conspiracy. Araki Murashige must unravel these puzzles, and to do so, he must seek help from a man he has chained in his own dungeon, the brilliant strategist Kanbei Kuroda.Why I’m interested: This murder mystery set in the time of the samurai promises to be a contest of wits and a modern-day Art of War. Sometimes to win at military strategy, you need to seek help from a foe. Murashige’s team up with brilliant prisoner Kuroda sounds like a classic cat-and-mouse thriller.
SOMEONE’S DAUGHTER, directed by Wiebke von Carolsfeld (thriller)
Description: Over a decade ago, Sam successfully defended her client Paul against rape accusations. Years later, the victim’s father kidnaps both the lawyer and his daughter’s alleged assailant, leaving them stranded in the Canadian wilderness with only each other to turn to. It’s a happy reunion for Paul, but the deeper they wander together, the more Sam finds herself questioning what really happened all those years ago and what’s coming for her today.Why I’m interested: Our criminal justice system allows lawyers to hire attorneys that help them craft a story that explains actions that could be criminal offenses. This film examines the aftermath of such a relationship. How does an attorney really feel about the client they are defending. Would they trust them with their lives and loved ones?
TRAUMA OR, MONSTERS ALL, directed by Larry Fassenden (monster horror)
Description: Indie horror director Larry Fassenden unveils his much-anticipated “monsterverse” movie, bringing together creatures from HABIT, DEPRAVED, and BLACKOUT. This culmination examines human dysfunction and the breakdown of modern society.Why I’m into it: Fassenden has been working towards this project since 1997. Call it an homage to Universal Monster movies or an Avengers Assemble with vampires, werewolves, and reanimated corpses instead of superheroes, Fassenden’s passion project deserves our attention.
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