Fantastic Fest 2024, celebrating their 19th edition from September 19 – September 26, 2024 at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, TX, has unveiled its lineup. Highlights include the U.S. premiere of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cloud, Alexandre Aja’s Never Let Go, Nacho Vigalondo’s Daniela Forever, Sean Baker’s Anora, the world premiere of Terrifier 3, and much more.

“The Fantastic Fest team is absolutely elated about this year’s festival. We can’t wait to share the very best new films from around the world and enjoy our sensational events together this September,” says Festival Director Lisa Dreyer. “We’re also honored to be joined by a number of notable guests, and welcome our Fantastic Fest family back to Austin to celebrate cinema, whether it’s your 1st time or 19th!”

See the features lineup below.

AJ GOES TO THE DOG PARK (Burnt Ends Selection)

USA, 2024

World Premiere, 79 min

Director – Toby Jones

A very mediocre man must complete a heroic Odyssey-like quest to restore order to his town and protect the comforts of his routine life.

ANIMALE

France, 2024

North American Premiere, 99 min

Director – Emma Benestan

After leaving a party with her male co-workers, aspiring bullfighter Nejma begins to experience physical and sensory perception changes after she’s attacked in a field in the middle of the night.

ANORA 

USA, 2024

Austin Premiere, 138 min

Director – Sean Baker

Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.

APARTMENT 7A

USA, 2024

World Premiere, 104 min

Director – Natalie Erika James

When a struggling, young dancer (Julia Garner) suffers a devastating injury, she finds herself drawn in by dark forces when a peculiar, well-connected, older couple promises her a shot at fame.

THE BABADOOK

Australia, 2014

10th Anniversary Screening, 94 min

Director – Jennifer Kent

Back for its 10-year anniversary, this psychological horror and possession film terrified us in 2014 with its harrowing take on grief. Now it’s back to remind us all of the dangers of reading to children!

BABY ASSASSINS NICE DAYS 

Japan, 2024

Texas Premiere, 112 min

Director – Yugo Sakamoto 

The Baby Assassins are back at Fantastic Fest to spread joy, dessert, and sick kills in the delightful third entry to this Japanese action franchise.

BIG TOP PEE-WEE 

USA, 1988

World Premiere of 4K Restoration, 86 min

Director – Randal Kleiser

When a tornado blows a circus onto his farm, agricultural chemist Pee-wee Herman is tempted away from a life of contentment with his fiancée and her mediocre sandwiches by an alluringly beautiful acrobat.

BINARY 

The Netherlands, 2024

International Premiere, 42 min

Director – David-Jan Bronsgeest

As Nisha prepares for gender confirmation surgery, violent and confusing images move from haunting her dreams to impacting her clients and friends, and Nisha must decide what she will do to live her authentic life.

THE BIRTHDAY

Spain, 2004

20th Anniversary Screening of 4K Restoration, 117 min

Director – Eugenio Mira

Corey Feldman gives the performance of his career in this newly restored O.G. Fantastic Fest stunner.

THE BLACK HOLE (Burnt Ends Selection)

Estonia, Finland, 2024

North American Premiere, 115 min

Director – Moonika Siimets

Aliens land in Estonia to collect teeth and change the lives of bored, frustrated citizens in this triptych film of existential humor and strangely beautiful creature design.

BODY ODYSSEY 

Italy, Switzerland, 2023

North American Premiere, 104 min

Director – Grazia Tricarico

A female bodybuilder trades in her obsession with crafting the perfect body for an all-consuming pursuit of a younger man.

BONE LAKE

USA, 2024

World Premiere, 94 min

Director – Mercedes Bryce Morgan

In an attempt to rekindle their stagnant love life, Diego and Sage rent a property on the aptly named Bone Lake. When a mysterious young couple shows up at their door, their romantic getaway devolves into a twisted psychosexual nightmare.

BOOKWORM

New Zealand, 2024

US Premiere, 103 min

Director – Ant Timpson

An 11-year-old girl sets out into the New Zealand backcountry with her estranged father to capture photographic evidence of the mythological Canterbury Panther, hoping to claim the reward and pay her mom’s medical bills.

BRING THEM DOWN 

Ireland, UK, Belgium, 2024

US Premiere, 105 min

Director – Christopher Andrews

Christopher Abbott and Barry Keoghan lock horns as the sons of two warring Irish shepherding dynasties.

CARNIVAL OF BLOOD (Presented by AGFA)

USA, 1970

Texas Premiere, 88 min

Director – Leonard Kirtman

AGFA presents a dreamy proto-slasher from the gutters of NYC.

CHAIN REACTIONS 

USA, 2024

Texas Premiere, 103 min

Director – Alexandre O. Philippe 

In his latest documentary—and right on time for the film’s 50th anniversary—Alexandre O. Philippe explores the profound impact and lasting influence the TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE had on five international artists.

CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING 

Estonia, 2024

US Premiere, 117 min

Director – Sander Maran

Tom and Maria’s courtship is cut short by a cannibalistic spree killer and his dysfunctional family. Equal parts Stephen Sondheim and Lloyd Kaufman, this Estonian slasher musical is a truly unique odyssey.

CHILDREN OF THE WICKER MAN

UK, 2024

International Premiere, 90 min

Directors – Dr. Chris Nunn, Justin Hardy & Dominic Hardy

Justin and Dominic Hardy reflect on their relationships with their father, Robin Hardy, and the cult classic he directed, THE WICKER MAN.

CLOUD

Japan, 2024

US Premiere, 123 min

Director – Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Ryosuke makes his living as an online wholesaler, flipping goods from desperate sellers for a profit. As his business grows, so does his paranoia. Auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s latest is another masterful examination of dread and contagion in modern Japan.

DADDY’S HEAD

UK, 2024

World Premiere, 97 min

Director – Benjamin Barfoot

After the death of his father, a young boy is terrorized by a gruesome creature that bears an uncanny resemblance to his dad.

DANIELA FOREVER

Spain, Belgium, 2024

US Premiere, 113 min

Director – Nacho Vigalondo

Nicolas mourns his dead girlfriend in a unique way—by taking an experimental drug that allows him to relive his memories when he dreams.

DEAD TALENTS SOCIETY 

Taiwan, 2024

US Premiere, 110 min

Director – John Hsu

Dying is just the beginning of one young woman’s problems when she learns the hard way that the afterlife is a competitive world of celebrity scarers and desperate wannabes, and the cost of failure is a fate worse than death.

A DIFFERENT MAN 

USA, 2024

Texas Premiere, 112 min

Director – Aaron Schimberg

Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare as he becomes obsessed with reclaiming what was lost.

DISEMBODIED (Presented by BLEEDING SKULL) 

USA, 1998

World Premiere of 4K Restoration, 77 min

Director – William Kersten

Bleeding Skull presents a cinematic acid trip through a surreal, haunting world of mutations and murder.

DON’T MESS WITH GRANDMA

Canada, 2024

World Premiere, 81 min

Director – Jason Krawczyk

Michael Jai White is just a grandson who loves his grandma. When a motley group of thieves attempt to break into her home, he gives them a punishing lesson in etiquette while keeping her comfortably in the dark.

THE DRAFT!

Indonesia, 2023

International Premiere, 84 min

Director – Yusron Fuadi

Five college friends go to a cabin in the woods for the weekend and start to experience strange, violent events in this meta-horror movie with bloody kills and zany comedy.

DRAGON DILATATION

France, 2024

North American Premiere, 114 min

Director – Bertrand Mandico

Director Bertrand Mandico puts his own unmistakable spin on two famous works: Stravinsky’s PETROUCHKA and Dante’s THE DIVINE COMEDY, in this visually arresting experimental film.

EBONY AND IVORY

UK, 2024

World Premiere, 88 min

Director – Jim Hosking

The untold story of Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder’s pop classic, as only the maniac behind THE GREASY STRANGLER could tell it.

ELSE

France, 2024

US Premiere, 99 min

Director – Thibault Emin

A new strange pandemic has hit the world, causing the infected to fuse with their surroundings. Two freshly acquainted lovers take refuge in a flat, trying to avoid the disease that spreads through eye contact.

ESCAPE FROM THE 21ST CENTURY

China, 2024

US Premiere, 98 min

Director – Li Yang

A trio of teenage friends find themselves able to inhabit their future bodies in this coming-of-age/coming-of-middle-age martial arts comedy.

THE FALL

USA, South Africa & India, 2008

North American Premiere of 4K Restoration, 117 min

Director – Tarsem Singh

Los Angeles, circa 1920s, a little immigrant girl in a hospital recovering from a fall, strikes up a friendship with a bedridden man. He captivates her with a whimsical story that removes her far from the hospital doldrums into the exotic landscapes of her imagination.

FRANKIE FREAKO

Canada, 2024

International Premiere, 82 min

Director – Steven Kostanski

The creator of PSYCHO GOREMAN introduces the raddest & baddest li’l goblin squad since the Ghoulies.

GAZER (Burnt Ends Selection)

USA, 2024

North American Premiere, 114 min

Director – Ryan J. Sloan

Frankie tries to reclaim her life in this paranoia/neo-noir/body horror gem about the decline of America and the terrifying and awesome power of the feminine.

GET AWAY

UK, 2024

World Premiere, 86 min

Director – Steffen Haars

Ignoring the warnings from the Swedish mainlanders, the Smith family takes a vacation on the small, charming island of Svälta… which turns into a killer trip.

GHOST KILLER

Japan, 2024

World Premiere, 105 min

Director – Kensuke Sonomura

Fumika Matsuoka is a young woman with a terrible job, a friend in a bad relationship, and the ghost of an assassin bound to her until she gets revenge on his behalf.

GIRL INTERNET SHOW: A KATI KELLI MIXTAPE (Burnt Ends Selection)

USA, 2023

Texas Premiere, 79 min

Director – Kati Kelli

A compilation of early YouTube uploads by artist Kati Kelli posthumously showcases her deranged genius as an outsider artist and social commentator.

THE GUEST

USA, UK, 2014

Theatrical World Premiere of 4K Restoration, 100 min

Director – Adam Wingard

A mysterious soldier befriends the family of a fallen comrade and quickly makes himself an indispensable part of their lives, but the secrets he’s hiding put them all in danger in THE GUEST, a nail-biting, retro-stylish thriller from director Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett (YOU’RE NEXT, A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE).

HEADS OR FAILS (Burnt Ends Selection)

Belgium, 2024

World Premiere, 86 min

Directors – Lenny Guit & Harpo Guit

Armande Pigeon steps in more shit than a latrine cleaner, living off a series of less and less endearing gambles and grifts. When luck rolls her way, she just has to walk away, but where’s the fun in that?

HEAVIER TRIP 

Finland, 2024

World Premiere, 96 min

Directors – Juuso Laatio & Jukka Vidgren

Impaled Rektum, the world’s most brutal metal band, must escape Norwegian prison and save a reindeer slaughterhouse from foreclosure before battling a Faustian promoter offering Rock God superstardom in exchange for selling out.

HOUSE OF SPOILS

USA, 2024

World Premiere, 101 min

Directors – Bridget Savage Cole & Danielle Krudy 

Follows an ambitious chef (Ariana DeBose) as she opens a restaurant on a remote estate where she battles kitchen chaos, crushing self doubts…and a haunting presence who threatens to sabotage her at every turn.

I, THE EXECUTIONER

South Korea, 2024

US Premiere, 118 min

Director – RYOO Seung-wan

The veteran detective Seo Do-cheol (HWANG Jung-min) and his team at Major Crimes, relentless in their pursuit of criminals, join forces with rookie cop Park Sun-woo (JUNG Hae-in) to track down a serial killer who has plunged the nation into turmoil.

ICK

USA, 2024

US Premiere, 90 min

Director – Joseph Kahn

In Joseph Kahn’s breakneck sci-fi/horror satire, a high school science teacher (Brandon Routh) does battle with a parasitic alien entity, as well as the apathy of the small town it has been gradually absorbing.

THE INCREDIBLY STRANGE CREATURES WHO STOPPED LIVING AND BECAME MIXED UP ZOMBIES!!? 

USA, 1964

Texas Premiere of Severin Restoration, 82 min

Director – Ray Dennis Steckler

AGFA presents the first monster musical!

THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA (Season 3, Episodes 1 & 2)

USA, 2024

World Premiere, 52 min

Directors – Eugene Lee (Ep. 1) & Young Heller (Ep. 2)

In Season Three of The Legend of Vox Machina, everything is at stake – our lovable band of misfits must rise above inner (and outer) demons to try and save their loved ones, Tal’Dorei, and all of Exandria.

THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF CHRISTOPHER LEE

UK, 2024

North American Premiere, 103 min

Director – Jon Spira

Descended from royalty and the real-life inspiration for James Bond, this documentary shows Christopher Lee’s struggle to succeed as an actor before discovering the joys of playing monsters and villains—transforming him into an icon and a legend, seemingly overnight.

LITTLE BITES 

USA, 2024

World Premiere, 106 min

Director – Spider One

A mother, a monster, and a terrible secret.

MADS

France, 2024

North American Premiere, 88 min

Director – David Moreau

Tweaked-out French club kids battle a rage virus during one crazy night, all in one single, unbroken shot.

MALDOROR

Belgium, France, 2024

North American Premiere, 150 min

Director – Fabrice du Welz

When a dedicated but impulsive young officer is taken off a clandestine surveillance team tasked with catching a child predator, he becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth, despite the risks to his family and his sanity.

MEMOIR OF A SNAIL

Australia, 2024

Texas Premiere, 95 min

Director – Adam Elliot

Placed in separate foster care homes after the death of their father, two siblings grow up in families with different values. Gilbert and Grace learn to live apart, but their hope of being reunited never fades.

THE MISSION (Presented by AGFA)

Hong Kong, 1999

25th Anniversary Screening, 84 min

Director – Johnnie To

Come celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Hong Kong auteur Johnnie To’s towering gangster film masterpiece, presented from AGFA’s rare 35mm archival print!

MR. CROCKET

USA, 2024

World Premiere, 88 min

Director – Brandon Espy

A single mother thinks she’s found the key to calming her child down—a VHS copy of a strange children’s program named Mr. Crocket’s World. However, a darker, bloodier secret waits to invade their home from inside the tape.

NEVER LET GO

USA, 2024

Gala Screening, 101 min

Directed by: Alexandre Aja

Written by: KC Coughlin & Ryan Grassby

Produced by: Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, Dan Levine, Alexandre Aja

Executive Producers: Halle Berry, Holly Jeter, Daniel Clarke, Emily Morris, Christopher Woodrow, Connor DiGregorio

Cast: Halle Berry, Percy Daggs IV, Anthony B. Jenkins 

From visionary director Alexandre Aja (THE HILLS HAVE EYES, CRAWL) and the creative minds behind STRANGER THINGS and ARRIVAL comes NEVER LET GO. In this new psychological thriller/horror, as an evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep, the only protection for a mother, played by Academy Award® winner Halle Berry (Actress in a Leading Role, 2001 – MONSTER’S BALL), and her twin sons is their house and their family’s protective bond. Needing to stay connected at all times – even tethering themselves with ropes – they cling to one another, urging each other to never let go. But when one of the boys questions if the evil is real, the ties that bind them together are severed, triggering a terrifying fight for survival. Lionsgate presents, in association with Media Capital Technologies, a 21 Laps / HalleHolly production.

NIGHT CALL 

France, Belgium, 2024

North American Premiere, 91 min

Director – Michiel Blanchart

A locksmith finds himself accused of a crime he didn’t commit, kicking off the longest night of his life.

NINE QUEENS

Argentina, 2000

US Premiere of 4K Restoration, 114 min

Director – Fabián Bielinsky

In this gorgeous 4K restoration, two con artists set up a plan to sell a sheet of counterfeit rare stamps known as the Nine Queens to a collector.

PÁRVULOS 

Mexico, 2024

US Premiere, 119 min

Director – Isaac Ezban

In the aftermath of a devastating global catastrophe, three brothers must fight against the dangers of a post-pandemic world and keep their family intact.

PLANET B

France, Belgium, 2024

International Premiere, 118 min

Director – Aude Léa Rapin

In a near future shaken by violent protests, activist Julia wakes up in an unknown world after being shot in the face with a non-lethal round. Welcome to PLANET B, a place where your worst nightmares are generated to torture you.

PLASTIC GUNS 

France, 2024

North American Premiere, 96 min

Director – Jean-Christophe Meurisse 

A world-renowned criminal profiler leads authorities to arrest an innocent man, mistaking him for a notorious killer. Meanwhile, two amateur detectives bumble through their own investigation, and the real killer sees an opportunity to start a new life.

QUEENS OF DRAMA

France, Benelux, 2024

North American Premiere, 115 min

Director – Alexis Langlois

A tabloid-headline, torrid affair between a pop princess and her secret pop-punk songstress stretches into the 2050’s in this camp musical. 

RAZE 

USA, 2013

Anniversary Screening, 92 min

Director – Josh C. Waller

Awakening after being abducted, Jamie finds herself in a concrete bunker, and she discovers that she is not alone. 

THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF IBELIN

Norway, 2024

Texas Premiere, 103 min

Director – Benjamin Ree

Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer, died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated life, when they started receiving messages from online friends around the world.

RESPATI

Indonesia, 2024

Texas Premiere, 112 min

Director – Sidharta Tata

Deep in the recesses of a spiritual hive mind connecting an orphaned teenager to the victims of a demon, the boy must also confront his own demons in the demented and deeply unsettling Indonesian horror RESPATI.

THE RULE OF JENNY PEN

New Zealand, 2024

World Premiere, 103 min

Director – James Ashcroft

Admitted into a state care facility, Geoffrey Rush engages in a battle of wits with his deranged tormentor, John Lithgow.

SATAN WAR (Presented by AGFA)

USA, 1979

World Premiere of Restoration, 62 min

Director – Bart La Rue

AGFA presents a new restoration of the Satanic panic mindwarp.

THE SEVERED SUN

UK, 2024

World Premiere, 80 min

Director – Dean Puckett

When a headstrong woman rebels against her religious father, she unleashes a powerful beast intent on picking off members of her isolated community.

SHE LOVED BLOSSOMS MORE

Greece, France, 2024

Texas Premiere, 88 min

Director – Yannis Veslemes

Three brothers enter a world of cosmic horror as they try to bring their mother back from the beyond.

SISTER MIDNIGHT

UK, Northern Ireland, India & Sweden, 2024

North American Premiere, 110 min

Director – Karan Kandhari

Stuck on the outskirts of Mumbai following an arranged marriage, Uma turns to black magic to dislocate her domestic blues.

SPERMAGEDDON

Norway, 2024

North American Premiere, 79 min

Directors – Rasmus A. Sivertsen & Tommy Wirkola

A coming-of-age love story set in parallel universes: a teenage boy chasing his first experience of coitus, and two companion sperm swimming upstream in hot pursuit of their holy grail, the egg. It’s also an animated musical comedy that slays.

THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEENTOWN

USA, 2024

World Premiere, 95 min

Directors – Bradford Thomason & Brett Whitcomb

Have you ever dreamed of living in a place where Halloween is celebrated year-round? Welcome to St. Helens, a charming town that revolves around the cult classic film HALLOWEENTOWN.

STEPPENWOLF

Kazakhstan, 2024

US Premiere, 101 min

Director – Adilkhan Yerzhanov

Set against a ravaged dystopian wasteland, a ruthless killer joins forces with a traumatized young mother in the search for her missing son in this hard-hitting, genre-bending B-movie from Kazakh auteur Adilkhan Yerzhanov.

STRANGE HARVEST: OCCULT MURDER IN THE INLAND EMPIRE

USA, 2024

World Premiere, 94 min

Director – Stuart Ortiz

STRANGE HARVEST follows the investigation of one of the worst, yet least reported and discussed serial killers in the history of Southern California.

TEACUP (Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2)

USA, 2024

World Premiere, 65 min

Writer / Executive Producer – Ian McCulloch

Director – E.L. Katz

From James Wan’s Atomic Monster & UCP, TEACUP follows a disparate group of people in rural Georgia who must come together in the face of a mysterious threat in order to survive. Inspired by the New York Times bestselling novel STINGER by Robert McCammon.

TERRIFIER 3

USA, 2024

World Premiere, 128 min

Director – Damien Leone 

Art the Clown is set to unleash chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve.

TOUCHED BY ETERNITY

Latvia, 2024

World Premiere, 95 min

Director – Mārcis Lācis 

Although lacking any zest for life, middle-aged hermit Fatso is obsessed with immortality. When a friendly duo of vampires materializes with a proposition, he has second thoughts when he learns what’s at stake in this playful vampire satire.

TRIZOMBIE

Belgium, 2024

International Premiere, 78 min

Director – Bob Colaers 

When a zombie plague hits Belgium, a group of unlikely heroes embarks on a perilous journey to save one of their missing friends.

U ARE THE UNIVERSE

Ukraine, 2024

US Premiere, 101 min

Director – Pavlo Ostrikov

After planet Earth explodes, space trucker Andriy is left alone, drifting through space with an AI computer as his sole companion. When a message from a French scientist reaches him, he risks everything to cross the universe and meet her.

UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

Canada, 2024

US Premiere, 89 min

Director – Matthew Rankin 

A surreal, hilarious, and touching meditation on family and place.

V/H/S/BEYOND

USA, India, 2024

World Premiere, 110 min

Directors – Jordan Downey, Christian Long & Justin Long, Justin Martinez, Virat Pal, Kate Siegel, & Jay Cheel

The seventh installment of the V/H/S franchise will feature six new bloodcurdling tapes, placing horror at the forefront of a sci-fi-inspired hellscape.

WAKE IN FRIGHT

Australia, 1971

International Premiere of 4K Restoration, 109 min

Director – Ted Kotcheff

Come witness Ted Kotcheff’s 1971 thriller about a schoolteacher marooned in an Australian town full of drunken madmen. A magnificent 4K restoration supervised by Mark Hartley (NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD), WAKE IN FRIGHT is an unmissable cult classic.

WHAT HAPPENED TO DOROTHY BELL?

USA, 2024

World Premiere, 80 min

Director – Danny Villanueva Jr.

Years after a terrifying attack by her grandmother, Ozzie returns to her hometown in an attempt to understand her own mental illness and the supernatural being haunting her family.

THE WILD ROBOT

USA, 2024

Texas Premiere, 101 min

Director – Chris Sanders

After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot named Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh environment, gradually bonding with the island’s animals and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling.

WILL & HARPER

USA, 2024

Texas Premiere, 115 min

Director – Josh Greenbaum

When Will Ferrell finds out his close friend of 30 years is coming out as a trans woman, the two decide to embark on a cross-country road trip to process this new stage of their relationship in an intimate portrait of friendship, transition, and America.

WITTE WIEVEN

The Netherlands, 2024

International Premiere, 61 min

Director – Didier Konings

Frieda is desperate to get pregnant. When she’s ostracized by her medieval Dutch community for surviving a trip to the nearby woods and supposedly conspiring with the Devil, she slowly lets the darkness in.

THE WORKOUT (Burnt Ends Selection)

USA, 2024

World Premiere, 82 min

Director – James Cullen Bressack

Following the shocking death of his wife and facing his own terminal injury, a former Army Ranger sets out on a path of revenge in this stunt-forward, found footage action movie.

ZÉNITHAL

France, 2024

International Premiere, 80 min

Director – Jean-Baptiste Saurel

A man with a giant dick is killed by a jealous, evil man attempting to take over the world. Only women can save us now! You know how it goes…

The post Fantastic Fest 2024 Lineup Features Films by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Alexandre Aja, Nacho Vigalondo, Sean Baker & More first appeared on The Film Stage.