While the writers here at Frightday will be remaining in the states during Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival, there are numerous films that have piqued our interest. Difficult as it may be to narrow it down to thirteen films to highlight, we’ve detailed our most anticipated picks to get you as amped up as we are.
[customfont1]The Field Guide to Evil[/customfont1]
This film sounds like a dream come true for any suckers for international folklore. This anthology includes segments directed by Can Evrenol (Baskin), Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz (Goodnight Mommy), and Calvin Reeder (V/H/S). Taunting us with promises of tales from Austria, India, Turkey, Greece, Poland, and many more, this collection is sure to be a terrifying multicultural experience.
[customfont1]Luz[/customfont1]
Get ready for some serious Argento vibes with director Tilman Singer’s feature length debut. Receiving praise from press in the director’s homeland of Germany, the film has also been racking up award nominations at the international festivals at which is has screened. Shot in 16mm, Luz screams giallo (but, you know, in German).
[customfont1]Summer of ‘84[/customfont1]
Directors Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell (Turbo Kid) are back with teen ensemble thriller, Summer of ‘84. The now-vintage nostalgia of milk carton kids and the original Star Wars trilogy oozes from the film’s trailer and is sure to please fans of ‘Stranger Things’ and It. Premiering at Sundance this year, the film has already sold out its screening at Fantasia
[customfont1]Anna and the Apocalypse[/customfont1]
Based on a Youtube short made by the guy who created the “Ryan Gosling won’t eat his cereal” meme (yeah, seriously), this horror-comedy/musical has come a long way from its internet beginnings. Winning the award for Best Midnight X-Treme Feature Length Film at the Sitges Film Festival last year, audiences are eating up this British zombie apocalypse Christmas flick. This looks like a perfect palate cleanser (while still remaining within the genre) one might need after some of the heavy hitters on this list.
[customfont1]Aragne: Sign of Vermillion[/customfont1]
Honestly, I know nothing about anime but the poster and trailer for Aragne: Sign of Vermillion has roped me in. Creature features and body horror will always be landmark subgenres, but pushing them into the realm of animation allows the transformations to take a more grotesque route. Bring on the creepy bug infestations!
[customfont1]La Quinceañera[/customfont1]
Director Gigi Saul Guerrero brings us festival crowd-pleasing Latin horror with this 7-part miniseries. A familial dispute seems trivial after a surprise visit from the cartel that culminates in action-packed gore. An ultraviolent twist on a coming-of-age movie, La Quinceañera will likely elicit a visceral emotional response in viewers.
[customfont1]What Keeps You Alive[/customfont1]
Fantasia’s film guide warns this of What Keeps You Alive: “This is a film best experienced with zero advance knowledge so if you trust us, stop reading now.” We’re taking their advice and are going to go in blind on this one.
[customfont1]Chained for Life[/customfont1]
Casting representation is in the spotlight in Hollywood, and this black comedy from Fantasia alum Aaron Schimberg feels timely. Jess Weixler (Teeth) plays a non-disabled actress cast in a role of blind woman in an upcoming horror movie, which is met with contention from the press. Co-starring Adam Pearson (Under the Skin), it appears to be a more heartwarming tale than the others on this list, addressing the depths of disability exploitation films.
[customfont1]La Nuit a dévoré le monde[/customfont1]
La Nuit a dévoré le monde, aka The Night Eats the World, is a French film that focuses on the existential burden of being the only human to survive the zombie apocalypse. It stars Anders Danielsen Lie (Personal Shopper) as Sam, the lone Parisian who tries to make sense of his new life while striking up an unlikely friendship with one of the infected. This Tribeca selection is the feature length directorial debut from Dominique Rocher.
[customfont1]Mandy[/customfont1]
After screening at Cannes and Sundance, director Panos Cosmatos’ Mandy has been making waves in the horror community. Nicolas Cage leads this bloody psychedelic fever dream through an experimental thrill ride. Scored by industry icon Jóhann Jóhannsson (RIP), this throwback to the ‘80s will appeal to your auditory and visual senses. P.S. It’s already sold out.
[customfont1]Hurt[/customfont1]
Director Sonny Malhi (Anguish, Family Blood) will have the world premiere of his latest film, Hurt, at Fantasia. All we have are a few screen grabs with some sweet, unsettling masks (not even a trailer!), but the ambiguity has us interested. Genre powerhouse Blumhouse has production credits on this film that will turn small town Texas on its head.
[customfont1]Arizona[/customfont1]
Danny McBride in a bloody comedic thriller? Count us in. In addition to McBride, there are some other respectable names on board: Luke Wilson, Rosemarie DeWitt (Poltergeist [2015], “Black Mirror”), writer Luke Del Tredici (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), cinematographer Drew Daniels (It Comes at Night), and director Jonathan Watson (veteran assistant director, The Disaster Artist, The Amazing Spider-Man).
[customfont1]The Nightshifter[/customfont1]
Being able to communicate with the dead might be desirable to some, but what if you can’t turn it off? This nightmare scenario is reality for morgue worker Stênio who needs to come to terms with his newfound gift. Writer/director Dennison Ramalho’s first feature film looks like a gruesome, Portuguese episode of “Medium.”
The Fantasia International Film Festival takes place in Montreal July 12 – August 2 2018, once again returning to the mammoth Concordia Hall Cinema as its main base, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and the McCord Museum.
For more information and to browse our complete 2018 lineup, visit the festival’s official website at www.fantasiafestival.com