Fantasia International Film Festival kicks off in mere days, running from July 16–August 3 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The fest is renowned for its wide array of quality genre films, from horror to science fiction to animation to quirky comedies and beyond. Here Horror Fuel previews seven of the highly promising fear fare films on tap for this year’s edition of Fantasia. There are so many incredible selections that we plan to run at least one more curtain raiser article for the fest! The following film descriptions and festival details are from Fantasia’s official website and related press information.
HOLD THE FORT
World Premiere / Feature Debut / Selection 2025
Synopsis: HOLD THE FORT follows Lucas and Jenny who think their life is finally coming together when the couple become homeowners. Little do they know that their new house comes with a big catch. Lucas and Jenny soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when they become trapped in a battle between their Homeowners Association and an onslaught of monsters from hell. The horror-comedy takes the timely concern of home-ownership and wraps this up in an entertaining action-packed thrill ride.
Studio: Blue Finch Films
Director/Writer: William Bagley
Story by: Scott Hawkins
Producers: Matt Dodd, Luke Williams, Tim Reis, Julian Smith
Cast: Chris Mayers, Haley Leary, Julian Smith
Genre: Horror-Comedy
Run Time: 74 Minutes
Screening Information:
World Premiere at Fantasia
Date: Wednesday July 16th
Time: 9:30 PM
Location: Salle J.A. De Sève
2nd Screening at Fantasia
Date: Saturday, July 26th
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: Salle J.A. De Sève
HELLCAT
World Premiere / Feature Debut / Selection 2025
Synopsis: Lena wakes up in a moving camper trailer with a horrifying wound. She’s warned by the driver that they have one hour to get to a doctor, or she’ll succumb to an unimaginably awful fate. As the pain sets in and reality begins to fray, who should really be afraid? Dakota Gorman (Natural Disasters) delivers a blistering performance in this tense, mind-bending horror where survival cuts both ways.
Studio: Blue Finch Films
Director/Writer/Editor: Brock Bodell
Producer: Andrew Duensing
Cast: Dakota Gorman, Todd Terry, Liz Atwater, Jordan Mullins, James Austin
Genre: Horror
Run Time: 91 Minutes
Screening Information:
World Premiere at Fantasia
Date: Friday, July 25th
Time: 6:45 PM
Location: Salle J.A. De Sève
2nd Screening at Fantasia
Date: Sunday, July 27th
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Salle J.A. De Sève
JULIE PACINO MAKES HER DIRECTORIAL DEBUT WITH THE LYNCHIAN I LIVE HERE NOW
World Premiere / Cheval Noir
Shot on vibrant 35mm with striking 16mm inserts, and directed by Julie Pacino in her feature debut, I LIVE HERE NOW is a haunting, dreamlike psychodrama about identity, trauma, and the fragile line between memory and madness. The film pulses with competing anxieties: the pursuit of perfection, the weight of generational trauma, and the invisible fist of capitalism tightening its grip around the necks of its characters. Starring Lucy Fry (BRIGHT) as Rose, a woman haunted by trauma and trapped in a motel where reality unravels, and featuring an all-star supporting cast including Madeline Brewer (CAM), Sheryl Lee (TWIN PEAKS), Cara Seymour (ADAPTATION), and an exceptionally slimy Matt Rife, I LIVE HERE NOW marks the emergence of a bold new voice in genre cinema. World Premiere.
Director/Writer: Julie Pacino
Executive Producers: Cole Harper, Dani Koenigsberg, Robert Schwartzman
Producer: Kyle Kaminsky
Cast: Lucy Fry
Genre: Thriller
Run Time: 92 Minutes
Screening Information:
World Premiere at Fantasia
Date: Thursday, July 24th
Time: 7:45 PM
Location: Salle J.A. De Sève
2nd Screening at Fantasia
Date: Friday, July 25th
Time: 2:15 PM
Location: Salle J.A. De Sève
A WILD TRIBUTE TO 1970s PORNOGRAPHY AND EROTIC THRILLERS WITH ANYTHING THAT MOVES
Shot in stunning Super 16mm, ANYTHING THAT MOVES is the steamy follow-up feature from director Alex Phillips who made audiences laugh and wretch with 2022’s ALL JACKED UP AND FULL OF WORMS, a World Premiere at Fantasia). He’s back with a surreal take on the erotic thriller that strikes the balance between riotous tribute and filthy horror in a film that follows sex worker and bike courier Liam on his adventures making clients happy with orgasms and sandwiches. Liam’s joyful existence is soon interrupted by the arrival of a serial killer, which throws his life into the realm of paranoia and conspiracy, casting a dark shadow over the city of Chicago. In the midst of its juicy gore, bizarre poetry, and switchback storytelling the film features real adult stars Nina Hartley and Ginger Lynn Allen, as well as a brilliant music score by Cue Shop. Underground section. World Premiere.
A JOLTING FOLK HORROR VISION: ADILKHAN YERZHANOV’S KAZAKH SCARY TALES
Continuing a breathtaking marathon of creation, multi-time award-winner Adilkhan Yerzhanov (STEPPENWOLF, THE OWNERS, THE GENTLE INDIFFERENCE OF THE WORLD) has turned his visionary lens towards skin-crawling occult horror storytelling. A cop (Kuantai Abdimadi, MOUNTAIN ONION) ventures into a remote village to investigate a gruesome series of inexplicable events and soon finds himself in the center of an otherworldly storm of local witchcraft and death. It becomes clear that the curse of Albasty, a spirit said to devour infants, is horrifyingly real. Bringing nightmarish regional folk horror to the screen through a tense, neo-Noir Trojan horse, KAZAKH SCARY TALES was produced as an anthology series for a domestic streamer but deemed too frightening by focus groups. Fantasia will be presenting the first three episodes as a complete feature narrative, the first time that anything from the series will be shown anywhere in the world. A stunning, disturbing work featuring a cast from across Yerzhanov’s filmography, including Anna Starchenko, jury award winner at last summer’s Fantasia for her astonishing performance in STEPPENWOLF, Dinara Baktybayeva (A DARK, DARK MAN), Daniyar Alshinov (GOLIATH), Yerken Gubashev (THE ASSAULT), and Sanjar Madi (YELLOW CAT). World Premiere.
YUTA SHIMOTSU’S NEW GROUP BRILLIANTLY BLURS THE LINE BETWEEN HORROR AND REALITY
High school student Ai sees her world collapse when a strange cult-like mentality gradually turns people around her into mindless followers who can transform simple gymnastics routines into a nightmarish dance of death. With only his second feature, co-writer and director Yuta Shimotsu (BEST WISHES TO ALL, produced by Takashi Shimizu) delivers one of the most well-scripted, masterfully directed, and incredibly creepy J-horror films of the last twenty years. Imagine a fusion between a harsh critique of Japanese society and the weird ideological movements that are growing in the Western World, portrayed in the twisted universe of legendary mangaka Junji Ito, author of the classic UZUMAKI, and you might be able to visualize all the fun this film packs. With its mind-blowing, surreal imagery in a very realistic context, a perfectly balanced and executed soundtrack, and something to say about the world we live in, NEW GROUP will only expand its number of devoted followers around the planet. North American Premiere.
OUR FAVORITE BAD GIRL IS BACK! GET READY TO BE LED ASTRAY AND BETRAYED WITH INFLUENCERS!
Just when you thought it was safe to travel again, CW pops into your feed and activates your FOMO. After 2022’s smash hit INFLUENCER, Kurtis David Harder takes us to the South of France with dark persuasions and fatal outcomes. Starring the one and only Cassandra Naud as the mysterious chameleon CW, there’s no imposter syndrome here! Along with her fantastic co-stars, Veronica Long (BILLY THE KID) and Jonathan Whitesell (HAPPY FACE), they bring a new timeline and sicker-than-ever plans as CW opens her heart to a beautiful new girlfriend, played by Lisa Delamar (SURVIVE). This time, jealousy rears its ugly head as CW locks in on a popular British Influencer named Charlotte (Georgina Campbell, BARBARIAN, LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP), who throws a wrench in her anniversary plans with Diane. Gorgeous cinematography, nasty twists, and an outcome you won’t want to miss, INFLUENCERS will make you fact-check your socials forever! Septentrion Shadows section. World Premiere.
