Ancestral Beasts (Canada, 2026)
Official Synopsis
After cutting ties with her toxic sister, Elyse (Morgan Holmstrom) retreats to her rural ancestral home to rebuild her mental health. But a grotesque, centipede-like creature begins to stalk her, a physical manifestation of buried trauma. As it feeds on her emotional turmoil, Elyse must confront the past she tried to escape to save herself and those she loves.
Review
Morgan Holmstrom is excellent in Ancestral Beasts as Elyse, a Red River Métis woman who goes back to the family home where her mother committed suicide in an attempt to get away from her verbally abusive older sister Nikki (Darla Contois). Writer/director Tim Riedel takes Elyse on a riveting, harrowing journey in which a diabolical creature is a metaphor for mental illness, and Holmstrom nails her character in a role that certainly wouldn’t be easy to play. She portrays the different emotions through which her character goes winningly, and is reason enough to recommend the film.
Sometimes touted as a creature feature, Ancestral Beasts is much more of a psychological horror and works quite well in that regard. The monster portrayed is admirably brought to cinematic life by practical effects, but is also on the rather simple side regarding its design. But then again, the focus is on the protagonist and the psychological issues that plague her much more so than the creature.
There is one performance that didn’t impress me as it wavered between over the top and scenery chewing. You’ll either know what I’m talking about when you see it, or disagree with my take. Otherwise, the cast members all do solid work, and Riedel has crafted a gripping horror feature that features a highly impressive lead performance from Holmstrom and that does a commendable job of examining mental health issues through a fear-fare perspective.
(Regarding our featured image for this article: Elyse [Morgan Holmstrom] discovers something unexpected under the bed in Ancestral Beasts. Filmed in studio onTreaty 1 territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Photo by John Wapioke. Image courtesy of Michif Koonteur.)
Home Bodies (Canada, 2026)
Official Synopsis
Red and Blue, twins raised in total isolation by an automated house, live according to the rules set by Papa, a disembodied voice behind a locked door who provides food, shelter, entertainment, and order. Their carefully controlled world is disrupted by the arrival of Pal, an enigmatic humanoid stranger whose presence begins to fracture the only life the twins have ever known.
Review
Home Bodies is going to work for many viewers better than it did for me — and that’s on me, not the film. Director Casey Walker’s science fiction outing abounds with eeriness and mystery, and the three actors are all impressive in their roles. Real-life fraternal twins Emma Ho and Ian Ho play twin sister and brother Red and Blue, respectively, who live in an enclosed home with no knowledge of the outside world other than what the voice of Papa tells them or allows them to watch on VHS tapes. The twins are solid in their roles, and Ess Hödlmoser is terrific as the silent androgynous stranger Pal who Papa suddenly sets down in their otherwise comfortable, if highly routine, isolated world.
The slow-burn pacing works fine, allowing viewers to get to know the personalities of the twins and their relationship with Papa before Pal is thrust upon them. The tension rises until a startling decision sets the siblings down a chilling downward spiral. The visuals are intriguing, from the red and blue world of the twins to the decay that sets in later.
Despite the fine technical aspects of the film and the good direction and performances, I felt somewhat distanced from the proceedings. Perhaps the cold, sterile relationship between Papa and the siblings affected me that way. As I hinted at at the beginning of this review, whatever issues I had in that regard do not reflect on the impressive filmmaking that Home Bodies boasts. Science fiction aficionados should definitely give the film a shot, for there is much to admire about it.
Ancestral Beasts and Home Bodies screen as part of Fantasia 2026, which runs July 16–August 2 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
