Fantasia International Film Festival returns to Montreal next week and we’re so excited to be covering it virtually for the third year running.
The festival runs from July 14th to August 3rd and is just jam-packed with delights. John Woo will be in attendance talking about his extraordinary career and you can also hear Kier-La Janisse, author of House of Psychotic Women, talk about her career and her brilliant folk horror documentary Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched which we loved last year.
And boy do they have some programming treats in store for you! Here are the top 10 films we’re looking forward to catching at Fantasia 2022:
Final Cut (Coupez!) – North American Premiere
One Cut of the Dead (Shinichirou Ueda) was a hilarious, oddly life-affirming zombie movie. Now get set for the French re-make from director Michel Hazanavicius. Starring Romain Duris, Bérénice Bejo, Grégory Gadebois, Finnegan Oldfield, Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, and Yoshiko Takehara reprising her role from the original it’s set to be a sure-fire audience hit.
Sadako DX – World Premiere
The curse has mutated, spreading at great speed via the internet, and there are only a few hours left for skeptical TV personality Ayaka to solve the puzzle.
The original Ringu remains a truly terrifying movie and kick-started the renaissance of J Horror in the ’90s heralding a series of US remakes. In recent years the franchise has rather lost steam (Sadako v Kayako was not a high point) but there’s plenty of mileage left in the Ringu universe. Director Hisashi Kimura returns to the world of Ringu for Sadako DX and fingers crossed it can tap into what made Sadako such a terrifying force to be reckoned with.
Next Exit – International Premiere
Through the groundbreaking technology discovered by Dr. Stevenson (Karen Gillan, Oculus), deceased persons can now be identified and tracked in the afterlife. When a call goes out for volunteers to further her research, two strangers, Rose (Katie Parker, The Haunting of Hill House) and Teddy (Rahul Kohli, Midnight Mass), each struggling with personal demons, choose to sign up. Fate has them splitting a rental car, and they embark on a drive across America to meet their destinies.
Love Karen Gillan (Oculus is so underrated) and Rahul Kohli was immense in Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Bly Manor so love the sound of this high-concept suspense thriller.
Relax, I’m From the Future – World Premiere
It’s all fun and games until the world is in jeopardy and goofy time traveller Casper (Rhys Darby, What We Do in the Shadows, Our Flag Means Death) is the only one who can do something about it. When he stumbles into Holly’s (Gabrielle Graham, Possessor) life, a nutty plan unfolds involving a cartoonist and a nasty time travel agent.
From director Luke Higginson this is on the list simply because Rhys Darby is an unstoppable charm machine who is a complete delight in everything he appears in.
Bodies, Bodies, Bodies – Special Screening
A party game leads to murder when young and wealthy friends gather at a remote family mansion. Directed by Halina Reijn Bodies Bodies Bodies is Clue for Gen X’ers. Starring Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give), Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), Myha’la Herrold (Industry), Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby) and Pete Davidson (SNL) it’s set to be a comedy-horror classic.
Dark Glasses – Canadian Premiere
A blinded sex worker (Ilenia Pastorelli) finds herself targeted by a psychopath.
It’s Dario Argento’s first feature in a decade and he’s back in the Giallo genre. What more do you need to know! Sure to be a massive hit with the horror crowd.
Freaks Out – Canadian Premiere
Rome, 1943. A pack of sideshow performers with supernatural powers face off against occupying Nazis.
This sounds completely fascinating in a Hellboy battles Nazis type way.
House of Darkness – International Premiere
Hap (Justin Long) can’t believe his luck when a gorgeous woman (Kate Bosworth) invites him to drive her home to a secluded castle-like home. They realize when they arrive that a power outage is in progress, but they continue their evening nevertheless, having a few drinks closer to the hearth. The sexual tension rises, the conversation is naughty, but gradually the atmosphere darkens. Hap is suddenly convinced there’s someone else in the house, but his partner accuses him of spouting nonsense. Obsessed with the charms of the lady and the possibility of having sex with her, Hap ignores her bad feeling and finds himself immersed in a dark and twisted fairy tale.
Love him or loathe him Neil LaBute films are always fascinating and the pairing of Long (often cast for his seemingly lacking in guile ways) and Bosworth is intriguing.
Moloch – International Premiere
Deep in the Dutch countryside, in a house at the end of a vast bog, Betriek (Sallie Harmsen) lives with her six-year-old daughter and her parents. It is an isolated and rather quiet place. But everything changes when a very old corpse resurfaces, encouraging the invasion of archaeologists who start digging. Again and again. Soon, their digs bring whispers. Not villagers, no, but the bog itself. Workers who report having heard these inexplicable whispers end up losing control of themselves and committing certain acts in spite of themselves. Actions that will put Betriek and his family in grave danger of death as occult forces settle around them. All the while, the bog continues to whisper.
Directed by Nico van den Brink in his feature debut Moloch drew raves in his home country.
Resurrection – Canadian Premiere
Occupying an executive position in a pharmaceutical company, Margaret (Rebecca Hall) leads a well-ordered existence that allows her to raise her teenage daughter, Abbie (Grace Kaufman), on her own. One fine day, Margaret sees a familiar face, and she is completely upset. However, David (Tim Roth) does nothing very threatening: he frequents the same places, that’s all. But this man has obviously played a nefarious role in Margaret’s past, and she no longer feels safe. Besides, David does begin to insinuate himself into his victim’s mind, assaulting his maternal instincts first, in a very, very twisted way. Soon, her life no longer belongs to her, and the frightening downward spiral that drags her along will push her to the darkest abysses of human distress.
Rebecca Hall is a stunning, fearless actor who blew me away in The Night House. Looking forward to catching her in Resurrection from writer/director Andrew Semans.
You can buy tickets for Fantasia 2022 now
