Fantastic Fest 2019 Second Wave Features 'Knives Out' As Closing Night Film
The Fantastic Fest 2019 second wave is here – and it does not disappoint. If the first wave announcement didn't do it for you (what's your deal?), this second one should do the trick. Rian Johnson's star-studded Knives Out will close-out the fest, and new titles include Bong Joon-ho's Parasite and the Nicolas Cage-starring H.P. Lovecraft adaptation The Color Out of Space. Attendees will also be getting a sidebar dedicated to LGBTQ+ representation in genre cinema, a celebration of Mexican genre film, and more.
It's time to kick summer to the curb and bring on the glory of festival season. Fantastic Fest is gearing up for its 15th anniversary next month, and the lineup is proving to be full of can't-miss titles. In addition to the second wave of titles announced today, the festival will highlight Mexican genre films in association with Mexico City's Mórbido Film Fest. Mórbido Film Fest's head of programming Abraham Castillo Flores will also give a lecture titled "The Mórbido Crypt's Guide to Mexican Fantasy and Horror Cinema."
There will also be an LGBTQ+ sidebar sponsored by Shudder and co-presented by community partners aGLIFF and OUTsider, the Horror Queers podcast, and drag horror titans Peaches Christ and Louisianna Purchase. "The two most unwavering pieces of my identity – my queerness and my love of horror – come together in some fascinating and unexpected ways over the course of film history," says Fantastic Fest programmer Brian Kelley. "I can't think of a better group of people to explore and celebrate some of the crazy, frequently daring and often challenging films that make up the universe of queer horror with than my Fantastic Fest family."
Check out the full second wave film lineup below. Fantastic Fest runs September 19-26.
ABOU LEILA
Algeria, France, Qatar, 2019North American Premiere, 139 minDirector – Amin Sidi-BoumédièneIn the midst of the Algerian Civil War, Lotfi ventures into the desert with his lifelong friend S., who hopes to find and kill the elusive, dangerous terrorist Abou Leila.
THE ANTENNA
Turkey, 2019US Premiere, 115 minDirector – Orçun BehramSomewhere within an unnamed city in Turkey, the residents of an apartment block await the installation of their new antenna as ordered by the central government. No one can prepare them for the evil that will be unleashed.
THE BLACK PIT OF DR. M
Mexico, 1959Repertory Screening, 82 minDirector – Fernando MéndezTwo doctors make a pact on behalf of science: Whichever one dies first will return to share the secrets of the afterlife. This pact will not end well.
BLISS
USA, 2019Texas Premiere, 80 minDirector – Joe BegosWhile trying to complete her latest painting, a starving artist facing a lack of inspiration spirals out of control in a blaze of blood-soaked, drug-fueled glory.
BLOOD MACHINES
France, USA, 2019North American Premiere, 50 minDirector – Seth IckermanThe wild sequel to the Carpenter Brut music video, "Turbo Killer," shoots you into a turbulent psychedelic adventure of galactic hunters tracking down the soul of a spaceship set to a killer synthwave soundtrack.
BUTT BOY
USA, 2019World Premiere, 100 minDirector – Tyler CornackWriter/director/comedian Tyler Cornack's BUTT BOY introduces us to Chip, a middle-aged man whose first prostate exam stirs feelings deep inside leading to an addiction that can only be shown to Fantastic Fest audiences.
CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER
USA, 2019World Premiere, 90 minDirector – Mickey ReeceThe "Soderbergh of the Sticks," Mickey Reece, returns to Fantastic Fest with his 27th feature. Two beautiful sisters vie for the affections of a man who may or may not be a vampire.
COLOR OUT OF SPACE
USA, 2019US Premiere, 111 minDirector – Richard StanleyUnimaginable terrors befall the Gardner family after a meteorite lands on their front lawn in Richard Stanley's entrancing, horrific adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's short story.
IRON FISTS AND KUNG FU KICKS
Australia, 2019North American Premiere, 107 minDirector – Serge OuFrom the Shaw Brothers to THE MATRIX, this wild documentary tells the story of how kung fu films conquered the world from the 1960s to now.
KNIVES OUT
USA, 2019Special Presentation, 130 minDirector – Rian JohnsonIn attendance – Director Rian JohnsonFrom acclaimed writer, director Rian Johnson comes KNIVES OUT, a fresh and modern take on the classic "whodunnit" mystery genre.
THE LODGE
USA, 2019Texas Premiere, 108 minDirectors – Veronika Franz & Severin FialaFive years after GOODNIGHT MOMMY stunned Fantastic Fest audiences, Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala are back with another disturbing psychological twister about a brother and sister spending Christmas with their shadowy soon-to-be stepmother.
THE LONG WALK
Laos, Spain, Singapore, 2019US Premiere, 115 minDirector – Mattie DoIn attendance – Director Mattie DoAn old Laotian hermit discovers that the ghost of a road accident victim can transport him back in time fifty years to the moment of his mother's painful death..
LYLE
2014, USARepertory Screening, 65 minDirector – Stewart ThorndikeIn attendance – Director Stewart ThorndikeAfter the loss of her child, a young woman begins to suspect that her neighbors might be part of a satanic cult and that she might be their next target.
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE
USA, 1985Repertory Screening, 87 minDirector – Jack SholderIn attendance – Actors Mark Patton and Kim MyersJesse (Mark Patton) is the new kid on Elm Street and Freddy Krueger might not be the only monster in the closet in this much discussed but under-appreciated queer horror classic.
NOBADI
Austria, 2019US Premiere, 90 minDirector – Karl MarkovicsIn a retirement allotment in Vienna, a crabby 91-year-old finds both himself and his humanity when he hires an Afghani refugee to help him in Karl Markovics' remarkable and poignant third feature.
PARASITE
South Korea, 2019Texas Premiere, 131 minDirector – Bong Joon-hoBong Joon-ho's seventh feature — about an unemployed Korean family conning their way out of their basement apartment — is a roller coaster ride of laughs, gasps, horror, tears, and perfection.
PATRICK
Belgium, 2019North American Premiere, 97 minDirector – Tim MielantsPatrick is not having an easy time. First his domineering father passed away and now his favorite hammer is missing. Before the day is out, Patrick's search will lead him to discover answers to the questions he didn't even know existed.
PHIL TIPPETT – MAD DREAMS AND MONSTERS
France, 2019International Premiere, 80 minDirectors – Gilles Penso & Alexandre PoncetAfter their documentary CREATURE DESIGNERS – THE FRANKENSTEIN COMPLEX, French journalist Alexandre Poncet and filmmaker Gilles Penso deliver an in-depth, sad, and beautiful documentary about the stop motion and VFX artist Phil Tippett, a man who changed the landscape of visual effects in film.
THE PLATFORM
Spain, 2019US Premiere, 90 minDirector – Galder Gaztelu-UrrutiaIn attendance – Director Galder Gaztelu-UrrutiaSomewhere in the future exists THE PLATFORM, a vertically tiered prison where the upper levels have access to exquisite food and the lower levels fight for survival. Level assignments are random, but how long can a prisoner's luck hold? One man is about to find out.
PREY
1977, United KingdomRepertory Screening, 78 minDirector – Norman J. WarrenJessica and Josephine find more than their relationship at stake when they're chosen by a shape-shifting alien as his target for an observational study.
SCREAM, QUEEN! MY NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
USA, 2019US Premiere, 100 minDirectors – Roman Chimienti & Tyler JensenIn attendance – Directors Roman Chimienti and Tyler JensenMore than thirty years after its release and his departure from Hollywood, Mark Patton (star of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE), sets the record straight on the famously queer horror sequel in this fabulous, surprising, and eye-opening documentary.
THE SHIP OF MONSTERS
Mexico, 1960Repertory Screening, 81 minDirector – Rogelio A. GonzálezTwo Venusian women and their robot servant are on a mission to find suitable candidates to repopulate their planet. Soon their ship is filled with bizarre specimens from across the universe, leading to an adventure like no other!
SYNCHRONIC
USA, 2019US Premiere, 96 minDirectors – Justin Benson & Aaron MoorheadIn attendance – Directors Justin Benson and Aaron MoorheadTwo paramedics find their world ripped apart when they start encountering deaths linked to the otherworldly effects of a new designer drug called Synchronic.
TRAMPA INFERNAL
Mexico, 1989Repertory Screening, 77 minDirector – Pedro Galindo IIIIn Mexico's most notorious unseen video-era masterblast, a crew of toxically masculine bear murderers runs afoul of a forest-dwelling war veteran wearing a mannequin mask and Freddy Krueger glove. Entertainment ensues!!
THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF WOLFBOY
USA, 2019North American Premiere, 88 minDirector – Martin Krej?íSuffering from hypertrichosis — which covers him with animal-like fur — Paul knows he's not like other kids. But a seemingly random package from his estranged mother will send him on a journey of self-discovery alongside extraordinary characters.
THE VAST OF NIGHT
USA, 2019Texas Premiere, 90 minDirector – Andrew PattersonA rural 1950s radio DJ and a telephone operator uncover a strange signal that could change everything in this stunning science fiction debut feature.
VFW
USA, 2019World Premiere, 92 minDirector – Joe BegosIn attendance – Director Joe BegosIn the near future, a new drug called Hype has turned America into a war zone. The addicted are more mutant than human, and they've set their sights on assaulting a VFW post in Joe Begos' star-studded latest.
VHYES
USA, 2019World Premiere, 71 minDirector – Jack Henry RobbinsIn attendance – Director Jack Henry RobbinsThis bizarre retro comedy, shot entirely on VHS and Beta, takes us back to when 12-year-old Ralph, over one formative week, mistakenly records home videos and his favorite late night shows over his parents' wedding tape.
VIVARIUM
Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, 2019US Premiere, 98 minDirector – Lorcan FinneganWhen young couple Gemma (Imogen Poots) and Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) drive out to a maze of temptingly affordable houses in the suburbs, they find themselves unable to leave.