Fantastic Fest, the world’s largest genre film festival, is pulling out all the stops for its 20th anniversary. Returning to the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, TX, from September 18–25, 2025, this milestone edition promises to be the most ambitious yet, with 45 World Premieres, 15 International and North American Premieres, and 13 U.S. Premieres.
The festival opens with the world premiere of Paramount Pictures’ Primate, a visceral new horror survival story from Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City), starring Johnny Sequoyah and Academy Award® winner Troy Kotsur. Closing night will feature the world premiere of Whistle, from Independent Film Company and Shudder, directed by Corin Hardy (The Nun), in which a cursed Aztec death whistle unleashes carnage upon a small town.
A Landmark Year for Genre Film
“Fantastic Fest is turning 20, and we’re turning the fest into an 8-day celebration of cinematic excellence and excess,” says Festival Director Lisa Dreyer. “We’re bringing our audience an unprecedented number of world premieres this year, from highly anticipated titles to brand new discoveries.”
Alamo Drafthouse CEO Michael Kustermann added: “Fantastic Fest was created to celebrate genre and horror films. We’re thrilled to see these films continue to thrive at the box office and proud to be the launchpad for both studio partners and independent filmmakers.”
Major Premieres from Studios and Indies Alike
The 2025 slate boasts a stunning mix of powerhouse studio projects and daring indie discoveries. Highlights include:
Sony’s Stage 6 Films & Screen Gems – Sisu: Road to Revenge (World Premiere)
Paramount Pictures – Vicious (World Premiere, from The Strangers director Bryan Bertino)
Universal Pictures & Blumhouse – Black Phone 2 (World Premiere, directed by Scott Derrickson)
Lionsgate – The Strangers – Chapter 2 (World Premiere)
Shudder – V/H/S/Halloween (World Premiere) and two episodes of The Creep Tapes: Season 2
NEON – Shelby Oaks (U.S. Premiere, from director/critic Chris Stuckmann) and Cannes prizewinner Sirât (U.S. Premiere)
A24 – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (Texas Premiere), starring Rose Byrne, Christian Slater, and A$AP Rocky
Shudder & J.A. Bayona – Crazy Old Lady (World Premiere)
Other buzzy premieres include Ryan Prows’ Night Patrol starring Jermaine Fowler and Justin Long, Colin Minihan’s Coyotes with Justin Long and Kate Bosworth, Lil Rel Howery’s directorial debut Haunted Heist with Tiffany Haddish, and Rod Blackhurst’s slasher Dolly.
New Initiative: Fantastic Pitches
In a major first, Fantastic Fest is launching Fantastic Pitches, a live pitch competition where finalists will vie for $100,000 in funding and a global distribution deal with new genre label Chroma. Director Matt Johnson (Nirvanna the Band the Show: The Movie) will serve on the jury.
Guests, Parties, and Events
No Fantastic Fest is complete without unforgettable events. This year’s roster includes:
A medieval heavy metal opening night party with Castle Rat, presented by Shudder
A 20th anniversary reunion of Masters of Horror featuring Mick Garris, Don Coscarelli, and Ernest Dickerson
Fundraisers, drag shows, Doug Benson’s Movie Interruption, a Ghoulish Book Fair, and more
Classic festival staples like the Fantastic Feud and Fantastic Debates
A secret-location Closing Night Party to end the week in true Fantastic Fest style
Restorations and Rarities
Partnering with the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) and other distributors, Fantastic Fest 2025 also presents a stunning lineup of restorations and oddities. These include the world premiere preservation of Embalmer with director S. Torriano Berry in attendance, Severin Films’ restoration of Cruel Jaws, and the U.S. premiere of Mamoru Oshii’s restored masterpiece Angel’s Egg. Other notable restorations include Bride of Re-Animator, Freaked, Hide and Go Shriek, Before the Fall, and Yoshitaka Amano’s surreal classic Angel’s Egg.
Burnt Ends and Experimental Cinema
Burnt Ends, Fantastic Fest’s celebrated micro-budget sidebar, returns with bold offerings like Skinner & Ross Kennedy’s stop-motion cosmic horror The Shrine of Abominations, Robbie C. Ward’s hand-drawn Animal Math, and Nikolas Pelekai’s bloody retribution tale Penance.
A Truly Fantastic 20th Anniversary
This year’s 78 feature films and accompanying shorts represent the most ambitious Fantastic Fest to date, uniting horror, sci-fi, action, and boundary-pushing cinema under one roof. With world-class premieres, legendary parties, daring restorations, and a landmark new pitch initiative, Fantastic Fest 2025 is primed to cement its place as the ultimate destination for genre fans.
Jessie Hobson