Montreal’s genre playground is back and bloodier than ever. Running July 16-August 3, the 29th Fantasia International Film Festival promises to be a carnage-filled celebration that’ll leave you questioning reality and craving more visceral cinema.

The festival kicks off with some serious heavyweight action this year, including Canadian Trailblazer Award recipient George Mihalka (whose MY BLOODY VALENTINE still makes us check our closets), and a mind-bending triple threat from the unstoppable Takashi Miike. But before we dive into the blood-soaked deep end, let’s talk about the five films that have me personally canceling all social plans for three weeks straight.

THE MAGNIFICENT 5: FILMS THAT DEMAND YOUR ATTENTION

1. EDDINGTON – Ari Aster’s COVID-Era Western Powder Keg

Why This Matters: A24 is financing and producing this movie, which had its world premiere at Cannes on May 16, 2025, and will be released in theaters by A24 on July 18, 2025. Translation? The distributor already knows they’ve got gold on their hands. We love A24, and that’s why it’s a whole sector here at Mother of Movies.

Look, when Ari Aster decides to make a contemporary Western about a small-town standoff during COVID-19, you don’t ask questions, you just show up. In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.

The cast alone should have you salivating: Joaquin Phoenix as the sheriff going toe-to-toe with Pedro Pascal’s mayor, with Emma Stone, Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, and the always-magnetic Deirdre O’Connell rounding out this ensemble of destruction. This isn’t just another pandemic allegory, it’s Aster weaponizing social tension and serving it up with his signature psychological brutality.

Personal Note: Ari Aster, the cast, and A24 are superficially enough reasons to be there, but throw in a dick-swinging competition between Phoenix and Pascal, and you couldn’t hold me back from seeing this.

Distribution Status: A24 has this locked down tighter than a Midsommar cult ritual, with a theatrical release already set for July 18, 2025.

2. FIND YOUR FRIENDS – Desert Party Turned Survival Nightmare

Why This Matters: Izabel Pakzad’s directorial debut carries extra weight given her personal history navigating Hollywood’s power dynamics as James Franco’s partner during his 2018 controversies. Her choice to explore toxic manipulation and gender warfare feels deeply personal rather than performative.

Picture this: a desert getaway turns into a nightmare when hostile locals decide these women don’t belong. What begins as drunk girl bonding quickly evolves into something far more sinister as buried trauma surfaces and survival instincts override social niceties. Helena Howard, Bella Thorne, Zión Moreno, Chloe Cherry, and Sophia Ali aren’t just playing victims, they’re women who’ve learned that sometimes the only way out is through blood.

This isn’t your typical “final girl” scenario. Pakzad seems to understand that real horror lives in the moments when civilized facades crumble and people reveal who they really are when pushed to their breaking point. Personal dynamics, toxic relationships, and power imbalances that destroy some people’s momentum become the very fuel that ignites others into action.

Personal Confession: I’m not particularly drawn to party culture (my social life is mostly gay bars where men generally leave me alone), but Izabel Pakzad being a first-timer female director gets an automatic yes from me. Add the world premiere status and this cast, despite Bella Thorne probably not winning any Golden Globes soon, I genuinely love her in films, plus toxic dynamics and commentary on gender divides, and Find Your Friends sounds like elevated popcorn horror with something meaningful to say.

Distribution Status: Still hunting for the right home. With this cast and Pakzad’s compelling backstory, expect distributors to start circling once word-of-mouth builds from Fantasia screenings. Festival premieres like this often spark bidding wars, especially when they tackle relevant social themes with genuine bite.

3. NEW GROUP – J-Horror Meets Social Commentary

Why This Matters: When high school cult mentality turns gymnastics routines into death dances, you know you’re in for something special. Yuta Shimotsu’s second feature, produced by Takashi Shimizu (JU-ON), represents a modernization of J-horror that tackles both Japanese society and Western ideological movements.

Anna Yamada’s Ai watches her world collapse as strange cult-like behavior transforms people around her into mindless followers. This isn’t just another possession story, it’s a surgical examination of how easily ordinary people can become part of something sinister. The fusion between harsh social critique and Junji Ito-esque surreal imagery promises the kind of mind-bending experience that’ll have you questioning every group dynamic you’ve ever been part of.

Why I’m Obsessed: Cult mentalities are everywhere these days. The whole premise sounds like the perfect fusion of elements that shouldn’t work together but absolutely do. Plus, it’s a pre-sale film, so there’s still mystery around what we’re actually getting.

Distribution Status: KADOKAWA CORPORATION is handling sales across theatrical, TV, DVD, VOD, and airline, suggesting confidence in broad appeal potential.

4. LUCID – 90s Grunge Meets Creative Nightmare

Why This Matters: Directors Deanna Milligan and Ramsey Fendall are expanding their award-winning short into a feature-length trip through artistic obsession and chemical-enhanced creativity gone wrong.

Mia, a rebellious art student, takes “Lucid”, a candy elixir, to access her creativity for a demanding professor’s project. Instead of unlocking artistic genius, she taps into something much darker. With Caitlin Acken Taylor reprising her role from the acclaimed short and Georgia Acken (THE SACRIFICE GAME) joining the cast, this promises to deliver surreal nightmares wrapped in authentic 90s grunge aesthetics.

The short film (available to watch below) reveals a creator unafraid of gore, obsessed with the beauty in what others find disgusting. “We are all just big bags of blood” becomes her artistic ethos; the more the world hates what she loves, the deeper her obsession grows. It’s an art school version of “Carrie” crossed with something like “Velvet Buzzsaw” that doesn’t pull punches.

Personal Investment: I really liked The Sacrifice Game, so I’m keen to see these directors try something else. While taking candy to access “the creative brain” isn’t particularly intriguing, most filmmakers get it wrong, especially when it goes off the rails into something sinister. I love 90s grunge and punk art aesthetics and a narrative that questions societal norms, so this had to make my top 5.

Distribution Status: Still seeking distribution, which means festival audiences get first dibs on discovering this gem.

Lucid – Watch the Short Film

5. LURKER – Fame, Obsession, and Instagram-Era Horror

Why This Matters: When the line between friend and fan blurs beyond recognition, access and proximity become matters of life and death. Alex Russell’s feature debut examines our Instagram-driven obsession culture through a thriller lens that’s both unsettling and darkly entertaining.

Théodore Pellerin plays a twenty-something retail clerk who encounters rising pop star Archie Madekwe (SALTBURN) and uses the opportunity to edge into the in-crowd. What follows is a brilliant deconstruction of fame and need in our social media-saturated world, where parasocial relationships can turn deadly.

The film’s exploration of power imbalances feels particularly relevant; some people get crushed by proximity to fame, while others manipulate their way to the top through sheer obsession. Russell appears to understand that the real horror lies in how easily admiration transforms into something predatory.

Why I Chose This: I was torn between this, the plagiarism-accused body horror, TOGETHER, and LIFE HACK (crypto thrillers are my weakness), but ultimately chose LURKER because I love films about obsession more. That phrase “the line between friend and fan blurs” hooked me completely. If you didn’t see The Fanatic, I’m sure comparisons will be drawn at some point.

Distribution Status: MUBI has picked this up for US distribution, suggesting they see serious awards potential in Russell’s debut.

THE BUZZ-WORTHY 4: FILMS BREAKING THE INTERNET

Tamala 2030: A Punk Cat in Dark

More than two decades after the original anime anomaly, t.o.L returns with this kawaii-meets-dystopian masterpiece. When Hello Kitty aesthetics collide with Lynch-ian paranoia, you get the kind of retro-futuristic mind-melt that becomes instant cult status.

Kazakh Scary Tales

Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s folk horror anthology was deemed “too frightening” by focus groups and pulled from domestic streaming. Fantasia is presenting the first three episodes as a complete feature, the first time anything from the series will be shown anywhere in the world. That’s the kind of “banned for being too scary” pedigree that horror fans live for.

Every Little Thing

Mickey Reece (CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER, AGNES) returns with another visionary Oklahoma-set nightmare. When an office worker witnesses a murder and becomes entangled in conspiracy, Reece’s signature lo-fi aesthetics meet high-concept satire. Featuring horror icon Barbara Crampton, this promises the kind of darkly comic meditation on American dysfunction that makes Reece essential viewing.

Reflection in a Dead Diamond

Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani (AMER, LET THE CORPSES TAN) deliver an electrifying 60s Euro-spy homage featuring Italian screen legend Fabio Testi as a retired agent convinced past enemies are coming for him. These mad geniuses of radical genre storytelling have created what promises to be their most imaginative work yet.

THE VERDICT

Fantasia 2025 isn’t just programming films, they’re curating experiences that’ll stick in your consciousness long after the credits roll. From Aster’s pandemic western neighborhood face-off to Miike’s trio of madness, this year’s lineup proves that genre cinema continues to be the most honest mirror for our fractured times. For the initial wave information, we have that running too.

The festival runs July 16-August 3 across Concordia Hall, J.A. de Sève cinemas, and Cinéma du Musée. Full lineup drops in early July, but based on this second wave alone, start clearing your schedule now.