Fantasia 2024: Top 10 Picks
My most anticipated films from Fantasia’s current line-up.
Fantasia International Film Festival, held in Montreal, is back for its 28th edition next week, running July 18th through August 4th, and I’m delighted to be back providing remote coverage! With a focus on genre cinema, the film festival focuses on niche and low-budget flicks of high quality across all genres, showcasing the best of Canadian and world cinema. Quentin Tarantino once called Fantasia “the most important and prestigious genre film festival on this continent,” and he’s right! Here are the films I’m most looking forward to, which should definitely be on your radar. As you’ll be able to tell — if you don’t know already — I do have a certain proclivity for horror!
Witchboard (2024) dir. Chuck Russell
Chuck Russell, who directed the 1988 remake of The Blob, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, and The Mask, to name a few, returns to the horror genre with his re-imagining of Kevin S. Tenney’s 1986 Canadian cult favourite, Witchboard, which Russell co-wrote with Greg McKay. In their rendition, Emily, (Madison Iseman, Annabelle Comes Home) and her fiancé Christian (Aaron Dominguez, Only Murders in the Building), discover an ancient pendulum board while preparing to open a bistro in New Orleans. Emily becomes obsessed with the board’s powers which exposes her to the spirit of the Queen of Witches. Desperate to help his fiancée, Christian seeks the advice of mysterious occult expert, Alexander Babtiste (Jamie Campbell Bower, Stranger Things), who harbours dark secrets of his own.
Cuckoo (2024) dir. Tilman Singer
In Cuckoo, 17-year-old Gretchen (Hunter Schafer, Euphoria) is forced to move to a resort in the German Alps with her father and his new family. But things are not what they seem when she begins to be plagued by frightening visions of a woman pursuing her. From Tilman Singer, the writer and director of Luz, Cuckoo is described as an “astonishing mix of domestic tension, body horror, and perverse science.” It co-stars Dan Stevens (Beauty and the Beast), Jessica Henwick (Glass Onion), Marton Csókás (Lord of the Rings), and Jan Bluthardt (Luz).
Timestalker (2024) dir. Alice Lowe
Alice Lowe, who wrote, directed, and starred in Prevenge, returns with Timestalker, a period piece in which heroine Agnes (Lowe) is reincarnated every time she makes the same mistake of falling in love with the wrong man. Touted as a “Python-esque time-jumping/reincarnation anti-rom-com,” the film is seeping in originality as it playfully explores beloved tropes and proves that “some lessons are just too hard to learn in one lifetime.” Timestalker also stars Jacob Anderson (Game of Thrones), Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), and Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk).
Shelby Oaks (2024) dir. Chris Stuckmann
Shelby Oaks follows the Paranormal Paranoids, a team of paranormal investigators searching for Mia’s (Camille Sullivan, Hunter Hunter) missing sister Riley, the lead paranormal investigator who disappeared twelve years prior. Mia soon falls into a dangerous obsession when she realises that the imaginary demon from their childhood may have in fact been real. The film, written and directed by YouTube creator Chris Stuckmann in his feature-length debut, was funded through Kickstarter, which broke records across the platform. Shelby Oaks also stars Brendan Sexton III (Don’t Breathe 2), Sarah Durn (Renfield), Keith David (Nope), and Michael Beach (Aquaman). The film, which will be presented by Mike Flanagan, will have its world premiere at Fantasia Fest.
Ghost Cat Anzu (2024) dir. Yoko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita
Based on the manga by Takashi Imashiro, the French-Japanese co-production Ghost Cat Anzu follows 11-year-old Karin, who is left in the care of Anzu, an affable, uncouth, and feckless immortal ghost cat. Co-directed by animator Yoko Kuno (Crayon Shin-chan) and Nobuhiro Yamashita, whose live-action films Confession and Swimming in a Sand Pool are also screening at this year’s Fantasia, the animated family film tackles the beloved and familiar trope of “a troubled child’s summertime coming-of-age in a countryside inhabited by supernatural creatures — and offsets its bucolic charm with deadpan wit and and emotional tone that’s as tender as a bruise.”
The Killers (2024) dir. Kim Jong-kwan, Roh Deok, Chang Hang-jun, and Lee Myung-Se
In South Korean film The Killers, four directors portray hitmen in their respective stories. While not much else is know about the film, it’s described as a “visual, auditory, and narrative feast” as the anthology takes its viewers on a series of exhilarating tales. Its Fantasia Fest screening will be film’s Canadian premiere.
The Chapel (2023). dir. Carlota Pereda
In Spanish horror The Chapel, young Emma (Maia Zaitegi) wants to learn how to communicate with the spirit of a girl who has been trapped in a hermitage for centuries. She tries to convince Carol (Belén Rueda, The Orphanage), a cynical and fake medium, to help her, and in doing so, the pair just might help each other. Directed by Carlota Pereda (Piggy), the film is said to be an “atmospheric, character-driven, supernatural horror” with stunning cinematography. Rueda won ‘Best Actress’ at the Cinefantasy festival last year, which makes me eager to see her performance.
House of Sayuri (2024) dir. Koji Shiraishi
Legendary J-horror director Koji Shiraishi, who directed Noroi: The Curse, Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman, and Sadako vs. Kayako, returns with his new feature, House of Sayuri. The film is about a vengeful ghost who disseminates a family until their brave and bold grandma brings a startling new dynamic into the house. The film is described as a horror-comedy which “alternates from a galvanising spiritual training montage to profoundly dramatic moments, coming together to create a truly unique cinematic experience.” Fantasia will be its North American premiere.
The G (2023) dir. Karl R. Hearne
The G follows Ann, played by prolific film and television character actor Dale Dickey, a harsh-tongued, tough-as-nails woman in her 70s who finds herself with no husband, no money, and no home after her corrupt legal guardian gets her locked up in a miserable facility. Her tormentors, however, are about to find out that someone who’s had everything taken away from them is someone with nothing left to lose. Directed by Karl R. Hearne (Touched), the gritty revenge thriller film is said to be “laced with shards of butter humour” and anchored by an “unconventional, yet entirely convincing, protagonist.” The film co-stars Romane Denis (Slaxx), Bruce Ramsay (Hellraiser: Bloodline), and Roc LaFortune Territories).
Carnage for Christmas (2024) dir. Alice Maio Mackay
Christmas comes early with Alice Maio Mackay’s (T-Blockers) new film, Carnage for Christmas, which tells the story of true-crime podcaster Lola (Jeremy Moineau), who returns to her hometown for Christmas for the first time since running away and transitioning. Meanwhile, it seems the vengeful ghost of a historical murderer and urban legend has risen to kill once again, which is certainly not the most ideal Christmas gift.
Be sure to look out for my coverage in the upcoming weeks. If you have a Medium account, consider giving me a follow to stay up-to-date with my posts.
