Fantastic Fest unveiled its final wave of programming Wednesday, with highlights including the World premiere of David Yarovesky’s “The Hive” and the first public screening of “The Town That Dreaded Sundown.”
James Gunn, the director of Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” has also been announced as a special guest moderator for “The Hive” panel, while “World’s End” director Edgar Wright will sit on the The Next Wave film jury panel.
Also read: Jake Gyllenhaal’s ‘Nightcrawler’ to Close Fantastic Fest
It’s the 10th anniversary edition of the Austin, TX, festival, which runs from Sept. 18-25. This year’s event will feature 80 films including 22 World Premieres, 43 North American and U.S. Premiere screenings, and 38 short films. Guests include Joe Lynch, Liv Corfixen and Nicolas Winding Refn, Ti West, Nacho Vigalondo, Alfonso Gomez- Rejon, and David Robert Mitchell.
“We promised that our tenth anniversary was going to be the most deranged yet and I’m proud to say we’ve delivered on that promise,” festival founder Tim League said in a statement. “Not only have we compiled our biggest slate of exceptional genre films but the chaos we’ve embraced for our events is going to knock people out. Much like I’m going to do to Ti West.”
Also read: Kevin Smith’s ‘Tusk’ Is Getting Its Own Strains of Weed
The festival opens with screenings of Kevin Smith’s “Tusk” and the world premiere of “ABCs of Death 2.” Smith recently sold “Tusk” to A24, and told TheWrap, “If anyone will understand this walrus picture, it’s them.”
As TheWrap previously reported, “Nightcrawler,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal as an aspiring crime journalist, will close the festival. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival ahead of its theatrical release on Oct. 31.
The festival also features a red carpet screening of David Leitch and Chad Stahelski’s “John Wick,” featuring Keanu Reeves as an ex-hitman who comes out of retirement for some revenge killing. “John Wick” also stars Willem Dafoe and Adrianne Palicki and will be released on Oct. 24.
See the trailer for “The Town That Dreaded Sundown” below:
The full lineup for Fantastic Fest is below:
ABSENT ONE, THE
Denmark, 2014
World Premiere, 119 min
Director – Mikkel Nørgaard
Police investigators dig into the facts of a twenty year old double homicide in a desperate race to find a likely witness before the killers have the chance to silence her forever.
AS SEEN BY THE REST (ULIDAVARU KANDANTE)
India, 2014
North American Premiere
Director – Rakshit Shetty
Mystery abounds in this fractured gangster story from Karnataka, India. Shades of SCARFACE, PULP FICTION and RASHOMON color Rakshit Shetty’s entrancing story of good, evil and something else…
BLIND
Norway, 2014
Texas Premiere, 96 min
Director – Eskil Vogt
This debut gem from Eskil Vogt follows Ingrid who, having recently lost her sight, exists only in her apartment with her thoughts as a means of escape…
THE CREEPING GARDEN
United Kingdom, 2014
US Premiere, 81 min
Directors – Tim Grabham and Jasper Sharp
The slime mould: a form of microbial life with behavior somewhere between plant and animal and capable of primitive intelligence. Unusual? Yes, and just wait until you meet the people who study them …
DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS DEAD (DØD SNØ 2)
Norway-Icelans, 2014
Texas Premiere, 100 min
Director – Tommy Wirkola
Lone survivor Martin must enlist help from America to battle Colonel Herzog and his horde in this wild sequel to the original Norwegian Nazi zombie film.
DWARVES KINGDOM
United States, 2014
World Premiere, 80 min
Director – Matthew Salton
Some have called The Kingdom of Little People the most offensive theme park in the world. DWARVES KINGDOM takes us inside to meet its performer residents.
THE EDITOR
Canada, 2014
US Premiere, 102 min
Director – Adam Brooks and Matthew Kennedy
A one-handed film editor finds himself the prime suspect after a series of violent murders start happening around him in this knowing tribute to giallo from the crazy minds at Astron-6!
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS
Australia, 2014
US Premiere, 107 min
Director – Mark Hartley
Mark Hartley brings his singular documentary style to the story of Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, the trailblazers behind exploitation powerhouse studio Cannon Films.
FELT
United States, 2014
World Premiere, 79 min
Director – Jason Banker
A young artist loses herself in an unpredictable alter ego while attempting to cope with past trauma in this gripping sophomore effort from the creator of TOAD ROAD.
FORCE MAJEURE (TURIST)
Sweden, 2014
US Premiere, 118 min
Director – Ruben Ã-stlund
An upper middle-class family’s fragile existence is torn apart when a near tragedy occurs during a ski vacation and the two parents are forced confront the reality of each other’s reactions.
FREE FALL
Hungary, 2014
North American Premiere, 89 min
Director – GYÃ-RGY PÁLFI
The director of TAXIDERMIA returns with seven stories of the mundanely bizarre.
I AM HERE
Denmark, 2014
World Premiere, 97 min
Director – Anders Morgenthaler
A powerful business executive wanders down a dark path in order to have the child she desperately needs in this shocking piece from the director of 2007’s unusual animation PRINCESS.
I AM TRASH (NANEUN SSEURAEGIDA)
South Korea, 2014
World Premiere, 97 min
Director – Lee SANG-WOO
Three emotionally damaged brothers must deal with the aftermath of their father
IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE
Norway, 2014
Texas Premiere, 115 min
Director – Hans Petter Moland
The director and star of A SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN team up once again and the result is a brutal and darkly funny tale of snow, giant machinery and revenge.
JOHN WICK
United States, 2014
Gala Screening, 96 min
Directors – David Leitch and Chad Stahelski
An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him. With New York City as his bullet-riddled playground, JOHN WICK (Keanu Reeves) is a fresh and stylized take on the “assassin genre”. JOHN WICK opens nationwide on October 24, 2014.
MAN FROM RENO (RINO KARA KITA OTOKO)
Japan-United States, 2014
Austin Premiere, 111 min
Director – Dave Boyle
A Japanese crime novelist in San Francisco tries to unravel a real life murder mystery in this acclaimed neo-noir featuring Takashi Miike regular Kazuki Kitamura.
NECROPHOBIA 3D
Argentina, 2014
North American Premiere, 75 min
Director – Daniel De la Vega
A mentally fragile man must conquer his fear of death in order to stave off a killer’s advances.
NIGHTCRAWLER
United States, 2014
US Premiere, 117 min
Director – Dan Gilroy
NIGHTCRAWLER is a pulse-pounding thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Aided by Rene Russo as Nina, a veteran of the blood-sport that is local TV news, Lou blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.Nightcrawler opens nationwide on October 31st.
OVER YOUR DEAD BODY (KUIME)
Japan, 2014
US Premiere, 90 min
Director – Takashi Miike
This adaptation of a classic ghost story is a powerful return to horror for Takashi Miike.
PURGATORY
Spain, 2014
World Premiere, 83 min
Director – Pau Teixidor
A woman must survive the night after she welcomes a neighbor’s child into her home.
REALITI
New Zealand, 2014
North American Premiere, 95 min
Director – Jonathon King
A time-warping drug leaves a young media exec caught up in a criminal case while questioning the very nature of existence and reality.
REDEEMER
Chile, 2014
World Premiere, 88 min
Director – Ernesto Díaz Espinosa
In order to atone for his past sins, he’ll not only kick your ass, he’ll impale your face and shred you to bits. Marko Zaror is the Redeemer!
SPRING
US, 2014
US Premiere, 105 min
Directors – Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
After the death of his mother and a bar altercation that could mean jail time, Evan leaves California for Italy, where he falls for a mysterious young woman.
THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA
Japan, 2014
US Premiere, 137 min
Director – Isao Takahata
A breathtakingly animated tale of a woman, the men who want to control her, and the moon. The latest from Studio Ghibli.
TOKYO TRIBE
Japan, 2014
US Premiere, 116 min
Director – Sion Sono
Festival favorite Sion Sono returns with an exercise in brash, colorful chaos pitting street gangs against one another in a bold hip hop musical.
THE TREATMENT
Belgium, 2014
US Premiere, 127 min
Director – Hans Herbots
A police inspector with a dark past leads an increasingly personal manhunt when a nine-year-old child goes missing.
WHISPERS BEHIND THE WALL
Germany, 2013
North American Premiere, 90 min
Director – Grzegorz Muskala
A naive young man falls for his beautiful-and very dangerous-landlord in this depraved voyeuristic thriller.