We’re Gonna Haul Ass To Fantasia Film Festival 2026!
When it comes to the world of film, summer is supposed to be the end-all, be-all season. Studios prepare a litany of blockbusters for release. They cram the biggest stars, the biggest effects, and the biggest runtimes, into a package designed to be the most elite level of spectacle imaginable. Yet, in the heart of July, Montreal explodes into a massive genre film festival, whose films are often so much better than what Hollywood has on offer. I'm talking about the Fantasia Film Festival.
If you're one of the uninitiated out there, Fantasia is the world's biggest genre film festival, showcasing films from all over the world. The two-week event is jam-packed with World, International, and North American premieres, while also highlighting career retrospectives of auteurs and the latest in groundbreaking restorations of genre classics.
To be honest, there's absolutely too much on offer to fit into one article, think of this as a primer. Both to get excited for what the festival has on offer, along with jotting down a few titles to keep an eye on, over the next couple of months.
Machi Xcelsior Studios
KUNG FU
Sometimes the simplest title is all it takes to get you hooked on a film. That's the case with director Giddens Ko's (MON MON MONSTERS) latest film, KUNG FU. Adapted from his own novel of the same name, the film focuses on an aging and invincible martial arts master, who takes two unlikely young disciples under his tutelage, to protect the world in the future. Unfortunately, unfinished business from the master's past, centuries ago, threatens to unleash unstoppable havoc upon the world.
Beyond the above plot, what sets KUNG FU apart from other films of its ilk, is that this is the first martial arts fantasy film from Taiwan in over 40 years. With that kind of pressure and its spot at the festival, it seems like it's a hit just waiting to be discovered.
Kadokawa
CAPTURED!
Every year the world of film is unexpectedly taken over by a trend that ends up shaping in new ways, for a handful of years. In 2026, that trend belongs to YouTubers taking over the box office and attention of filmgoers everywhere. IRON LUNG. OBSESSION. BACKROOMS. To try and mitigate the effect they've had on movies already, would be a foolish endeavor. So it makes sense to highlight a film from another YouTuber that's about to hit the scene.
Japanese director Koichi blends horror, comedy, and a coming-of-age tale and pairs it with two things the world hates and loves: vlogs and hauntings. CAPTURED! (yes, the exclamation point is part of the title) follows a student, who finds herself at a crossroads as she may have to drop out of school to join the workforce and help her mother make ends meet. Wanting to make a name for herself in the digital age, she starts a vlog and with the help of her best friend, decides to fake a haunting at an abandoned building. And wouldn't you know it, their actions put them in the crosshairs of an evil and benevolent entity.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Oh, and yes. Who doesn't like when people unintentionally put themselves in harm's way, all because they wanted quick fame on social media?
RT Features/ Blue Finch Films Releasing
BOWELS OF HELL
Now listen, yes that title seems ominous, but here's the thing....it's in reference to a bathroom. Ok, maybe that didn't make things better, but when it comes to the world of film festivals, if something is marketed as truly unique and grotesque, you sit up and take notice. That's what happened when people checked out last year's excellent Flush and it looks like it will continue with this year's BOWELS OF HELL.
I'm not even going to spin this one, so here's the official synopsis:
"The plot revolves around Malu, who is organising a gender-reveal party for a pregnant influencer – while dealing with her own grief, her persistent constipation problems and her adolescent transgender child (who disapproves of her job commission). At the condominium where Malu lives, some strange phenomena are unleashed in the home’s most private zone: the bathroom."
It's supposed to tackle parenting, social media, spirituality, constipation, trauma, ecology and disability. If that isn't intriguing, I'm not sure what is.
Buddha-Cowboy Productions/ Handshake Partners
LOS VAMPIRES
With the sheer number of biopics and "based on a true story" films that exist centered on cinema's history, you'd think the well would have run dry by now. Yet then something like LOS VAMPIRES comes along to get you all excited again.
Picture this, a Spanish actor is hired to play the lead in a vampire film. The twist is that his film, which shoots at night, is the spanish language take on the English-language version film that's shooting during the day. Of course, this was the case with George Melford's DRACULA, which used the same sets as Tod Browning's DRACULA, shooting in the evening. Craig Mitchell's LOS VAMPIRES doesn't focus on the directors though, instead putting the lead actors front and center, covering a fictionalized version of the making of both films. As the two actors form a rivalry, a string of murders occurs around and on the various sets.
Films about the making of films are great. Films about rivalries are even better. A film that marries the two of them, with a satirical and loving eye on old Hollywood sounds like something truly special.
Kadokawa
TOKYO BURST: CRIME CITY
Spend a little time on the Internet or around a multiplex and you're sure to hear people moan about "franchise fatigue." Though that can be a problem with sequels, prequels, and requels that no one asked for, it largely seems to be a Hollywood issue. Look across the pond or to the Far East and you'll see countries that know how to do a series the right way. Case in point, TOKYO BURST: CRIME CITY.
Here's the rundown, before we get to the good part:
"Rookie detective Aiba (Sota Fukushi, BLEACH), a native of Tokyo’s red-light district (with all the attitude and methods that entails), must team up with Cho (Uhm Ki-joon, MAN OF VENDETTA), a counterpart from Seoul with equally questionable practices, to track down a dangerous criminal spreading terror across Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. While the relationship between the two investigators is frosty at first, they’ll have to learn to work together quickly in the face of such a formidable adversary."
Now, if your spidey-sense was tingling at the prospect of a "buddy-cop" type film that delves into some dark subject matter, pat yourself on the back. TOKYO BURST is a Japanese spin-off from the fantastic THE ROUNDUP franchise, which stars Don Lee. There isn't a word on if he makes a cameo in the film (he may, as the man has a history of doing that in other films), but the movie does feature a fan-favorite "criminal" tying the worlds together.
Quiver Distribution
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF BECKY
Speaking of unexpected franchises, there might not be a more plucky or weirdly refreshing spat of recent films, than the world of BECKY.
Her latest adventure, that's sure to end in buckets of blood, sees Becky (Lulu Wilson) now working as a CIA field agent. Her mission has her tasked with infiltrating a family in Poland running a tourist destination out of Hitler's WWII bunker. Wouldn't you know it, there are Nazis involved and the head of the family (Neil Patrick Harris) is hellbent on bringing about the rise of the 4th Reich.
In addition to Harris, the cast also has indie stalwarts James Urbaniak and Kate Siegel, while Jen Wexler is stepping behind the camera. This is sure to be a messy, campy, and somewhat cathartic blast, and you can't beat that combo.
Here's the great thing, as awesome as all those films sound, it's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Fantasia Film Festival's lineup. There are dozens and dozens of films to pore over and get excited about. Making things even more special is that the festival is celebrating its 30th edition this year!
Be sure to check out https://fantasiafestival.com/en for the full lineup and events. Then be sure to keep your eyes peeled to Neon Splatter for reviews from the festival over the next couple of weeks!
The Fantasia Film Festival runs from July 16 - August 2nd, 2026.
