It’s that time of the year again, and I, for one, could not be more excited. Fantasia International Film Festival 2025 kicks off on July 16th and, like usual, they’ve got a great selection of films to check out. It’s a decidedly more independent group of films this year, but that’s just how the horror genre has been going in 2025. Our Editor-in-Chief Chris Bumbray already checked out Together earlier this year at Sundance (read his review HERE), so while that’s not on this list, it’s definitely one of my most anticipated of the entire summer. If you’re attending the festival in person, you’re going to want to check all of these out. And if you’re not, you’re going to want to take note of these, as they’ll release throughout the rest of 2025 (and sometimes beyond) and often prove to be amongst horror’s best of the year.
You can check out the full lineup here. Let us know if you think we’re missing something that we should make sure to add to our viewing lineup. Let’s get started!
I Live Here Now
All I really had to hear about this film was that it’s “Very Lynchian” in order to pique my interest. But also having Sheryl Lee’s involvement even further leans into that. The film follows “a woman trapped in a remote hotel room, where the violent echoes of her past come alive, blurring the lines between her darkest nightmares and the waking world.“
Queens of the Dead
It’ll be interesting to see whether Tina Romero is able to present zombies in an interesting way like her father did for decades. With a cast that includes Katy O’Brien and Riki Lindholme, she certainly has my attention. While this looks to be much more comedy than anything George A Romero did, it’s clear Tina is trying to establish her own legacy while paying homage to her father. And the inclusion of drag queens getting attacked during a zombie outbreak is ripe for plenty of social commentary, which is always a Romero staple.
Good Boy
A horror movie where a dog is the hero and saves the day? Sign me up! Add in genre staple Larry Fessenden, and this one is near the top of my most anticipated at Fantasia. The buzz has been great for this one, and I always love a horror twist on a subject that often finds itself in much lighter genres.
All You Need Is Kill
The anime version of the manga that Tom Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow is based on is intriguing even to someone who doesn’t tend to watch a lot of anime. But the story is so good, with its time-looping elements, that it’s easy to get excited to see where all of this came from. It looks extremely colorful, and the animation is very dynamic. Can’t wait to see how different the story is from the Liman version, and whether it works in animation.
Mother of Flies
The Adams Family has quickly become one of my favorite teams of indie filmmakers, and they always bring something fresh and interesting to Fantasia. From Hellbender to Hell Hole, they always provide intense visuals and an incredible score, so I’m very curious to see what they come up with here. The film follows “a young woman facing a deadly diagnosis, who seeks dark magic from a witch in the woods – but every cure has costs.“
What films are YOU looking forward to at Fantasia? Let us know in the comments!
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