Here's What's Coming from Fantastic Fest 2025

The countdown is on for this year's Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, celebrating its 20th year from September 18–25, 2025 at the iconic Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. And guess what? In Love with Horror will be on the ground covering it all.

This year’s lineup is stacked with 45 world premieres, along with a slew of U.S., North American, and international premieres. The festival kicks off with Johannes Roberts’ Primate, starring Johnny Sequoyah and Oscar-winner Troy Kotsur, and wraps with Corin Hardy’s Whistle, a deadly spin on the Aztec death whistle legend that already has us shivering.

Haunted Heist (dir. Lil Rel Howery), World Premiere 

But that’s just the beginning. Horror heavy-hitters like Black Phone 2 (Blumhouse), Vicious (starring Dakota Fanning), and The Strangers: Chapter 2 are making their way to Austin. Plus, A24 is bringing the oddly-titled If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, featuring Conan O’Brien and Rose Byrne (yes, you read that right). For anthology lovers, Shudder and Bloody Disgusting will premiere V/H/S/Halloween on September 19 just in time to kick spooky season into high gear.

Fantastic Fest has always been more than just movies, and this year’s side events prove it. Expect medieval-themed drag shows, retro screenings in the Masters of Horror series, and the launch of Fantastic Pitches, a new initiative putting $100K behind emerging filmmakers. And, of course, the opening night party is shaping up to be a wild one, with Castle Rat bringing the energy.

Cruel Jaws (Bruno Mattei), Texas Premiere

For us, covering Fantastic Fest isn’t just about seeing the films first (though that’s a huge perk). It’s about connecting with the horror community, celebrating the weird and wonderful, and finding the next gem that horror fans will be talking about for months.

Stay tuned here and on our socials—we’ll be dropping first impressions, interviews, and daily highlights straight from Austin.

Here’s to a week of genre mayhem, blood-soaked premieres, and maybe a little chaos in the lobby bar. Fantastic Fest, we’re ready for you.