The 39th edition of Fantasy Filmfest is just around the corner (3.9 – 10.9. in Berlin) and if you haven't gotten a festival pass (I know I haven't!) the tickets for the movies will be available from August 22nd, that is next week. So it was about time to draw a roadmap to have an overview of the screenings and weed out those that will be shown regularly while highlighting those I will probably not have a chance to see somewhere else. The reason I didn't get a festival pass is (I know I announced I'd go full program, but changed my mind) that even though the FFF announces on its website that the rows for the pass owners are reserved for them, there are a lot of pass owners who fill empty seats with their backpacks and coats and other stuff, and there's nothing more terrifying for an introvert to walk around the room, ask if the seat is empty and if yes, could they please put their stuff away, (possibly endure a side eye or two) and then sit next to that person you just reprimanded for the next two hours. So for me, it's preferable to buy a seat that's assigned to me and I don't have to beg for others to make space for me, and everything is fine. And yeah, I need to pay more for that, but that's OK.
Let's take a look at this year's movies that went through the Protean Depravity filter and that I'd like to see at this year's Fantasy Filmfest (in the order of showings).
Good Boy (USA 2025) - 03.09. 19.30h
The opening film about a dog who can sense supernatural forces, is a film I'm on the fence with, to be frank. Not because I'm not interested, but rather because I think this might have a theatrical opening later on and taking the dog's point of view for a haunted house story sounds frustrating and emotional to me, and I'm not very much in the mood for that right now. I wouldn't reject them if I actually were able to get tickets, though.
Omniscient Reader: the Prophecy (South Korea 2025) - 03.09.21.30h
An office worker whose favorite novel comes true and they have the power to change the fate of the world with their knowledge of the book? Sounds like I am the target audience for this movie, very much so. Although it sounds more fantasy than horror, I'll make an effort to get a ticket for this one.
Odyssey (UK 2025) 04.09. 15.45h
According to the official imdb description the protagonist is "a coke-fueled London estate agent" and she gets dragged into the London underworld, which sounds like could be lots of fun, but also lots of over the top. That in itself is an accurate description of UK cinema in general, hot and cold, sometimes they really produce rubbish and one can only hope this here is a hit.
Roqia (Algeria, France, Qatar, UAE 2025) 04.09. 18.00h
Imagine you have an accident and suffer memory loss as well as need to be in a face bandage as pictured above. I think this mummy-reminiscent kind of bandaging conveys a powerful horror; who is underneath? Is it the same person as before? Is there anyone at all underneath? I'm actually very excited about this movie.
The Toxic Avenger (USA 2023) 04.09. 20.15h
I'm a fan of Troma Entertainment, and the original Toxic Avenger is among my favorites. So, of course I'm curious about Peter Dinklage in the role of the bullied janitor Winston Gooze and whether or not the remake is able to preserve some of the original silliness. Depending on the availability of tickets, I think I still might skip this though, because it is almost 100 percent sure that it will have theatrical release soon, although I think the people at the Fantasy Filmfest would be the right audience to watch this movie with.
We Bury the Dead (Australia 2024) 05.09. 20.00h
Again, another missing person story. This time it's a woman whose husband went missing in the course of a military experiment and her joining a unit to find the bodies in the aftermath, only to find out that some of the "bodies" are actually still alive.
Her Will Be Done (Poland 2025) 06.09 22.00h
DFFB and Filmuniversität Babelsberg Shorties 06.09. 11.00 h
Well, this is fun! Short films by film students. It's interesting to see that many movies that are produced later on are either based on, or an elaborate version of short movies made by their directors when they were students, so there may be some hidden gems here and with FFF, you know the curation will be impeccable.
Slanted (USA 2025) 06.09. 13.30
A Chinese-American teenager undergoes experimental surgery to appear white in the hope of becoming the prom queen. This theme of body horror through beauty procedures is a trend that has been going on for quite a while now especially horror literature, especially by Asian women authors such as Ling Ling Huang or Jade Song. It has been exploding in cinema too ever since Coralie Fargeat's The Substance. So not surprised to see more of this coming our way, which is good.
Man Finds Tape (USA 2025) 06.09 15.45
Produced by the legendary Benson & Moorhead duo, this movie about found footage tapes revealing a disturbing secret is, of course, something I will not miss.
L'Accident de piano/The Piano Accident (France 2025) 06.09. 19.00h
I think the last time I really, sincerely, heartily laughed was in the winter of 2024, when I watched French filmmaker Quentin Dupieux's Daaaaaali. If there's a chance his new movie is only close to that one in comedy, I'm in. It's about a famous social media influencer who retreats to a cabin in the mountains after an accident and features my celebrity crush, Karim Leklou.
Get Shorty 07.09. 13.45h
As I mentioned above, the short film selections of FFF are nearly impeccable, and I didn't even look at the descriptions, because I want to go in clueless and let myself be surprised.
8-ban deguchi / Exit 8 (Japan 2025) 07.09.18.15h
Stories that follow people lost in some maze-like construction almost always roll out a carpet of interesting possibilities, and some of them go to strange places. I have high hopes for this one as Japanese cinema tends to have an extreme edge and I like the stills so far.
Le Roi Soleil / No One Will Know (France 2025) 07.09. 20.30h"A man realizes he has a winning lottery ticket only to be shot in a crime that needs to be quickly covered up", doesn't sound very wild, to be honest, but you never know, usually the best stories come out of the simplest and most unspectacular concepts.
Sweetness (Canada 2025) 08.09. 17.15
Sweetness sounds like a modern day "Misery" and "Der Fan" crossover with a fangirl of 16 year trying to help her drug addict rock star idol by kidnapping him.
Welcome Home Baby (Austria/ Germany 2025) 08.09. 19.30h
Never has there been an Austrian horror film which was not deeply disturbing, so I would have skipped this, had it been an only German production, but it becomes interesting through the Austrian element. An emergency doctor inherits a house from her family which sends her into a confrontation with her past. Sounds intense.
I have no idea what awaits me, I am familiar with some names that star, and the plot of a professor forcing his gardener to take vengeance for his dead mother sounds like it could make a good thriller.
Other (France/Belgium 2025) 10.09 14.00h
The Home (Hemmet) (Sweden 2025) 10.09. 16.15h
Awww, this film is based on The Home, a book from my friend, Swedish horror author and awesome horror person, Mats (Strandberg)! He even got the writing credits! I used to sell this book when I was working at the Otherland, so there's no way I'll miss this, I'm so happy for Mats that many of his novels are being filmed right now (last it was Konferensen, I'm still waiting for Blood Cruise to come!)
Haipaibeu/Hi-Five (South Korea 2025) 10.09. 20.30h
Last but not least, a super hero movie, about five people who received various organs from a superpowered person and in consequence developed superpowers themselves, fighting against evil powers. I think it's a fun idea to close the festival on a maybe a little lighter note (compared to other stuff) and a superhero movie.
The "Vorfreude" is kicking in, my friends, this looks like a lot of good movies at once, and honestly, I can't wait!
There's also some kind of Final Girls Berlin screenings on September 3rd and 4th, I unfortunately lost the info and can't find it anytwhere online, but I'll let you know as soon as I find out, plus, of course, at the swampfest, later into September. See you there!
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