Freilichtbühne Weißensee continues its series of screenings of original films from the former east bloc, and there's a two-part mini series called NöNöNö that takes place on August 21 and 22, both 7pm, which follows female filmmakers from the Hungarian People's Republic and the German Democratic Republic or shows a short film selection by said directors: NöNöNö - Filmische Positionen in der VR Ungarn & der DDR (Teil 1) and NöNöNö - Filmische Positionen in der VR Ungarn & der DDR (Teil 2). I love the idea and it sounds so very interesting, can't wait for this.
This summer, the Creepy Crypt focuses on John Carpenter and his work (The Summer of Carpenter following last year's Summer of Craven in honor of Wes Craven), and I've mostly seen all of them, but there are two movies from the series I'd like to see on the big screen, namely They Live (August 8) and Village of the Damned (August 22nd).
Boulevard Noir, on the other hand, goes open air to show Memento this Sunday, at the ARTE Sommerkino Kulturforum... and thus ruins this screening for me. My general impression of open air screenings is that of a family picnic and people don't really hold back with loud laughs and chatting, and Memento is basically a masterpiece that's only really enjoyable when you give it your undivided attention. So although I really wanted to see Memento in the cinema I won't go there. The real interesting stuff comes in the fall, so no Boulevard Noir for me this summer. Just wanted to make that known, lol.
Fantasy Filmfest 2026 - Tickets available from August 21st on
It's that time of the year again - the Fantasy Filmfest! Flipping through this year's lineup, I realized that the festival makers curated lots of old classics (it being the 40th anniversary of the festival they felt like doing something special), so I sometimes don't necessarily want to see all of them. Thus, I sorted the program into two categories: those I definitely do want to see and those that I wouldn't mind seeing if I decide spontaneously, but I don't have to watch. I'll start with the optional selection:
A Chinese Ghost Story (China 1987)
A Chinese classic, a ghost story and a love story of a salesman trying to save the soul of the woman/ghost he falls in love with. I'm definitely drawn to watch it more than not, but if I'm too tired and I need to save my energy for other movies, than that's what I'll do.
Am I ready for a new Bonnie&Clyde? Another Mickey&Mallory? Meh, not really. Plus, this being a US production, it will probably be screened at some other occasion in the future.
I was very on the fence with this one, as a film adaptation of an underground comic does sound very much up my alley, but I have become cautious with definitions, and this one can go both ways. I think I'll wait to see it at the Creepy Crypt or its regular release.
Historical fiction is in very few cases attractive to me, so I have thrown both Motherwitch and The Ones Who Grieve into the "optional" section and I won't go out of my way to watch them.
And finally,
I have watched the trailer and I don't know, this felt somehow off? It sounds very young adult and flat and not very interesting, but hey, maybe it's not. I just won't be there to judge.
Let's now look at the Must-See section, these are the films I will try to see at any cost. Let's discuss the trailers!Chirudo/AnyMart (Japan 2026)
Oh boy, the trailer looks like a proper horror movie and I was expecting something half funny half dramatic like Convenience Store Woman or Clerks.
I tried to watch Yusuke Iwasaki's debut feature during the past Berlinale and failed to purchase tickets as it was inhumanely quickly sold out, so of course I'll be over the moon if I make it this time.
Sk+te’kmujue’katik/At the Place of Ghosts (Canada, Belgium 2025)
Oooh, this one looks so good. You have to love indigenous horror, I know I do, not only because of the motives and the completely different understanding of life, but also because I learn so much about the absolute atrocities that happened to people in Americas after the arrival of the Europeans. A whole different level of horror. I'm curious how this film treats this horror.
Alter Ego/The Better Me (France 2025)
The FFF always manages to find wonderfully silly and funny French films. Alter Ego/The Better Me being in that category of films, promises a good time. This story of a man convinced that his new next door neighbor is out to surpass him in everything he does, resorts to often over the top comedic devices, just look at this trailer. Delicieux.
Chugyeokja/The Chaser (South Korea 2008)
Don’t Look Now(UK Italy 1973)
Yeah, if you know my blog just a little, you will know how I love this movie. I even have written a comparative essay on Daphne Du Maurier's short story and Nicolas Roeg's film (and the film won!). And you know what? Even though I enjoy this movie so much, I have never ever seen it on the big screen and I'm very excited to do that.
Hex (Norway 2026)
This is the movie I have been foreshadowing above; Hope. An action packed creature feature about a world in which monsters exist? Sound like fun. Screening is on closing night.
Leviticus (Australia 2026) Opening FilmAnd on the other end of the festival, namely on the opening night, I can FINALLY see Leviticus, of which all the online horror community is talking. This Australian LGBTQ gem has such an interesting premise too - two young guys in love live in a backwards religious Australian small town and their love is being cursed during a conversion therapy session in which a shapeshifting monster is unleashed upon them, and what they should fear most, looks like who they love the most.
Honestly, this sounds so intense and it has already made it into various "Best of the Year" lists of horror people I follow, so I'm dying to see.
Another horror from my home wasn't on my bingo card and it doesn't look half bad either. So, I understand it's a story of a woman who gives birth to a creature but that's all I can guess from the trailer. I absolutely adore Hazar Ergüçlü, the lead actress, and I'm sure it's worth watching for her performance alone. Why the title "Mutter" though?
Nervous (South Korea, UK 2026)
There was unfortunately no trailer available yet for this movie, but the premise sounds very very interesting - a woman who suddenly is unable to hear the voices of men.
This might imply some really powerful metaphor and the description says psychothriller with body horror elements, so that's great. It might also have something to do with the movie being set in South Korea and the lead actress (and director) not being South Korean, so maybe there's also a cultural kind of alienation at play. But sometimes people make films just for the heck of it and I tend to interpret too much into stuff.
In any case, the last couple of years saw a surge in the use of body horror in movies with a feminist undertone or outright feminist message and it's always interesting to observe in what various ways this device is used.
I'm also a fan of the phonetic transcription of the English in the title.
A Gothic mansion and a very sick mother-son duo? Sounds like fun. I can't really read the short trailer, but this seems very kooky with two strong characters clashing. I'm a fan of weird mother-son duos in fiction, what comes to mind is Norma and Norman Bates, of course, but also Iris and Denis Rainbird in Midsomer Murders, and hopefully a new addition will be Mother and Son Grayson after watching this movie.
A scam to (literally) make a killing gets out of control when the crowdfunding organized by an indebted taxi driver who lies about his wife having cancer makes them a little too famous. I'm curious where this story will lead, plus I have never ever seen a movie from Kazakhstan, so this will be a first. I also love watching movies in which the original language is a Turkic language because I sometimes understand words, but not all.
The trailer suggests food and sickness, or a sort of pandemic expanding... The fact that French genre cinema has really taken it upon itself to dive into pandemics and their effects on society, is something I highly appreciate. I was talking about this with my friend Dorothy who was expressing how disappointed she is from the lack of interest of readers in books that deal with the outcomes of the COVID19 pandemic, but apparently not the French.
I quite like the trailer, the movie looks entertaining.
Le Vertige/Vertiginous (France 2026)
And finally the obligatory Quentin Dupieux film that can't be missed at any September Fantasy Filmfest! And I don't think I would have been interested if Le Vertige wasn't from him, because it looks like shot in the style of an animation in the SIMS-optic, logical when showcasing the life of people in a simulation. I'm sure this director can turn this into gold too.
Well, my friends, those were my Fantasy Filmfest 40th anniversary pre-reviews. There's lots to look forward to, I'm especially psyched about the many French movies (again), and also I'm really happy about lots of horror, but also quite a lot films to make you laugh. So yeah, very excited for September!
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