Fantastic Fest 2023 Curtain Raiser: Most Anticipated Films

Fantastic Fest 2023 takes place in Austin, TX from September 21st to the 28th and here are our most anticipated films that will be playing during the festival.

Fantastic Fest 2023 Curtain Raiser: Most Anticipated Films

Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the US, championing challenging and thought-provoking cinema while celebrating new voices and new stories from filmmakers around the world. They collaborate with other festivals, archives, cinematheques, and individuals to spotlight lesser-known film regions and luminaries in an ongoing effort to expand the general knowledge and appreciation of cinema. 

Here are our most anticipated films of Fantastic Fest 2023.

Bark

Nolan Bentley seems like a nice enough guy caught in a terrible situation after he wakes up one morning tied to a tree, hands behind his back, with neither water nor food at his disposal. After suffering starvation and hunger for a few days, a passing outdoorsman pitches a tent right next to him and strikes up a conversation.

As their discussion progresses, it becomes clear to Nolan that the man has no intention of saving him. What’s unclear, though, are his reasons for choosing not to intervene.

The Creator

From director/co-writer Gareth Edwards comes an epic sci-fi action thriller set amidst a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence. Joshua, a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife, is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war…and mankind itself.

Joshua and his team of elite operatives journey across enemy lines, into the dark heart of AI-occupied territory, only to discover the world-ending weapon he’s been instructed to destroy is an AI in the form of a young child.

Fantastic Fest 2023 most anticipated films continued…

The Fall of the House Of Usher (Limited Series)

In this wicked series based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, ruthless siblings Roderick and Madeline Usher have built Fortunato Pharmaceuticals into an empire of wealth, privilege and power. But past secrets come to light when the heirs to the Usher dynasty start dying at the hands of a mysterious woman from their youth. (NETFLIX)

Falling Stars

Each year, on a fateful night in late October, witches use the darkness as cover to descend to earth to harvest those caught outside without protection. The authorities have put a curfew in place to limit the disappearances. Despite the warnings, three brothers leave the house to see the body of a witch, shot down by a friend who buried her in the desert.

After confirming the very strict rules about how to behave around the body, the friend and the brothers unearth the witch. But when the youngest brother accidentally desecrates the corpse, he triggers a chain reaction that endangers his closest loved ones. Now, no one is safe from the Harvest.

Fantastic Fest 2023 most anticipated films continued…

The Last Video Store

Kevin is the owner and sole employee of Blaster Video, Canada’s last video store. Nyla, the daughter of his most loyal customer, not only returns her father’s rentals two weeks late without the courtesy of a rewind, but she also unwittingly unleashes the video necronomicon, a cursed VHS tape imbued with the power to bring any movie character to life in the real world.

Now Kevin and Nyla are trapped in Blaster Video, thrown into a fight for their lives against a formidable variety of B-movie foes, including Castor, the legendary hockey goalie turned supernatural thriller killer from the BEAVER LAKE MASSACRE franchise, and Jackson Viper, a horny, go-it-alone, overly emotional rogue detective who, sprung straight from the clearance bin, looks for payback after Kevin deems his latest action movie a flop.

The People’s Joker

If you think you know the story of Batman’s arch-nemesis, think again. Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime takes the superhero movie hostage to clear up some misconceptions. First, Batman is not the hero we need but a corporate branding megalomaniac, and second, the Joker is a trans woman trying to liberate comedy from tech giant overlords.

If this sounds like it’s not officially sanctioned, you’d be a perfect candidate for the Penguin and Joker’s anti-comedy troupe. THE PEOPLE’S JOKER is a rebellious, copyright-pushing ode to the Harlequin of Hate. Satire, of course, if any Queebso content police are poking around.

Fantastic Fest 2023 most anticipated films continued…

Pet Sematary: Bloodlines

In 1969, a young Jud Crandall has dreams of leaving his hometown of Ludlow, Maine behind, but soon discovers sinister secrets buried within and is forced to confront a dark family history that will forever keep him connected to Ludlow. Banding together, Jud and his childhood friends must fight an ancient evil that has gripped Ludlow since its founding, and once unearthed has the power to destroy everything in its path.

Based on the untold chapter from “Pet Sematary,” Stephen King’s chilling novel, PET SEMATARY: BLOODLINES is a terrifying prequel and the story of why sometimes dead is better….

There’s Something In The Barn

After inheriting his Uncle’s estate in Norway, Bill and his family move into their new home with the dream of turning the property into a bed and breakfast. As the family adapts to their new Scandinavian lifestyle, Bill’s son Lucas discovers an ancient elf living in the adjoining barn.

There are rules to keep the barn elf happy, and Lucas does his best to follow them. But after Bill ignores Lucas’ warnings and plans a Christmas party in the barn, the elf plots to get rid of the intruders at any cost.

Fantastic Fest 2023 most anticipated films continued…

The Toxic Avenger

A horrible toxic accident transforms downtrodden janitor Winston Gooze into a new evolution of hero: THE TOXIC AVENGER! Now wielding a glowing mop with super-human strength, he must race against time to save his son and stop a ruthless and power-hungry tyrant bent on harnessing toxic superpowers to strengthen his polluted empire. (LEGENDARY)

We Are Zombies

Set in a city populated by the living-impaired (the non-cannibalistic zombies, mind you), we follow a group of slacker buddies (Derek Johns, Alexandre Nachi, and Megan Peta Hill) who have concocted a totally foolproof plan to score money off the zombies — sorry, the living-impaired — by ripping off the super-evil Coleman Corporation, which is making money off the living-impaired by promising them a sweet retirement plan by collecting their decomposing bodies from their families for a fee.

Fantastic Fest 2023 most anticipated films continued…

When Evil Lurks

In a rural village, two brothers find a badly mutilated corpse next to a mysterious journal at the edge of their property. Determined to figure out the cause of death, the brothers uncover a local man harboring an evil spirit who has been waiting for a specialist to come and rid him of his demon.

Unfortunately, help hasn’t arrived speedily enough, and the demon is ready to possess its next victim. Thus begins a race against time and evil as the brothers and eventually the entire village are drawn into the chaotic, heart-pounding mission to save their families and hometown from this nightmare.

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NEXT: The Creator Director Gareth Edwards Reveals Inspirations