Twenty-year anniversary lineup unveiled by Fantastic Fest, showcasing highly anticipated sequels such as 'The Strangers: Chapter 2' and 'Black Phone 2', along with additional film premieres.
The 2025 Fantastic Fest, the largest genre film festival in the United States, is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary from September 18 to September 25, 2025, at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas.
This eight-day celebration of horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and action films promises an impressive lineup of feature films, special events, and premieres. The festival will showcase about 78 films, including 45 world premieres, 15 international and North American premieres, and 13 U.S. premieres.
The opening night world premiere is Paramount's "Primate," directed by Johannes Roberts and starring Johnny Sequoyah and Troy Kotsur. This vacation-gone-wrong horror film will be released theatrically on January 9, 2026. The closing night world premiere will be "Whistle," directed by Corin Hardy of "The Nun."
Among the notable premieres throughout the festival are Universal and Blumhouse's "Black Phone 2," Lionsgate's "The Strangers: Chapter 2," Stage 6 and ScreenGems' "Sisu: Road to Revenge," Paramount's "Vicious," Shudder's "Crazy Old Lady," the latest installment of V/H/S/Halloween, and two episodes of The Creep Tapes Season 2. The U.S. premieres of Neon's "Shelby Oaks" and "Sirât" will also be featured, as well as the Texas premiere of A24's "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You."
In addition to the film screenings, Fantastic Fest offers a variety of special events. These include networking events, panel discussions, parties, and a new pitch competition for independent filmmakers. Retrospective and short film packages will also be announced at a later date.
The festival's 20th anniversary edition is set to reinforce its position as the largest genre film festival in the U.S., with an unprecedented number of premieres and a broad range of genre films. The opening night party is hosted by Shudder and features live music by heavy metal band Castle Rat. The Goulish Book Fair is another event that forms part of Fantastic Fest.
Notably, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, the creator of Fantastic Fest, was acquired by Sony in 2024. The festival will also host a fundraiser for The Transgender Film Center, offering exclusive merch from Super Yaki.
For more information about the schedule, participating films, and special events, visit the Fantastic Fest official website.
The 2025 Fantastic Fest, a celebrated event for movies-and-tv centered on horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and action genres, offers an extensive lineup that includes numerous premieres, making it clear that this is a significant event in the entertainment industry. The festival presents a variety of special events, including networking opportunities, panel discussions, parties, and a new pitch competition, catering to both film enthusiasts and independent filmmakers.
