Fantasia International Film Festival is always a highlight of the summer for the horror side of JoBlo. We’re always treated to films that absolutely blow us away. The 2024 edition of Fantasia is wrapping up this weekend and there were plenty of wonderful entries throughout the festival. While not all of them panned out (I’m sadly looking at you Witchboard), there were several that are likely to remain among the year’s best. If they release this year, that is. So let’s break down some of the best that Fantasia had to offer. If you’re interested in more information, each title has been reviewed.
Bookworm
Elijah Wood stars in this fantastic story about a distant father taking his daughter on an adventure to help better their position in life. It gets dark at points but otherwise has that great Goonies tone, where you just want to crawl into the screen and join in on the fun. This fits in with other great New Zealand cinema like Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Boy. While this is pretty far from horror, it’s still a great film that will make you feel like a kid again.
Cuckoo
One of the year’s most anticipated proved to be one of the best. Following a girl and her family as they move to the German mountains for her dad’s work, strange occurrences start happening. Delightfully weird and mysterious, Cuckoo is further proof that Hunter Schafer is an actress to keep an eye on. She really carries the film, although Dan Stevens’ performance is delightfully wacky. While I predict this movies weirdness causing division, I was 100% on board for it. I can’t wait to see what others think of it when it releases on August 8th.
Hell Hole
Easily my favorite of the Adams Family filmography, Hell Hole is so much fun from start to finish. Following an American fracking crew in Serbia, they dig up a long hibernating monster. The monster is parasitic in nature and transfers from body to body in very gory ways. Intensely violent with an energetic score, there are some really entertaining performances as the situation gets more and more dire.
The Beast Within
I think most of us have been curious as to what Kit Harrington would settle in doing post-Game of Thrones. And I’ve always felt like there are few better showcases for an actor than playing a werewolf. The inner turmoil and then intense physical change allows for a diverse performance. This follows a family in the English countryside who have a dark secret. The mother tries to shield the daughter from her father’s ways but curiosity gets the better of her and she seeks out answers. Filled with wonderful performances (with Caoilinn Springall being a particular highlight), this werewolf film has parallels with alcoholism, allowing it to blend fantasy with reality in a truthful way.
I can’t wait to see what films we have to look forward to at the 2025 edition. Which films are you most looking forward to? Will you try to see them in theaters? Let us know in the comments!
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