[Fantasia 2025] Five Films We're Stoked to Check Out at Fantasia 2025

With summer comes a bevy of treasured sights, sounds, feelings, and events. The soft smell of sunscreen, warm nights, lazy days by mesmerizing bodies of water, and traveling to exciting locales all hold precious value. Along with these seasonal classics, summer also brings the treasure that is the Fantasia International Film Festival.

Now in its 29th year, Fantasia remains a premier showcase for boundary-pushing genre filmmaking, where horror, sci-fi, fantasy, thriller, and animation collide in electrifying premieres and curated screening presentations. Based in Montreal, Quebec, Fantasia runs from July 16 to August 3, 2025, and will feature hundreds of feature and short films, each carefully selected to challenge and celebrate the ever-evolving horizon of genre cinema. With the full lineup now revealed and the festivities about to begin, here are five titles I can’t wait to experience at Fantasia 2025.

INFLUENCERS

While there are many times when newly announced sequels are met with hesitation or exasperated eye rolls, news of a follow-up to Kurtis David Harder’s 2022 film INFLUENCER proved to be an exception to the rule. Unexpected and welcome, INFLUENCERS picks up with CW (Cassandra Naud, SNOWPIERCER) after she was last seen marooned on a remote Thai island. Now overlooking the glistening Mediterranean, CW is head‑over‑heels for her girlfriend Diane (Lisa Delamar, SURVIVE), and the pair have decamped for a romantic weekend to celebrate their first anniversary. But paradise proves elusive when popular British influencer Charlotte (Georgina Campbell, BARBARIAN) barges into their idyll. As Charlotte’s relentless intrusion tests CW’s famously thin veneer of decorum, old patterns of obsession and revenge threaten to reawaken. 

In INFLUENCER, Cassandra Naud delivered a killer performance as CW, and as such, a truly original, unnerving and intriguing modern horror villain was born. Her story was one filled with twists and turns, and the Thailand backdrop where the movie was filmed was breathtaking to say the least. Now, with a new beautiful location and a few years since our last interaction with CW, I can’t wait to see what this new cinematic outing with her will bring.

THE UNDERTONE

I’m always going to be a sucker for a horror movie that has some sort of eerie auditory element at the core of its narrative. This is just a fact. Because of this, there is no way that director Ian Tuason’s debut film THE UNDERTONE wasn’t going to be on this list. 

The movie centers on Evy (Nina Kiri, THE HANDMAID’S TALE), a podcaster whose mother has returned home from hospice, requiring a considerable amount of patience and support. While co-hosting her paranormal podcast, The Undertone, ten anonymous audio files surface that capture the eerie bedtime rituals of Mike and his partner, Jessa. What begins as a harmless experiment on‑air quickly spirals into something far more sinister. Nursery rhymes twisted into incantations, bizarre background noises, and unsettling drawings discovered at home all blur the line between Evy’s waking world and the uncanny horrors she and her co-host Justin unearth.

KAZAKH SCARY TALES

Look, I’m nothing if not predictable, and if a horror movie has elements of witchcraft, police procedurals, and remote locations, I’m going to watch it. And seemingly, this is the exact combination of elements that esteemed Kazakh filmmaker Adilkhan Yerzhanov (STEPPENWOLF) is delivering with his latest movie (initially conceived as a streaming anthology that was apparently too intense for test audiences), KAZAKH SCARY TALES. 

In the movie, a routine assignment turns into a descent into legend when Birzhan (Kuantai Abdimadi), a hardened detective, arrives in the secluded village of Karatas to investigate a string of horrifying infant deaths at the local maternity ward. What begins as a straightforward homicide case soon unravels into something far more uncanny. Frustrated by the official indifference of the rural police force, Birzhan reluctantly teams up with Sara (Anna Starchenko), a rogue seer whose colorful criminal record is matched only by her ability to read the unseen. Together, they follow a trail of superstition and clues that blend forensic procedure with folkloric ritual and find that some ghosts won’t rest until justice is served.

STUNTMAN (Mou Tai Dou)

I recently went down a bit of a rabbit hole and watched all of Jackie Chan’s classic POLICE STORY films. Absolutely amazing and incredibly entertaining, the films highlight Chan’s immense charisma and talent as an actor, as well as his skills as a martial artist, stuntman, and fight choreographer. However, the most fascinating parts of these films are the end credits. As lists of names roll through, clips of bloopers and stunts-gone-wrong play out, highlighting the shocking dangers that were inherent in high-action films like these at the time. Because of this, I am highly intrigued by the set-up and story for Albert Leung Koon-Yiu and Herbert Leung Koon-Shun's debut film, STUNTMAN. 

Once a legend of Hong Kong’s Golden Age action scene, Sam, renowned for his death‑defying stunts and “crew‑be‑damned” ethos, is now a relic, his reputation tarnished by decades of near‑fatal mayhem. When an old friend offers him a comeback as action director on a high‑stakes bank‑heist film, Sam clashes head‑on with his protégé‑turned‑star Wai, who champions meticulous safety over spectacle. As production teeters between investors’ demands for a heart‑pounding finale and the team’s desire for pulse‑racing authenticity, the veteran risk‑taker and careful craftsman must find common ground or watch the project implode.

TOGETHER

As a dedicated fan of COMMUNITY, I make a point to check out anything Alison Brie does while I patiently await the movie part of the classic “six seasons and a movie” bit. Lucky for me, I’ve pretty much loved everything she’s been involved with post-playing Annie. Even more lucky for me, Brie seems to have a soft spot for genre fare. Seemingly aligning with multiple areas of my own personal interests, TOGETHER is a no-brainer that I immediately placed on my Fantasia watchlist. 

In the movie, Millie (Alison Brie) and Tim (Dave Franco) have spent a decade in an on‑again, off‑again relationship that’s teetering on the brink when Millie lands a teaching gig far from the city grind and every familiar face they know. But the forest holds a sinister secret: an unseen force that, even as the couple’s anxieties pull them apart, begins to fuse their bodies in grotesque, flesh‑woven ways. Written and directed by Michael Shanks, TOGETHER supposedly explores ideas of body horror and relationship drama. Married in real life, Brie and Franco have a genuine chemistry that I can only imagine strengthens the story and the more dramatic parts of this film. Having received some interesting buzz, I can’t wait to check out this bad boy for myself.

Bonus films I'm looking forward to checking out:

• THE VIRGIN OF THE QUARRY LAKE

• QUEENS OF THE DEAD

• HOLY NIGHT: DEMON HUNTERS

• EVERY HEAVY THING

• HI-FIVE