5 films we can't wait to watch at Fantasia Film Festival 2026

This year is a big one for the Fantasia Film Festival. It's the festival's 30th anniversary, and this year's edition, which runs from July 16-Aug 2 in Montreal, will screen over 125 features and 200 shorts. There's certainly plenty to look forward to. Here are five films that we're most excited to see.

Ancestral Beasts

Ancestral Beasts is an indigenous psychological horror movie directed by Tim Riedel, a Metis filmmaker from the Red River region in Manitoba. Here's the film's synopsis: after cutting ties with her toxic sister, Elyse (Morgan Holmstrom) retreats to her rural ancestral home. Once there, she attempts to rebuild and focus on her mental health. However, a grotesque, centipede-like creature begins to stalk her, and the monster is a physical manifestation of her trauma that feeds upon her emotional turmoil. If she's going to save herself, Elyse must confront her past.

The film was developed with Indigenous Elders, knowledge keepers, and trauma-informed experts. It's also based, in part, on Riedel's own lived experiences. His mother was a Sixties Scoop survivor and diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Ancestral Beasts will screen at Fantasia on Wednesday, July 22 and then again on Tuesday, July 28.

Corpus

Corpus is the feature debut of Corrin Evans. She also co-wrote and produced the film, alongside Lily Cowels, who also stars. The movie follows Sayo, a photographer and drug dealer in 90s New York City. After an invite to a party, Sayo, along with his long-time friend, Vince and their mutual friend Ross, drive to a remote manor in hopes of some old-fashioned summer debauchery. However, they soon realize this isn't a typical New York City party.

Besides Cowels, the movie stars Jeff Wahlberg (Euphoria), Brodie Townsend (Heartbreak High), Michael Vlamis (Pools), Nuha Jes Izman (Yellowjackets), and Ching Valdes-Aran (The Equalizer). The movie promises creepy and erotic elements, along with an aesthetic that captures 90s nightclub culture.

Corpus will screen on Sunday July 26 and then again on Monday, July 27.

The Last Temptation of Becky

Who isn't excited to see Lulu Wilson reprise her role as Becky for a third film and kick some Nazi ass? This time, Fantasia alum Jenn Wexler (The Ranger, The Sacrifice Game), is handling directing duties, so that's another reason we're hyped about this movie. In this third film, Becky is recruited by the CIA for its undercover operations. She also has to face off against the latest Nazi big bad, General Wilhelm Reuss, played by Neil Patrick Harris. He wants to create the Fourth Reich. It's up to Becky to take him down and kick butt in the process. This movie is likely to deliver plenty of gore, action, and thrills.

The Wrath of Becky will screen on Saturday, July 25.

Nightborn

Hanna Bergholm (Hatching) returns with her second feature, the dark family fable Nightborn. Saga (Seidi Haaria) and her British husband, Jon (Rupert Grint, of Harry Potter fame), are starting a family. They decide to migrate from the U.K. to Finland and move into a semi-dilapidated house, deep in the forest, where Saga grew up. Overtaken by energies in the woods, the couple makes love and Saga becomes pregnant. When the baby is born, however, it arrives with an unsettling wail and an uncanny hairy back. It also won't eat or sleep and generally behaves badly. Others blame Saga and accuse her of being a bad mother to a baby that increasingly becomes troll-like in its appearance. This also negatively impacts her marriage to Jon.

Hatching was a stellar feature debut, and Bergholm's Nightborn sounds equally as good. The movie will screen on Wednesday, July 22 before it hits Shudder on July 31.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow, We're All Going to the World's Fair) returns with a third feature, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. The movie stars Hannah Einbinder as Kris, a director obsessed with rebooting the slasher franchise Camp Miasma. She especially wants to cast the final girl of the first film, Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson). However, Kris' obsession with the franchise and Billy specifically turns into psychosexual infatuation. This film has one heck of a cast, and Schoenbrun is one of the most exciting genre directors working right now. This film is an absolute must-see.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma will screen Friday, July 17.

To purchase tickets and to access the full schedule of films, visit Fantasia's website.