Fantastic Fest unleashes world premieres and horror sequels.
Fantastic Fest is pulling no punches for its 20th anniversary, unleashing its biggest lineup yet with 45 world premieres, 15 international and North American premieres, and 13 U.S. premieres. Among the most anticipated are the world premieres of Blumhouse’s Black Phone 2 and Lionsgate’s The Strangers – Chapter 2, two horror juggernauts certain to electrify audiences.
The festival runs September 18–25, 2025, at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas, and will bookend its celebration with Paramount Pictures’ Primate as the opening film and Shudder’s Whistle as the closing night feature.
Horror Heavyweights Dominate
Blumhouse returns to Fantastic Fest with Black Phone 2, the follow-up to its 2022 hit, promising another chilling descent into fear. Meanwhile, Lionsgate continues its reimagining of a modern horror classic with The Strangers – Chapter 2, keeping festival audiences on the edge of their seats.
“These two films alone are enough to make Fantastic Fest 2025 historic,” said Festival Director Lisa Dreyer. “But pairing them with dozens of additional world premieres and first looks makes this our most ambitious year yet.”
Other major studio premieres include Sony’s Sisu: Road to Revenge, Paramount’s Vicious from Bryan Bertino, Shudder’s V/H/S/Halloween, and two new episodes of The Creep Tapes Season 2. NEON brings the U.S. premiere of Shelby Oaks while A24 offers the Texas premiere of If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.
Fantastic Pitches and Industry Spotlight
A new initiative, Fantastic Pitches, will award $100,000 and a global distribution deal to one project pitched live during the festival. Industry veterans such as Matt Johnson (Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie) will serve on the jury.
An expanded jury lineup — featuring Patton Oswalt, Fred Durst, Ottessa Moshfegh, and top producers from Lionsgate, Square Peg, and Ghost House Pictures — will present awards in Main Competition, Horror, Next Wave, and Shorts.
World Premiere Highlights
Beyond the horror headliners, other world premieres include:
- Ryan Prows’ Night Patrol starring Jermaine Fowler, Justin Long, and RJ Cyler.
- Colin Minihan’s survival thriller Coyotes with Justin Long and Kate Bosworth.
- Lil Rel Howery’s directorial debut Haunted Heist, starring Tiffany Haddish.
- Rod Blackhurst’s slasher Dolly, shot on film and filled with shocking kills.
A Milestone Year
“Fantastic Fest was created to celebrate genre and horror films,” said Alamo Drafthouse CEO Michael Kustermann. “For 20 years, these movies have thrived here, and we’re proud to be the launchpad for our studio partners and independent filmmakers.”
With Black Phone 2 and The Strangers – Chapter 2 headlining, Fantastic Fest’s 20th anniversary is shaping up to be a landmark celebration of horror and genre cinema.
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Sean Tajipour
Sean Tajipour is the Founder and Editor of Nerdtropolis and the host of the Moviegoers Society and Reel Insights Podcast. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association. You can follow on Twitter and Instagram @Seantaj.
