2025’s Fantastic Fest shot in with a variety of genre trick and treats! Though covering the festival virtually meant missing some of the most notable titles—secret screening Silent Night, Deadly Night, I’m looking at you!—there was still plenty to love from back in the comfort of my own home. Don’t miss my full coverage of Fantastic Fest, after the jump!
Films
APPOFENIACS
In an era where deepfakes and AI technology seems to be overtaking daily tasks, the very concept of Appofeniacs may be eerily prescient. People these days cannot even seem to tell between real and fake when it comes to arbitrary Facebook posts, so what happens when we reach a time where simple prompts have the potential to create instantaneous realistic videos? The scenarios this film imagines can easily destroy actual lives, infiltrating passwords and putting the power in the hands of literally anyone that can get their hands on the technology. In the execution though, it falls quite short of greatness. The opening promises bleak domestic horror: a boyfriend spirals over a leaked sex tape, ultimately killing his girlfriend in an unhinged burst of rage. From there, Appofeniacs splinters into a series of interconnected vignettes orbiting around Duke, a cracked-out schemer who insists people are easy to manipulate with cell phones. The main issue here is that the first vignette in particular leaves much to be desired. However, when writer/director Chris Marrs Piliero leans into the gory carnage, there’s some fun to be had. The final act leans hard into practical effects, splattering them across the screen in gleeful delight buoyed by fun anime prop replicas. Even if the sum of its parts fail to equate to a satisfying whole, Appofeniacs is an overstuffed midnight movie fever dream of chaotic energy.
BAD HAIRCUT
Full review at the link.
BODY BLOW
Full review at the link.
COYOTES
Full review at the link.
THE CURSE
Full review at the link.
DOLLY
Full review at the link.
MEAT KILLS
tk
NIGHT STAGE
All sex and no substance—welcome to Night Stage. Though it bills itself as an erotic political thriller, this queer oddity often feels more like a series of steamy vignettes than a cohesive narrative. Visually stylish at times, the film certainly brims with tension between art, desire, and repression; still, it struggles to deliver a story that resonates beyond the fleeting sexual charges. The titular stage takes the form of a chaotic theater troupe with rehearsals marked by clumsy accidents and simmering glances between performers. Among them is Matias (Gabriel Faryas), a dancer navigating creative and romantic turmoil. Offstage, he begins a clandestine affair with Rafael (Cirillo Luna), a closeted man he meets through a dating app. Their relationship burns hot, but Rafael hides a bold secret. He’s running for president, backed by handlers who seek to stifle any hints of Rafael’s gay identity. The entanglement between these two characters feels fantastical rather than realistic as they brazenly engage in risky public sexcapades. A reliance on sex over substance leaves Night Stage feeling hollow, with a tone that borders on accidental parody.
THEATER IS DEAD
This was one of the more intriguing titles of 2025’s Fantastic Fest, centering on the oddball word of community theater. Writer/director Katherine Dudas (Juniper) tries her hand at the horror/comedy, with an eye for meta blended into the mix. Theater virgin Willow (Decker Sadowski) gets swiftly cast in acclaimed director Matthew’s newest production, Women of Trachis. Committed actress Taylor (Madison Lawlor) wants only the most seasoned amongst their party. But Matthew (Shane West) holds a dangerous secret that only his inner circle may know. The reality of this reveal is a silly one that will probably make or break the title for any given viewer. With a game ensemble cast that leans into the silliness, Dudas and her curiously strange script almost works. There’s still something slightly askew though that doesn’t quite stick. Whether considering the nepo baby jokes, the nasty overuse of menstruation as a visual motif, or the campy overacting, Theater is Dead would have probably worked better as a short or brief skit; instead, its thin premise feels stretched past the breaking point.
V/H/S HALLOWEEN
Full review at the link.
For more information on Fantastic Fest, head over to the official website.