The 2025 Fantasia Festival, a yearly celebration of genre cinema, returns with an expansive list of titles. From horror to manga live-action adaptations to international animation, there’s no shortage of experimental cinema. Fantasia is for the genre aficionados who seek films that venture off the beaten path. It makes sense, then, that the most recent film from Ari Aster, Eddington, will act as the festival’s opening selection. His unsettling visions perfectly encapsulate so much of what Fantasia is about, even with the director’s ascent to greater notoriety.
And Eddington is just the tip of the iceberg.
From festival favorites such as the body horror Together starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco, making an appearance before its theatrical release, to Mexico’s first stop-motion flick, and grizzly, post-apocalyptic films, there’s an abundance of worthwhile titles to dig through. Horror master Takashi Miike returns to Fantasia with three titles. Genndy Tartakovsky’s new adult comedy, Fixed, will close out the festival. And throughout, be ready to startle and cringe at the many ways in which a body can contort in the gamut of horror films befalling the fest.
Here are just a few of the notable highlights worth checking out this year.
All You Need Is Kill
Synopsis: In a time loop during an alien plant invasion, Rita relives the same day repeatedly, becoming a skilled warrior. Exhausted by endless deaths, she discovers Keiji, another person trapped in the loop.
Based on the manga of the same name by Ryosuke Takeuchi and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, All You Need Is Kill is the second adaptation of this popular series. It was previously adapted for the screen in Edge of Tomorrow, starring Tom Cruise. Directed by Kenichiro Akimoto, it is one of two films from Studio 4°C making its premiere at the Fantasia Festival.
The action-packed premise and prestige of its source material make it an absolute must-see. Beyond the story itself and its time-loop mysteries, there’s the animation itself, which looks, frankly, stunning. The aliens, in particular, tout a garish vibrancy that stands out against the sludge and grime they’re all fighting on. While we may be familiar with the story through the light novel, the manga, or the live-action film, this anime adaptation will undoubtedly keep us on our toes.
ChaO
Synopsis: In a futuristic world where humans and mermaids coexist, the life of mild-mannered office worker Stephan is upended when he is suddenly proposed to by Chao, a princess from the mermaid kingdom. With no time to make sense of what’s happening, Stephan soon finds himself living with the unpredictable, wholehearted Chao, and her sincere love begins to break down his emotional barriers.?
A 21st-century reworking of Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid tale, ChaO is the feature film debut from director Yasuhiro Aoki. And while the premise itself sounds wonderfully inventive and bizarre, it’s who’s behind it that makes it stand out. Produced by
Studio 4ºC, which delivered the beautifully haunting Children Of the Sea, the team of animators promises to provide new, enchanting life to an otherworldly story.
The psychedelic aesthetic, along with the offbeat, rough-around-the-edges animation style, promises a work of intriguing contrasts.
Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards
Synopsis: Koneko has a 10 billion yen bounty on her head. Ibuki, her childhood friend-turned-bodyguard, must protect her incognito. Unexpectedly, all his classmates are assigned as her covert bodyguards.
Admittedly, live-action adaptations of manga can run the gamut of quality. That said, Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards, with its brightly lit aesthetic and neon coloring, appears to be wildly fun. Based on the manga by Masamitsu Nigatsu, Junichi Ishikawa directs the adaptation from screenwriter Hiroyuki Yatsu.
With bold visuals and a strong leaning into action-comedy antics, the North American premiere of the film promises an engaging ensemble and some fun twists. Come for the action, stick around for the offbeat humor and burgeoning romance at the center.
I Live Here Now
Synopsis: A woman finds herself trapped in a remote hotel where the violent echoes of her past come alive, blurring the lines between her darkest nightmares and the waking world.
Julie Pacino makes her feature-length film debut with the unsettling horror film I Live Here Now. Lucy Fry stars as a struggling actress who, due to an unexpected pregnancy, must begin to reckon with an unlikely future while dealing with the fallout of a traumatic past. Cara Seymour, Matt Rife, and Sheryl Lee also star in this story of rapid unraveling.
Shot on 35mm and 16mm, the film aims to capture the hyper-specific, dreamy quality of some of the best modern horror films. And, not for nothing, but it’s also worth celebrating women in horror. Especially following the past few years with films such as The Substance becoming such a commercial and critical hit.
I Am Frankelda
Synopsis: In 19th-century Mexico, Frankelda is a gifted writer whose dark tales are ignored and dismissed. Forced to suppress her voice, she refuses to give up, even as many try to silence her. But when she is thrust into her subconscious, the very monsters she created come to life. Guided by Herneval, a tormented prince trapped between dreams and nightmares, she must restore balance between fiction and reality before both realms collapse.
Directed by Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz, the fantastical I Am Frankelda is the first stop-motion feature to come out of Mexico. As part of the Animation Plus section, the film is the culmination of the effort that the two brothers, proteges of Guillermo del Toro, have put in for years. This marks a return to the festival, following their short film Revoltoso , which premiered at Fantasia in 2016.
Stop-motion as a medium produces some of the most engaging and interesting animation that it can offer. There’s an inherent timeless quality to it that allows it to flourish. Add to that the elements of magical realism as dreams and nightmares clash, and it’s clear that Frankelda is an absolute must-see.
New Group
Synopsis: High school student Ai sees her world collapse when a strange cult-like mentality gradually turns people around her into mindless followers who can transform simple gymnastics routines into a nightmarish dance of death.
Sometimes, the synopsis is really all it takes.
New Group, directed by Yuta Shimotsu (Best Wishes to All), sounds so puzzling – so ridiculous in its setup – that you can’t help but have to check it out for yourself. A horror film about students becoming mindless zombies? Sure, why not? A horror film about students becoming mindless followers who all begin assembling a massive gymnastics pyramid in the middle of the school field? Sign me up.
This absurdist, feverish premise does a lot to sell the film because there’s simply not much out there that sounds like it. Seemingly built to discuss the importance of refusing conformity, there will undoubtedly be underlying themes that permeate the story through its two protagonists. But it’s the unlikely spectacle that first draws us in.
Terrestrial
Synopsis: A reunion weekend spirals out of control for four college friends when the host-a science fiction writer on the verge of newfound success-fights to maintain his sense of reality in the face of sudden, uncanny dangers.
Directed by Steve Pink (About Last Night, Hot Tub Time Machine) and starring Jermaine Fowler (Sorry to Bother You, Am I Ok?) , Terrestrial looks to shake together an excellent genre cocktail. Beyond the thriller elements, the film is peppered with comedy and science fiction as we delve into the psyche of a writer on the verge of success and breakdown.
Fowler is a very charismatic actor, so it will be nice to see him take center stage. The cast is rounded out with James Morosini, Pauline Chalamet, Edy Modica, Rob Yang, and Brendan Hunt.
The Girl Who Stole Time
Synopsis: In 1930s China, village girl Qian Xiao gains the power to control time, making her a target of powerful forces. As she uncovers the metropolis’s hidden secrets, she faces peril and the cost of her gift.
There are many cinephiles whose primary goal while attending Fantasia is to consume as many horror films as possible. For others (me), it’s to catch all of the many excellent international animated features. Fortunately, the festival acknowledges the power and vitality of the medium, showcasing a strong lineup.
Directed by Yu Ao and Zhou Tienan in their feature film debut, The Girl Who Stole Time, the film looks like an absolute stunner. Utilizing 3D animation with finesse and anchored by a wonderfully adventurous protagonist, the film aims to strike those epic-scale chords. Centered on a girl who wishes to live her life like it were a movie, the teasers thus far suggest a film that captures that sense of wonder and escapist magic.
The Woman
Synopsis: An exchange of strawberries and a used household appliance turns into a nightmare for Sun-kyung when her partner turns up dead. Now she must follow the trail of a disturbing stranger.
This Korean indie-thriller The Woman offers up a chilling character-driven psychological thriller while marking a return for the filmmaker Hwang Wook whose neo-Western black comedy, Mash Ville, premiered at the 2024 festival.
The lead performance by Han Hye-ji (Exhuma, Next Sohee) looks to be the real draw, however, as the film follows her descent into increasingly stressful situations. A film about one woman’s journey into finding the truth about a murder, we’ll be holding our breaths the entire time as we await any danger to befall her.
Ya Boy Kongming! The Movie
Synopsis: The greatest music battle festival in history, Music Battle Awards 2025! Kongming and Eiko take on the challenge! Furthermore, the descendant of Sima Yi, Sima Jun, stands before them as a young strategist!!
A premise that deserves this many exclamation points, Ya Boy Kongming! The Movie chases pure, silly, fun. Directed by Shuhei Shibue in yet another feature film debut, the movie is based on the manga written by Yuto Yotsuba and illustrated by Ryo Ogawa.
The series has already been adapted by P.A. Works as an anime series and now looks to its live-action iteration. The story is pure chaos, following legendary military strategist of China’s War of the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Kongmin (Osamu Mukai), who has inexplicably been reincarnated in modern-day Japan where he now manages the career of a young amateur singer, Eiko (Moka Kamishiraishi).
This blending of comedies, genre, time and place makes for a setting poised for hilarity. The film will also star J-pop icons such as Avantgardey and the always sublime Avu-chan from Queen Bee.
The Fantasia International Film Festival runs from July 16 through August 3, 2025.
Based in New England, Allyson is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of InBetweenDrafts. Former Editor-in-Chief at TheYoungFolks, she is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and the Boston Online Film Critics Association. Her writing has also appeared at CambridgeDay, ThePlaylist, Pajiba, VagueVisages, RogerEbert, TheBostonGlobe, Inverse, Bustle, her Substack, and every scrap of paper within her reach.
