Fantasia Film Festival Montreal is underway! It never disappoints in bringing genre fans exactly what we crave- be it whimsical, terrifying, futuristic, or gloriously horrifying. After the opening night film, BOOKWORM, featuring Elijah Wood, which looks like it’s carrying the soul of Jumanji that we never got from the Hollywood ones. The festival has an absolutely stellar lineup; Now in its 28th edition, the festival runs until August 4 at six locations in Montreal. Here are four films we are looking out for at Fantasia 2024:

Azrael

Everyone seems pretty tight-lipped about this new film from director E.L Katz– an exciting sign that AZRAEL will be one of the biggest and bloodiest films of the year. With the director of the infamous CHEAP THRILLS, this film is definitely going to be brutal and vicious. It is also set to be psychologically confronting with its screenwriter Simon Barrett, whose work includes the tense home invasion thrillers THE GUEST and YOU’RE NEXT.

In a world where no one speaks, a devout cult member hunts down Azreal and her partner Kenan, who have escaped their imprisonment. Recaptured by its ruthless leaders, Azrael is due to be sacrificed to pacify an ancient evil deep within the surrounding wilderness.

Samara Weaving holds the title role of Azreal, and the film also features Nathan Stewart-Jarret, who hurricane-level blew me away when a saw Femme earlier this year at queer film Fest Australia. The most intriguing thing about AZREAL is that the film features no dialogue. The film will have its Canadian debut on August 2nd.

Sunburnt Unicorn

For something completely different, we have SUNBURNT UNICORN from writer-director Nick Johnson. It is a great representation of the large scope of films that Fantasia Festival is known for, from horror to family-friendly fantasy films and, as usual, its plethora of animated films. But it certainly looks like SUNBURNT UNICORN’s family-friendliness does not diminish its ability to be poignant. It looks like a coming-of-age story that is a feast for the eyes.

Lost in an endless desert, an injured teenager adopts the identity of a mythical Unicorn to survive surreal encounters and rescue his father from the Cactus King. On his journey through the inhospitable landscape, he meets the fantastical creatures that live there, including a tortoise he befriends and some not-so-friendly entities.

SUNBURNT UNICORN  has a unique style of 3D animation that looks superb and perfect for its whimsical and high fantasy story. An epic quest and and a fable about finding your identity amongst adversity. Sunburnt Unicorn reminds us that animated films are not a lesser form of film than live-action. And seeing this “cactus king” in all its glory is a tantalising reason i would want to see this film. Sunburnt unicorn has its Canadian premiere on August 3rd.

Cuckoo

Tilman Singer’s new film is a sophomore effort following his 2018 festival favourite LUZ, which indie horror fans would not stop talking about. CUCKOO looks like it will make similar waves and promises utter derangement. CUCKOO looks excitingly unpredictable and looks like it weaves from psychological mind games to blood-soaked body horror madness. Creating a whole new level of ‘things are not what they seem..’

Teenager Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) is dragged to the other side of the world by her father and his new wife. She arrives in the Bavarian Alps with her father and stepmother, where they are redesigning a local resort for Herr König (Dan Stevens). He gives her a job at the hotel, but things go from unsettling to attacks by a screaming woman and more escalations of the violent and the bizarre.

From what we have seen in the trailer, Dan Steven’s performance looks absolutely unhinged, a maniacal mad scientist, the character that promises to be a terrifying presence in the film. Hunter Schafer (EUPHORIA) could well be in strong competition against samara weaving for the title of Fantasia Film Festival scream queen. The film will screen on July 30th

Rita

From director Jayro Bustamante is the Fantasy film RITA. Bustamante’s filmography has explored how politics and justice affect children and families, such as LA LLORONA (no, not the abysmal  The Conjuring universe one). The film will surely pull on heartstrings, especially as it is based on a real tragedy from 2017 when 41 young women died while protesting the conditions of an orphanage.

After fleeing an abusive home life, young teenager Rita (Giuliana Santa Cruz) ends up institutionalised. The girls in her overcrowded section believe a warrior angel will arrive to free them from incarceration, sex trafficking, slave labour, and poverty, and because of this, they all wear wings. When Rita is handed her own pair of wings, she must decide if she is the angel in the prophecy and if she can harness the fantastical powers she needs.

RITA appears to be in the same vein as films such as PAN’S LABRINTH and TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID, not because of the language, obviously. RITA looks like it will similarly use the fantasy genre to represent a loss of innocence but also the strength of childhood friendship and its resilience against adversity and cruelty.

It will be Guliana Santa Cruz’s feature film debut, and she seems perfect for embodying RITA’s core themes of girlhood, solidarity, and the righteous force of women’s anger. RITA has its world premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival on July 25th.