Fantastic Fest's Horror Breakouts; What Could Be Next?

Juan of the Dead / Baskin

Ever since its first occurrence in 2005, Austin's Fantastic Fest has served as a launching pad for genre films. Its initial focus was on horror movies, but over the years expanded to encompass a broad range of strange, weird, thrilling and distinctive movies from around the world.

For example, the action-thriller John Wick had its world premiere at last year's festival, with star Keanu Reeves in attendance, and it got a big publicity boost from its enthusiastic reception from critics and audience members alike. So did the fantastical Horsehead (France), the zombie flick Wyrmwood (New Zealand), the head-tripper El Incidente (Mexico), the indelibly suspenseful Spring (U.S., but filmed in Italy), the divisively atmospheric It Follows (U.S.), and the surprisingly scary The Babadook (Australia).

Now let's go back to the fest's roots and look at some horror movies and filmmakers that got a lot of notice thanks to the festival.

Past Notable Horror Breakouts

Juan of the Dead (2011)

A horror movie from Cuba? Yes, indeed. Fantastic Fest continues to search out the best in fantastic cinema in new territories, and while Alejandro Brugues' sophomore feature (pictured above, left) is still a bit rough around the edges, it has great energy and humor. That year's festival also saw impressive new horror films from directors Adrian Garcia Bogliano (Penumbra), Jaume Balaguero (Sleep Tight) and Adam Wingard (You're Next), among others.

Inside (2007)

Note: Trailer is NSFW.

For the hard-core horror fans who packed a small theater at midnight for the U.S. premiere of Inside, the director's cut of the blood-soaked movie confirmed the emergence of the so-called French New Wave of horror, and made even the most jaded viewer flinch. Of the nonhorror offerings, the world premiere of Nacho Vigalondo's suspense thriller Timecrimes hit huge, and the third year of the fest is also well remembered for George A. Romero's presence for Diary of the Dead, Mel Gibson's appearance with his film Apocalypto, and the surprise world premiere of Paul Thomas Anderson's tremendous drama There Will Be Blood.

Stake Land (2010)

Jim Mickle had already impressed with the citified horror of Mulberry Street, but the controlled tension and compelling drama of his next film cemented his reputation. The festival also showcased Icelandic creature feature Troll Hunter, Finnish fairy tale Rare Exports, brutal Korean horror thriller I Saw the Devil, and Mexican cannibal drama We Are What We Are, which Mickle remade a few years later.

Chanthaly (2013)

Just when it seemed like nothing new could come out of Asia, along comes Mattie Do, the first female filmmaker from Laos. Her first feature is a very quiet, yet unsettling ghost story. Speaking of something new, director Ben Wheatley, who broke out of the fest back in 2006 with his first film, the crime flick Down Terrace, returned with his black-and-white psychological thriller A Field in England. For sheer fun and suspense, it would be hard to top Eugenio Mira's Grand Piano, starring Elijah Wood.

Upcoming Prospective Horror Breakouts

Potential highlights from this year's lineup include the following horror titles.

Baskin (Turkey)

A group of police officers respond to a call for backup and soon find themselves lost in the deepest pits of evil.

Sensoria (Sweden)

Veteran producer-turned-director Christian Hallman follows a lonely woman who moves into a new apartment and soon discovers she might have more "friends" than she realized.

Ludo (India)

Note: Trailer is NSFW.