5 Movies we are "screaming" with excitement to see at fantasia festival 2026!

One of the world's most renowned film festivals returns to Montreal, Quebec, Canada from July 16th - August 2nd for 30th annual Fantasia International Film Festival! Fantasia has been host to some of genre's most illustrious premiere's including Kevin Smith's Red State, cult-favorite Turbo Kid, and the modern horror classic Smile. The over two week long festival features over 100 feature films and over 200 short films from all over the world. Today we look at Screams from the Basement's pick for the five movies we are "SCREAMING" with excitement to see at the Fantasia Festival!

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma - Directed by Jane Schoenbrun

Acclaimed director Jane Schoenbrun's Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is their third feature film following We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021) and I Saw the TV Glow (2024). Much like their previous work, Schoenbrun's Camp Miasma balances sexual awakening with nostalgia, combined with bits of meta-textual explorations of media and identity. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma follows Kris (Hannah Einbinder), a polyamorous, queer director hellbent on directing a reboot to the "Camp Miasma" slasher franchise. The problematic franchise's final girl Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson) is set to be recast, leading Kris to experience a psychosexual fixation on the former final girl, as well as an exploration of the meta-textual slasher within a slasher film. With back-to-back generational film's, Jane Schoenbrun is sure to leave a lasting impression on audiences with their fresh, one-of-a-kind take on the American slasher.

Unholy Night - Directed by Michael Gabriele

Why not celebrate Christmas in July with the next big holiday horror, Unholy Night! This blood-soaked, tinsel-laden horror film follows an Italian family's Christmas Eve dinner that descends into cinematic madness when their dead grandmother returns for the holiday festivities. Genre fans are sure to latch on to the film's holiday horror madness, wickedly dark laugh-out-loud moments, and plenty of gore to help ensure a red Christmas.

Los Vampires - Directed by Craig Mitchell

Los Vampires is a fictional take on the making of the infamous Spanish Universal Dracula that filmed scenes overnights on the same setting and stage as the Bela Lugosi classic. The film follows acclaimed Spanish actor Luis de Ossario (Henry Ian Cusick) who must mimic the mannerisms and performance of his English language counterpart, Kürt Orlov (Thomas Kretschmann) leading to a tense rivalry between the two actors of the undead. Craig Mitchell returns to the director's chair for the first time since co-directing Jim, The World's Greatest, alongside Don Coscarelli (Bubba Ho-Tep). Fans of the Universal classic, old Hollywood, and movie's about making movies will be the first to fall for the lust of Los Vampires.

Black Zombie - Directed by Maya Annik Bedward

Zombies, ghouls, the undead -- whatever you want to call them have been a staple of the horror genre for decades, as seen in White Zombie with Bela Lugosi, George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead, and the meta-comedy Shaun of the Dead. But have you ever wondered where this iconic movie monster's origins come from? Black Zombie from writer/director Maya Annik Bedward follows the complicated history of zombies on screen from Haitian voodoo practices, to historical transatlantic slave trade, to modernized hivemind takes on the original dead-come-to-life trope.

Her Private Hell - Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

Nicolas Winding Refn's return to cinemas for the first time since Neon Demon, a whole decade since the director's stylistic take the Los Angeles modeling scene. Her Private Hell is a neon-soaked, fairytale fever dream that is equal parts Dario Argento as it is Brian De Palma or Mario Bava. A fog-soaked city becomes the playing ground for an unhinged serial killer in this hypnotic, psychological thriller. Her Private Hell stars Sophie Thatcher (Companion), Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms), and Charles Melton (Riverdale).

Screams from the Basement will be remotely covering Fantasia Festival with new reviews and interviews from the festival. To learn more about this year's festival and the entire Fantasia lineup, visit https://fantasiafestival.com/en/