Hey guys, Jana here,

Fantastic Fest is one of the best film festivals in the U.S. not to mention the biggest. Everything there is awesome and amazing. Definitely the place to go if you love genre films as they feature the newest films from all categories featuring in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action  from all over. Some of the best and most loved films have had their world premieres at the festival. Hoping to take its place next to huge hits like ‘There Will Be Blood‘, ‘Zombieland‘ and ‘Apocalypto‘ is ‘Tusk‘. The oddly named flick comes from the brilliant and irreverent mind of Kevin Smith.

Smith joins a prestigious list of celebrity guests that include Mel Gibson, Bill Murray, Jon Favreau and George Romero when he accompanies ‘Tusk‘ to the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas to kick off Fantastic Fest 2014 running from September 18-25. I can just imagine how entertaining the Q&A will be following the screening!

‘Tusk‘ is the tale of a podcaster (Justin Long) who goes missing while interviewing a mysterious seafarer in Manitoba. Come to find out he has been captured by a maniac and tortured, physically and mentally, into becoming a walrus. I love the completely absurd storyline and can’t wait to see how Smith will flawlessly splice the story together. Smith formulated the idea after seeing a Gumtree ad where a homeowner was offering a living situation free of charge, if the lodger agrees to dress as a walrus. As comedy-horrors go, this one looks very promising! 

In addition to a bevy of guest stars, activities are the films themselves, there are a few sequels that have been extremely hyped but they’re all going to draw excited fans. Below I’ll give you the rundown of the first wave of entertainment the festival is hosting.

‘ABCs of Death 2‘ –  This is the sequel to the craziest anthology ever created. It was released to an unsuspecting public. It immediately divided audiences. Some claimed it was a much-needed adrenaline shot to the heart of genre film, while others claimed it was reprehensible and the death knell of cinema as we know it. In 2014 it’s happening again. This time with an all-new line-up of international directors. Be ready to learn your ABC’s again with 26 new directors and 26 new deaths bring your kids to a blood and gore filled horror so good your face will be blood red.

‘Alleluia‘ – Alleluia is the free adaptation of a news item that shook the United States from 1947 to 1949; the story of Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez, or how a young nurse and a swindler, small-time gigolo, will fall into a deadly tragedy.

‘The Babadook‘ – A single mother, plagued by the violent death of her husband, battles with her son’s fear of a monster lurking in the house, but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her.

‘Bro’s Before Ho’s‘ – A brash and unashamedly offensive film about two brothers living their dream of a party lifestyle, but what happens when one finds a woman he wants more with than a one night stand?

‘Closer To God‘ – A genetic scientist successfully clones the first human being, a baby girl named Elizabeth, but his work is soon threatened by a dark secret, a secret that threatens to destroy everything and everyone precious to him.

‘Danger 5 – Series 2‘ –  When Adolf Hitler surfaces posing as a 1980s high school student, there can be only one response! The crack team of Danger 5 are pressed back into service to eliminate the Nazi threat once and for all!

‘High Five‘ – Uruguay brings a stoner comedy, the twist is there are many different drugs and a dead grandma, what can go wrong?

‘Horsehead‘ –  Fueled by her wish to understand her nightmares, a young woman experiments with lucid dreaming after her grandmother’s wake. Why the title was changed from ‘Fever’ to ‘Horsehead’ makes no sense to me, other than that’s the name of the production company, maybe after I see it I’ll get it.

‘The Incident‘ – Two parallel stories about characters trapped in illogical endless spaces: two brothers and a detective locked on an infinite staircase, and a family locked on an infinite road – for a very long time.

‘Jacky In The Kingdom Of Women‘ – In the Kingdom of Bubunne, women are in power while men wear veils and do domestic tasks. Jacky, a lovely young man who dreams of marrying the ‘Colonelle’ has to struggle like a Cinderella to realize his dreams.

‘Kung Fu Elliot‘ – Elliot “White Lightning” Scott plans on becoming Canada’s first action hero with his low-budget karate epic, Blood Fight. This surreal documentary captures two years in the lives of a passionate amateur filmmaker, his supportive partner Linda, and their outrageous cast-all trying to realize their dreams. With everyone’s hopes and dreams pinned on Elliot, this comedic-drama unfolds into a shocking and complex examination of how we lie to ourselves.

‘Maltin’s Game Tournament‘ – Created by Fantastic Fest alum and film producer, and self-described Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide convert, Ant Timpson circa the early 90s, MALTIN’S is a movie lover’s version of game night favorite Balderdash. Someone starts as “Maltin” and chooses a title from Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide, a film that no one knows. The other players then all write down a fake synopsis based on the title. Players attempt to trick each other into believing that their synopsis is the real one while trying to decipher the true Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide synopsis. Maybe they will offer cozy little gaming groups? 

‘Local God‘ – After living through some tragic events, a rock band composed by twenty-year-old, immerse themselves in a conceptual project that winds-up becoming a three track album that deals largely with their guilts, fears and traumas.

‘The Man In The Orange Jacket‘ –  A laid-off harbor worker wages a private war on the rich in this surrealistic Latvian horror film.

‘The Meltdown With Jonah & Kumail‘ – The comedic team of Jonah and Kumail have a Comedy Central TV show airing Wednesday nights.

‘Norway‘ – Photophobic Zano, arrives in the big city for the very first time. The year is 1984 and Athens beckons. A vampire and a fine dancer, Zano quickly gets devoured by the dark underbelly of the capital city. All he really wants is a ‘warm’ girl.

‘Still Life‘ – In a town of Argentina, “the country of barbecues”, people linked to the cattle industry start to disappear. A journalist start to research; soon she’ll find out a dark secret.

‘Tombville‘ – Young David awakens battered and disoriented on the edge of town, knowing only one thing: He wants to get away. But no matter what he tries, he’s always led back to the same dark, disturbing place. Welcome to Tombville.

‘Tommy‘ – Tommy is coming home, or at least that’s what his wife Estelle desperately needs people to believe when she returns after a year in exile. And if he doesn’t get what’s his, there’s going to be hell to pay.

‘V/H/S Viral‘ – Follows fame-obsessed teens who unwittingly become stars of the next internet sensation in this 3rd installment of the twisted found footage horror anthology franchise.

‘Wyrmwood‘ – Barry is a talented mechanic and family man whose life is torn apart on the eve of a zombie apocalypse. His sister, Brooke, is kidnapped by a sinister team of gas-mask wearing soldiers & experimented on by a psychotic doctor. While Brooke plans her escape Barry goes out on the road to find her & teams up with Benny, a fellow survivor – together they must arm themselves and prepare to battle their way through hordes of flesh-eating monsters in a harsh Australian bushland.

We will bring you more announcements as events unfold.