Fantastic Fest 2026 Lineup Unveiled, Opening With 'Resident Evil' and 'Beware Boiúna'

The 21st edition and its scale

Fantastic Fest unveiled its 2026 lineup on August 18, with the 21st edition set to run September 17–24 at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas. The genre-focused festival will present 35 world premieres, 21 international or North American premieres, and 14 U.S. premieres, according to festival announcements. Festival Director Lisa Dreyer said the programming prioritized new talent and discoveries for "discerning and passionate cinephiles," while Alamo Drafthouse CEO Michael Kustermann pointed to the company's "Alamo Exclusives" distribution model as a way to extend films from festival premiere to theatrical release. IndieWire framed the event as "the most reliably eclectic and unapologetically strange American film festival on the fall calendar."

Opening and closing night titles

The festival will open with two features: a special screening of "Resident Evil," directed by Zach Cregger as a follow-up to his Oscar-winning "Weapons," and the world premiere of Lionsgate's snake-survival film "Beware Boiúna," starring Kiana Madeira, Jessica Rothe, and Logan Marshall-Green. IndieWire described the choice of "Resident Evil" as "a natural choice, given that it's both one of the most anticipated genre films of the year and a major priority for Sony, which also owns Alamo Drafthouse and Fantastic Fest." Closing the festival will be "The Swallow," characterized as a "brutally efficient, effects-forward survival horror" about teenagers terrorized by sentient sludge.

Walter Hill tribute and marquee premieres

A centerpiece of the 2026 edition is a tribute to director Walter Hill, who co-wrote and produced "Alien" and directed films including "The Warriors," "Streets of Fire," and "The Driver." Hill will receive a special award; the festival will screen his "Extreme Prejudice" and host a conversation with him, and starting in January, Alamo Drafthouse will present a retrospective of his work at theaters nationwide. Other notable premieres include Mike Flanagan's "Carrie" series (U.S. premiere of the first two episodes, coming to Prime Video), the North American premiere of "Victorian Psycho," a new cut of Quentin Dupieux's English-language debut "Full Phil" starring Kristen Stewart and Woody Harrelson, and "Death of a Yellow Bird" from the team behind A24's "Undertone."

Sidebars, events, and what remains uncertain

The festival's signature Burnt Ends microbudget sidebar returns with four films, and the remainder of the lineup blends international and domestic titles aimed at surfacing breakout directors. Off-screen programming includes live music, including a closing-night performance from "legendary horror-rockers Gwar," podcast recordings from "Doug Loves Movies" and "The Kingcast," and a partnership with a new "Hellraiser" video game. TheWrap also noted a special screening of Martin McDonagh's "Wild Horse Nine," remarking that the film "doesn't quite fit with Fantastic Fest, but we'll allow it." Detailed schedules for many premiere titles, including runtime and full credits, were not available in the source set.