The Fantastic Pavilion presents a weekly recap with the most relevant news about the world of genre cinema.
News
Janus Films’ 4K restoration of Guillermo del Toro’s debut feature Cronos (1992) is heading to the IFC Center in New York City on December 31 (trailer).
Synopsis: “Kindly antiques dealer Jesús Gris (Federico Luppi) happens upon an ancient golden device in the shape of a scarab, and soon finds himself the possessor and victim of its sinister, addictive powers, as well as the target of a mysterious American named Angel (a delightfully crude and deranged Ron Perlman).”
Peter Jackson’s groundbreaking The Lord of the Rings trilogy returns to theaters in the U.S., from January 16. Each movie (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King) is being presented in its extended cut (details).
Beyond Fest is honoring actor Udo Kier, who sadly passed away on November 23, with a “seven-part program” at the American Cinematheque in California. The films Blood for Dracula (1974), The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne (1981), and Mark of the Devil (1970) screen as a triple feature on January 4. Lars von Trier’s series The Kingdom (1994-2022) comes to the big screen from January 10 to 24, while a 3D screening of Flesh for Frankenstein (1973) is scheduled for January 24.
Ventana Sur and Creepy Van Films launched a genre screenplay contest for “authors from Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Colombia.” The feature-length scripts must have the “narrative characteristics of the horror, fantasy or science fiction genres.” The call will remain open until June 30 (more information here).
Festivals
Submissions are now open for a couple of genre festivals: the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (October 15-22) and the Curtas Festival do Imaxinario (October 23-November 1). It’s worth noting that the Curtas Festival do Imaxinario is set to “run the competition for the Méliès d’argent for the best European short film.”
Home video
Arrow Video’s March 2026 titles include John Woo’s legendary 1992 actioner Hard Boiled (on 4K UHD and Blu-ray) and Tobe Hooper’s 1979 horror miniseries Salem’s Lot (on 4K UHD).