The Fantastic Pavilion presents a weekly recap with the most relevant news about the world of genre cinema.
News
Neon Rated unveiled the teaser poster for Alpha (2025), Julia Ducournau’s highly anticipated first feature since her Palme d’or-winning film Titane (2021). According to the official synopsis, Alpha follows a “troubled 13-year-old who lives with her single mom,” when “their world collapses as Alpha returns from school with a tattoo on her arm.” Alpha will have its world premiere at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival, as part of the main Competition.
Can Evrenol’s The Turkish Coffee Table (Cam Sehpa, 2025) also got its first poster, which was presented via Fangoria. The horror flick is a remake of Caye Casas’ notorious The Coffee Table (La mesita del comedor, 2022). Evrenol’s version was one of our Fantastic Galas at this year’s Marché du Film in Cannes.
Universal Pictures shared the official trailer for Nobody 2 (2025), starring Bob Odenkirk, and it sure looks like a fun actioner. This sequel was directed by the great Timo Tjahjanto. It’ll open in theaters on August 15.
Synopsis: “Much as he likes the slam-bang action of his “job,” Hutch and his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen) find themselves overworked and drifting apart. So, they decide to take their kids (Gage Munroe, Paisley Cadorath) on a short getaway. With Hutch’s dad (Christopher Lloyd) in tow, the family arrives in the small tourist town of Plummerville, eager for some fun in the sun. But when a minor encounter with some town bullies yanks the family into the crosshairs of a corrupt theme-park operator (John Ortiz) and his shady sheriff (Colin Hanks), Hutch finds himself the focus of the most unhinged, blood-thirsty crime boss he (or anyone) has ever encountered (Sharon Stone).”
Festivals
The Sitges Film Festival will honor Joe Dante, director of Gremlins (1984) and Piranha (1978), during its 58th edition – set to take place from October 9 to 19 –. “Key members of the cast and crew from Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator (1985)” are going to attend the Catalan festival as well, for a screening of the recent 4K restoration. Additionally, Sitges is giving the Time Machine Award to Sean S. Cunningham, helmer of the original Friday the 13th (1980).
EuroGenre’s call for entries has opened for its 2025 edition, scheduled for September 29 to October 1 within the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival (FEFFS). EuroGenre’s objective is to “highlight European creators of genre films.” You can find here the guidelines.
Home video
Both Jeff Barnaby’s Blood Quantum (2019) and F. Javier Gutiérrez’s The Wait (La espera, 2023) are now available on special edition Blu-ray. The Canadian zombie movie was released by Shudder, while Film Movement put out the Spanish folk horror thriller.