The Fantastic Pavilion presents a weekly recap with the most relevant news about the world of genre cinema.
News
As we previously reported, The Monkey (2025) is hitting U.S. theaters on February 21, via Neon. This adaptation of Stephen King’s short story of the same name was produced by James Wan and directed by Osgood Perkins, who just had a box office hit (Longlegs). Perkins recently said to The Hollywood Reporter that The Monkey is an “absurdist comedy about death.” Now you can watch its first teaser trailer here.
The Front Room (2024) is an A24 production that was directed by Max and Sam Eggers, brothers of Robert Eggers (Nosferatu, The Northman). It follows a young pregnant woman (Brandy) as she deals with her “diabolical” mother-in-law (Kathryn Hunter). The Front Room looks like a truly fun horror picture, judging by its new trailer. It opens in U.S. theaters on September 6.
Sleep (Jam, 2023) is a psychological horror film by South Korean director Jason Yu, who worked before as assistant director for Bong Joon-ho (Okja) and as English translator for Lee Chang-dong (Burning). Sleep premiered at Cannes last year and also screened at Fantastic Fest and Mórbido Fest. It’ll arrive in U.S. theaters and on digital on September 27, via Magnet Releasing.
Here’s the official synopsis: Sleep follows newlyweds Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun) and Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi), whose domestic bliss is disrupted when Hyun-su begins speaking in his sleep, ominously stating, “someone’s inside.” From that night on, whenever he falls asleep, Hyun-su transforms into someone else, with no recollection of what happened the night before. Overwhelmed with anxiety that he may hurt himself or their young family, Soo-jin can barely sleep because of this irrational fear. Despite treatment, Hyun-su’s sleepwalking only intensifies, and Soo-jin begins to feel that her unborn child may be in danger.
The so-called Caligula: The Ultimate Cut (2023) is a new version of the infamous 1979 historical epic. Presented in 2023 at festivals like Cannes and Fantastic Fest, Caligula: The Ultimate Cut opens in select theaters in the U.S. and Canada on August 16 (via Drafthouse Films).
Caligula: The Ultimate Cut is a “complete reconstruction” that has the intention of bringing back writer Gore Vidal’s original vision. It’s also worth nothing that while star Malcolm McDowell has supported this cut, Cult Epics – director Tinto Brass’ usual American distributor – stated that they declined to distribute it “to honor Brass’ artistic vision that sadly never will be edited.”
Fresh Hell is a new trilogy of horror movies directed by Quinn Armstrong. The first entry, The Exorcism of Saint Patrick (2024), is about the avenging ghost of a gay teen. Wolves Against the World (2024), the second film, follows a couple of members of a “defunct neo-Nazi metal band.” Finally, Dead Teenagers (2024) is a twist on the masked killer horror trope. The Fresh Hell trilogy is arriving to select theaters and on demand from August 27.
Festivals
Ant Timpson’s Bookworm (2024) was chosen by the audience as the Best International Feature at the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival. A Samurai in Time (2023) received the Audience Award for Best Asian Feature, while Ghost Cat Anzu (Bakeneko Anzu-chan, 2024) got the Audience Award for Best Animated Feature. Other audience favorites were Self Driver (Best Canadian Feature ), Kidnapping Inc. (Best Québec Feature), and VOÏVOD: We Are Connected (Best Documentary Feature). Find the complete list of winners here.
Home video
Late Night with the Devil (2023), one of the most talked-about genre movies of the year, is arriving on Limited Edition Blu-ray September 10. Aside of some bonus content (like a Q&A with the Cairnes brothers), this Steelbook contains a Night Owls logo air freshener, an autographed photo of Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian’s character), a bookmark, and a The Amazing Christou flyer.
Terror Vision is releasing Anthony Cousins’ Frogman (2023) on Blu-ray. This found-footage movie is based on the mythical creature known as the Loveland Frog. The limited edition Blu-ray comes with a booklet, a poster, a postcard, among other goodies. There’s also a bundle with more Frogman merch available to pre-order.