The Fantastic Pavilion presents a weekly recap with the most relevant news about the world of genre cinema.
News
Just a few months after the release of The Monkey (2025), NEON Rated unveiled the first teaser poster for the next Osgood Perkins horror flick: Keeper (2025). According to Bloody Disgusting, Keeper is about “a couple as they escape for a romantic anniversary weekend at a secluded cabin. When Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland) suddenly returns to the city, Liz (Tatiana Maslany) finds herself isolated and in the presence of an unspeakable evil that unveils the cabin’s horrifying secrets.”
Fangoria has revealed the nominees for their 2025 Chainsaw Awards. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners (2025) and Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance (2024) lead with 10 nominations each. Robert Egger’s Nosferatu (2024) got eight nods (including Best Wide Release and Best Director), while Perkins’ Longlegs (2024) and Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later (2025) nabbed seven and six respectively. You can find the complete list on Fangoria’s website. The winners will be disclosed in October.
After screening back in April at the Overlook Film Festival, Monster Island (Orang Ikan, 2024) hits the streamer Shudder on July 25. Mike Wiluan’s WWII-set creature feature was inspired by “Malay folklore and Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954).” Watch here its official trailer.
Synopsis: “A Japanese ship is transporting prisoners of war to occupied territories for slave labor. After being torpedoed by allied submarines, a Japanese soldier and a British POW are stranded on a deserted island and soon discover that they’re being hunted by a ferocious mythological creature, the Orang Ikan. Both the soldier and POW realize that they must work together to survive the unknown, despite their differences.”
Samuel Van Grinsven’s Went Up the Hill (2024), starring Vicky Krieps and Dacre Montgomery, is a ghost story set in New Zealand. It celebrated its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and now it’ll open in U.S. theaters on August 15 (trailer).
Synopsis: “Abandoned as a child, Jack (Montgomery) travels to remote New Zealand for the funeral of his estranged mother, Elizabeth. There, he meets her widow, Jill (Krieps), and over the nights that follow, Elizabeth’s spirit begins to possess them in turn. What starts as a search for closure soon unearths deeper wounds. Bound by grief and haunted by what remains, Jack and Jill must break free from Elizabeth’s grasp before she pushes them to the edge.”
The British supernatural thriller The Drowned (2023) is heading to digital platforms in the UK and Ireland (October 6), the U.S. (October 7), and Australia and New Zealand (October 8). It premiered back in 2023 at FrightFest Halloween, under the title The Waterhouse.
Synopsis: “Woven with references to Greek mythology, The Drowned follows three thieves who have just stolen a priceless painting and arrive at a secluded safe house by the sea, only to discover their fourth accomplice is missing. They must question whether one of them was responsible for her disappearance, or if the blame lies with a more sinister presence lurking in the deep water below.”
Home video
As part of their upcoming Summer Sale – which kicks off on July 25 –, Severin Films announced the 4K UHD debut of Can Evrenol’s breakthrough feature Baskin (2015). Severin has promised more than three hours of special features, including “a behind-the-scenes documentary, 10-years-later retrospective, and Evrenol’s original short film.”