The Fantastic Pavilion presents a weekly recap with the most relevant news about the world of genre cinema.
News
Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey (2025), an adaptation of Stephen King’s short story of the same name, is expected to be “a film chock-full of bloody violence and death.” And the new trailer really give us a taste of that.
The Monkey opens theatrically in the U.S. on February 21. Here’s its official synopsis: “When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart. 25 years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree forcing the estranged brothers to confront the cursed toy.”
Blumhouse and Universal Pictures released the official trailer for their upcoming horror picture The Woman in the Yard (2025). Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and set to hit theaters on March 28, The Woman in the Yard is about “a lone, spectral woman shrouded entirely in black, who appears on a family’s front lawn without explanation and warns them: today’s the day.”
The first look at David Howard Thornton as the villainous version of Mickey Mouse, from the flick Screamboat (2025), was unveiled via Variety. Directed by Steven LaMorte (the man behind the slasher The Mean One), this horror riff on Steamboat Willie (1928) will now be released in April.
Shout! Studios announced the acquisition of Golden Princess’ library, meaning that they will distribute outside of Asia some of John Woo’s most famous titles like Hard Boiled (1992), The Killer (1989), and A Better Tomorrow (1986), Ringo Lam’s City on Fire (1987), Tsui Hark’s Peking Opera Blues (1986), among many other action classics from Hong Kong.
Variety confirmed that Mickey 17 (2025), the highly anticipated new film from Bong Joon-ho, is set to screen at the upcoming Berlinale (February 13-23). Mickey 17 is a science fiction picture about a man (Robert Pattinson) who decides to leave Earth to become an “expendable,” meaning that when he dies a new version of his body is reprinted. The first Bong feature since Parasite (2019), Mickey 17 will eventually open in U.S. theaters on March 7.
The Dead Thing (2024) is a “erotic thriller” directed by Elric Kane, who’s also the co-host of the New Beverly Cinema’s Pure Cinema Podcast. It’s been confirmed that the movie will be available to stream on Shudder from Valentine’s Day. The synopsis says that “Alex is trapped in a downward spiral of shallow hookups and tepid connections, but she is caught off guard when her dating app swipes lead her into the arms of a mysterious, charming young man Kyle. Despite their passionate night, when the sun rises, the mystery man is nowhere to be found. Alex then sets out to find the one person who made her feel alive. Through her investigation, she reconnects with Kyle, but also digs up a ghastly supernatural secret. The pair quickly descend into a whirlwind of obsession, dependence, lust, and infatuation that has grave consequences.”
Another horror movie heading to Shudder soon is Little Bites (2024), in which a mother “desperately tries to protect her daughter from the grips of a fiendish, flesh eating monster.” Directed by Spider One – leader of Powerman 5000 and Rob Zombie’s brother –, Little Bites starts streaming on Shudder on February 21.
Festivals
Film submissions for the 2025 Fantastic Fest are now open. The Austin-based genre festival is accepting “features, shorts, and episodics,” via FilmFreeway. The regular deadline is April 18, while the extended deadline is June 13. The festival will be celebrated from September 18 to 25.
Final Girls Berlin – the festival that “showcases horror cinema that’s directed, written, or produced by women and non-binary filmmakers” – presented the poster for its 10th edition (March 5 to 9).
In memoriam
David Lynch (1946-2025). Beloved artist David Lynch has passed away at the age of 78. His family shared the sad news on Facebook: “It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch. We would appreciate some privacy at this time. There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us. But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.’ It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.”
Eraserhead (1977), The Elephant Man (1980), Blue Velvet (1986), Twin Peaks (1990-2017), Wild at Heart (1990), Mulholland Dr. (2001) and Inland Empire (2006) are some of Lynch’s most notorious works.