The Fantastic Pavilion presents a weekly recap with the most relevant news about the world of genre cinema.
News
“Rules are simple, survive 30 days with the entire nation hunting you down,” says Josh Brolin’s character to the protagonist Ben Richards (Glen Powell) in the trailer for The Running Man (2025). This new adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 novel of the same name was directed by Edgar Wright. It’ll open theatrically on November 7.
Full synopsis: “In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television, a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer to enter the game as a last resort. But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite, and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall.”
The retrospective Hong Kong Cinema Classics is heading to Los Angeles (August 2-30 at the American Cinematheque) and New York City (August 15-28 at the IFC Center). Presented by Shout! Studios and GKIDS, the series features films from John Woo (Hard Boiled, A Better Tomorrow, A Better Tomorrow II, The Killer, Bullet in the Head), Tsui Hark (A Better Tomorrow III, Peking Opera Blues), Ringo Lam (City on Fire), and Ching Siu-tung (A Chinese Ghost Story, A Chinese Ghost Story II, A Chinese Ghost Story III).
House on Eden (2025) has gotten an official poster, ahead of its July 25 release in the U.S. The artwork was chosen by the fans of content creators Kris Collins (KallMeKris) and Celina Myers (CelinaSpookyBoo), who are the stars of this found footage horror movie.
Synopsis: “Paranormal investigators Kris, Celina, and their videographer Jay expect the usual scares when they set out on their latest case. But after being mysteriously rerouted to an abandoned house deep in the woods, they find themselves facing a force unlike anything they’ve encountered before. As the night spirals into chaos, missing crew members and eerie phenomena hint at an ancient, malevolent presence watching their every move.”
Festivals
Fantasia’s final wave of 2025 titles includes: Genndy Tartakovsky’s animated movie Fixed (2025), Michel Gondry’s Maya, Give Me a Title (Maya, donne-moi un titre, 2024), the Indonesian horror flick The Book of Sijjin and Illiyyin (Kitab Sijjin & Illiyyin, 2025), Troma’s documentary Occupy Cannes (2025), Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead (2025), and Ben Leonberg’s Good Boy (2025). Fantasia’s 29th edition is taking place in Montreal, Canada from July 16 to August 3.
Home video
Special edition Blu-rays of both Sharksploitation (2023) and Slaxx (2020) are now available (thanks to Vinegar Syndrome and Shudder). As we noted in our interview with director Stephen Scarlata, the documentary Sharksploitation explores sharks’ history before and after Jaws (1975). Elza Kephart’s Slaxx, on the other hand, is a horror comedy with political commentary, about a killer pair of jeans.
In memoriam
Michael Madsen (1957-2025). The great actor Michael Madsen passed away last Thursday, July 3. He was 67 years old. According to The Hollywood Reporter, his representative said that he “had a cardiac arrest.” Madsen was one of Quentin Tarantino’s go-to actors and he appeared in Reservoir Dogs (1992), Kill Bill (2003-2004), The Hateful Eight (2015), and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019). Madsen also worked with Ridley Scott (Thelma & Louise), Robert Rodriguez (Sin City), and Larry Bishop (Hell Ride).