You all know of my love for gastro horror. In my effort to spread the word about gastro films and shorts on the festival circuit, I decided to round up what will be playing this week at Fantastic Fest 2025! While it appears that badges are sold out, the titles listed below are the gastro features and shorts playing that you should keep an eye out for. Similar to the round-up I did for Chattanooga Film Fest, instead of focusing just on the horror offerings, I’ve also included the non-horror titles as well!
- Appetite of a Nobody– Gerald just wants to make friends, but his hunger for raw meat is a real problem. His housemates’ attempts at empathy and intervention are met with incredulity and descent into bloody madness.
- Dinner to Die For– Hannah, a culinary photographer, and her friend Evan share a passion for true crime content. When Evan suggests role-playing their own true crime scenario involving a killer meal and the girl next door, things take a twisted turn.
- Feed– A new mom struggles through the realities of breastfeeding and is restored by a malicious old woman’s folkloric curse.
- The Last Cinnamon Roll– Danny tries to get the last of his beloved childhood snack, but his child needs a bathroom. With the last shred of his youth on the line, which will he choose: his daughter or The Last Cinnamon Roll?
- Meat Kills– Mirthe, a member of the ‘Animal Army’, secretly films a pig farm’s horrors, freeing its children but facing a bloody battle between Nasha’s vengeance and the farmer’s fury.
- V/H/S/Halloween– A collection of Halloween-themed videotapes unleashes a series of twisted, blood-soaked tales, turning trick-or-treat into a struggle for survival.
Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the US, championing challenging and thought-provoking cinema while celebrating new voices and new stories from filmmakers around the world. It will be taking place from September 18th through the 25th. As I mentioned, badges are sold out, but there are opportunities for single tickets. Per the Fantastic Fest site, “if you wish to attend a screening during the festival but do not have a badge, we often have walk-up tickets available prior to the start of the film. These tickets are not released to non-badge holders until 10 minutes prior to the start time to ensure all badge holders are able to access the screenings first. Walk-up tickets will be $15 each and can be purchased at the box office.”