Fantastic Film Festival returns in April, with a full line-up of creative, ground-breaking genre films screening across Melbourne and Sydney. There’s dozens of eye-catching films in the lot, including multiple getting their Australian premieres, and rare classic cinema returns.
While some of the experiences won’t be for the faint of heart, with a focus on horror and bold fantasy, those looking to be challenged (or entirely frightened) will find plenty to peruse. As a celebration of artful genre cinema, Fantastic Film Festival always presents compelling reasons to tune in.
You can now browse this year’s selection of films for yourself, or read on for our top 5 recommendations as this festival returns for another year.
Fantastic Film Festival 2026 top picks – quick links
Hokum
Hokum is the major headliner for Fantastic Film Festival, and it’s getting its Australian premiere as part of the event. For those into the supernatural horror genre – think Hereditary, Insidious and The Conjuring – this is one film you’ll want to keep an eye on.
Taking inspiration from classic Celtic and Irish mythology, the film follows an author (Adam Scott of Severance and Parks and Recreation) as he travels to Ireland to spread the ashes of his deceased parents, only to find the remote inn he’s lodging in could be haunted.
This film has achieved plenty of buzz since its debut at SXSW, and that buzz has now followed it all the way to Australia. Watch the trailer or explore sessions.
Near Dark & The Lost Boys
Near Dark and The Lost Boys are two of the best vampire films ever made, and they’re screening as part of Fantastic Film Festival’s wonderfully-named ‘Vampire Weekend’ strand. Come for the blood and guts, and stay for the dual tales of endurance for love and heartbreak.
Near Dark, which deserves far more attention than it gets, stars Adrian Pasdar (Top Gun, Heroes) as Caleb Colton, a young man who meets a mysterious drifter who transforms him into a vampire, leading to a desperate race for a cure and freedom.
The far more well-known The Lost Boys stars Jason Patric (My Sister’s Keeper, Terrifier 3) as Michael Emerson, a young man who meets a mysterious drifter who transforms him into a vampire, leading to a desperate race for a cure and freedom.
You can see why these films have been paired together – but both have their own flavour and tone, and they’re both well worth watching in cinemas as part of Fantastic Film Festival’s classic screenings. Explore sessions.
Penny Lane is Dead
Penny Lane is Dead, the debut film from Australian make-up artist Mia’Kate Russell, is a schlocky and smash-mouth horror that pairs Australian humour with plenty of guts and gore, while exploring the impact of toxic masculinity and the dark underside of Australian culture.
In ScreenHub‘s four-star review, critic Stephen A Russell called it a ’90-minute blast of toxic masculinity smashing that will have you hooting and hollering along until the romance-ripped final shot’ and ‘mighty matriarchal in all the right ways’. Explore sessions.
Lenore
Lenore is another Australian-made flick to catch during Fantastic Film Festival 2026. It’s described as an Australian Gothic cyber-horror, and it’s inspired by modern internet culture, fandom and obsession. Starring Nicholas Jaquinot as unemployed filmmaker Max Wren, it follows a growing obsession with an online celebrity, Lenore, in the wake of her sudden disappearance.
As Wren catalogues her life for a ‘warped tribute’, he begins to experience strange visitations, as a ‘malevolent presence’ seems to descend in his editing suite, encouraging a madness that spirals throughout the film. Explore sessions.
