For some attendees, deciding what to focus on during Fantasia Film Festival 2026 will be tough. That’s especially true with ARE YOU AFRAID OF FANTASIA?, the first of three shorts programs I’m highlighting here. With this particular smorgaboard taking place at the Salle J.A. De Sève on the 17th of July, horror fans and folklore lovers should put this program high on their list.
What follows is a quick summary of what to expect from each short, followed by two other programs worth keeping on your radar. Like the prior article, I’ll highlight the three shorts I’m most excited for with an image.
(Hong Kong, dir. Wong Chung-Him / Calvin Woo, Canadian Premiere)
In a world inhabited only by zombies, a couple begin transforming into humans after eating broccoli. As their world turns upside down, the question is what kind of absurdist world must they live in now? This work explores the fragile boundaries of identity and human nature, and if it turns out we’re all just vegetables meant to rot, then we’re in trouble.
(USA, dir. Anna Drezen, World Premiere)
Two sisters have put off deciding until the last possible minute if their mom would have wanted to be buried wearing her favorite necklace, or if she wanted them to keep it for themselves. Irene, sick of making all the decisions, tries to push her sister into making this one. But Shannon is feeling paralyzed by the thought of what her mother would have wanted, and what her future self might want. The pressure mounts as their strange funeral director hovers and presses for a decision. Irene leaves Shannon to decide for herself. Shannon makes the wrong call, and must live out the worst case scenario of her choice. – Fantasia
(Portugal, dir. Diogo Abrantes / João Rito, Canadian Premiere)
Miguel, a delivery man, drops off red yarn at a knitting club run by three overly eager grannies. When they insist he stays for tea, what happens is more than eerie. If the cues aren’t obvious, that’s because when three cronies are involved, that may involve the Wyrd Sisters!
(USA, dir. Joshua David Matthews / Jason Sheedy, World Premiere)
A homeowner’s encounter with an unwelcome visitor lurking beneath the house becomes a compact creature feature. And no, there’s no Yosemite Sam is not involved! Had it, some viewers are not likely to blink at all, even though the hero looks like he may be distantly related to the this cartoon character.
(USA, dir. James III, International Premiere)
During a zombie apocalypse, a father desperately tries to keep his young daughter asleep while taking her for a walk. The big question here is, can they survive a jaunt around the block, or will dad become one of the walking dead?
(USA, dir. Breehn Burns, World Premiere)
The idea alone hints at a potential Lovecraftian connection. As for whether that’s correct, it depends on what that “lonely groundskeeper” finds while crawling beneath an isolated house. No this isn’t The Rats in the Walls, but it may come close. What he discovers is merely teased at when the sell sheet writes he must accept taking on an unexpected and deeply unsettling new chore.
(USA, dir. Luke Barnett, World Premiere)
Set during the fragile transition from childhood to adolescence, Goodbye, Monster follows a boy and the monster under his bed as they navigate one final night together, confronting memory, fear, and the inevitability of change.
(USA, dir. Sionne Elise, Montreal Premiere)
Sometimes, it’s best not to continue pranking neighbours, but when two friends don’t know better, what they stumble into can be unsettling. In this short, they plot to sneak into an apartment and find much more than than bargained for.
(Quebec, dir. Aude Bolte)
In this very short animation, what’s suggested sounds ominous. All we know is that an antique shop owner is ready to lead a curious customer on, just what may lurk in his store may well raise the hair in the back of everyone’s neck! As for whether this is a place few can emerge from, with a grin on their face, perhaps what’s offered here is more shock!
(Quebec, dir. Mathieu Samson, World Premiere)
There are experiences that the mind cannot bear; somehow we leave them behind—invisible wounds that shape who we are in silence. Eva carries a secret, a secret she keeps from herself, a wound that haunts her day and night.
(United Kingdom, dir. Ben S. Hyland)
Dave’s life is turned upside down after his wife teases him about the identity of the man whom he waves at. Unsure who the man is or why he waves, Dave spirals into an existential crisis as he struggles to put the pieces together. – Fantasia
(Quebec, dir. Maria Belen Person Kalauz)
A young girl playing hide-and-seek inside an abandoned house uncovers something she never expected.
(Canada / Quebec, dir. Mathieu Fortin, World Premiere)
After her grandmother’s death, Lauren inherits a house in Old Quebec. Upon arriving, Lauren and her boyfriend Lucas are astonished to discover a very old talking bird living among the dust and mysterious objects. As the couple wonders about the bird’s origins, the phrases it repeats become increasingly sinister and enigmatic. When this tale is inspired from H.P. Lovecrafts notes, expectations are high, and may well impress!
(USA, dir. Hal Kirkland, Canadian Premiere)
With an AI-driven apocalypse underway, a lonely parking officer has just twelve minutes to escape humanity’s impending assimilation.
(USA, dir. Mercies May, World Premiere)
While nursing home attendant Avery is quick to dismiss beloved resident Reg’s claims of something sinister moving through the halls of the home, one late shift leaves her questioning which of them is really losing it, when something in the shadows begins following her.
Don’t Be Afraid of Fantasia With
This Teaser of The Galactic Ghoul
