Gotta Watch Them All. Fantasia Film Festival 2026’s Pearl Jubilee Top Selections! (Part Two)

The Fox

Set in a parallel world where animals talk, hustle, swear, and scheme, The Fox opens with Nick (Jai Courtney, Dangerous Animals, The Suicide Squad) discovering that his fiancée, Kori (Emily Browning, American Gods, Sleeping Beauty), is cheating on him. Forced to accept that their relationship has run its course, he’s devastated.

Everything changes when Nick captures a fox (Olivia Colman, The Favourite, The Lobster), who offers him some unconventional marital advice in exchange for her freedom.

Her suggestion? Push Kori into a magical hole, where she’ll emerge transformed into a woman who adores him unconditionally and will never leave. Not exactly a man known for making wise decisions, Nick thinks it sounds like the perfect solution, completely unaware that a much bigger plan may already be unfolding. – Fantasia Film Festival

Les Écorchés – Partie 3

For readers who don’t know who Luca Jalbert is, that’s probably because his reach isn’t huge. But with Les Écorchés, he’s creating a work that resembles The Goonies meets IT. In the first film, simply titled Les Écorchés – Partie 1, a comet crashed near the town of Castle Peaks in Colerain County and unleashed an evil force to crush the land. The idea isn’t fully Lovecraft, but the flavour exists. Back then, a group of kids known as the Lost Children managed to fight it off, contain it and throw away the key. Then, in the next film, a new gang of youths woke it up….

Whether this new crew of lads known as the P’tits Monstres can save the day comes down to whether they can get the spirit out of Mike. And I’ll end it there. For those coming in cold, it’s best to get caught up with the narrative from the first two films so you’re not walking into the third one cold. As they’re available on YouTube, newcomers can breathe a sigh of relief.

This latest instalment picks up a year later, with the county now a no-go zone, locked down by the mysterious force and its guardian, Babao. From what’s been revealed so far, it sounds like the P’tits Monstres will spend this film cleaning up the mess they’ve created rather than running away.

Joyeuse Jungle!

Fresh from Annecy, this wonderful animated epic is sure to please, and it’s safe to say Shout! Studio is very likely to pursue getting a licence to distribute this work afterwards.

The official plot is: During the summer holidays in 1950s Venezuela, nine-year-old Elisabeth joins her family deep in the rainforest, where they live with the Pemon tribe near Devil’s Mountain. When her four-year-old brother Leo goes missing in the forest, she must do everything in her power to find him. Her troubles are far from over, however, as she must also save a mystical creature and return it to Mount Tepui.

Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant

Twentysomething homebody Mary (Hannah Lynch, The Rule of Jenny Pen) lives with her mother and does everything she can to keep her distance from most people. She understands herself and knows exactly what she likes, which happens to be tentacle s*x. If that sounds bad, this comedy may not be for you.

For those willing to look past the obvious, Boo (Arlo Green, M3GAN) has decided to stick around. Although he has his own home, his mother lives next door. He too isn’t all that comfortable being around people and shares similar tastes. The bizarreness of this narrative isn’t because of the obvious jokes that can be made, but because of the ultimate question it raises: is this work inspired by anime horror, Lovecraft, or both? Either way, it’s best not to take this film too seriously, and perhaps keep the tinfoil hat on.

The Origins of Ultraman

On July 17, 1966, at 7:00 p.m. JST, television sets across Japan glowed as the Tokyo Broadcasting System introduced a new science fiction action-adventure series. On that day, it changed what tokusatsu represented. Before then, all fans could talk about was Godzilla. After that day, it became Ultraman, and now a documentary finally explores its origins. It would go on to become one of Japan’s most celebrated franchises, one capable of challenging the giant radioactive monster any day of the week.

Romin

The Bahamas, 1701. Three brothers, hoping to bring their father back to life using an ancient artifact, head to a cave to perform a ritual. They each cut their palms and realize, to their horror, that one of them has black blood.

More than three centuries later, Romin (Anthony Dionne, Creatures) stumbles upon the mysterious object by chance in a forest in Quebec. Joined by his sister Maya (Rosalie Pépin, Vacarme), his sketchy friend Jeff (Jassen Charron, Il était une fois les Boys), and his new classmate Booker (James Edward Metayer, Noémie dit oui), Romin follows the trail of a missing archaeologist to a remote northern village in search of answers.

After touching the artifact, Romin discovers he’s been cursed. Unless he returns it to the cave from which it came in the Bahamas, the curse will eventually claim his life. – Fantasia Film Festival

Rubberhead:
The Life & Monsters of Steve Johnson

Steve Johnson was a kid whose love of movie makeup and boundless creativity landed him in Rick Baker’s creature shop in his early twenties, beginning with the landmark An American Werewolf in London and eventually leading to work on effects-heavy classics including Videodrome, Ghostbusters, Big Trouble in Little China, and Fright Night.

But, just like other masters of the old craft such as Phil Tippett, striking out on his own wasn’t easy. It’s safe to say the producers of this documentary were inspired by the film that explored Tippett’s life and decided Johnson deserved the same treatment. Whatever we learn, this biography promises to be an eye-opening look at one of the industry’s great practical effects artists.

The Specials

Five yakuza assassins, each with some kind of dance background, are recruited by a Kumashiro (Kippei Shîna) to infiltrate a dance competition and take out a rival. But there’s a problem, the hitmen can’t dance, and it’s up to a young up-and-coming talent, Asuka (Urara) to teach them! It’s oddball comedy at its best, and the moments may well get audiences side-stepping too.

Some viewers may think this movie came from the brilliant mind of Takashi Miike. Instead, it was written and directed by Eiji Uchida, who is perhaps better known for The Naked Director. Rather than diving into supernatural fever dreams or reality-bending cartoon logic, Uchida grounds his oddness in the gritty, messy, and bizarre subcultures of modern Japan. His films are off the wall because the people and situations he highlights are so unconventional, often focusing on social outcasts, fringe groups, and the seedy underbelly of society. He takes highly unusual, dark concepts and wraps them in a distinct blend of sharp comedy and sudden, heavy drama.

Things That Go Bump in the East 2026

Please check out Don’t Be Afraid of Fantasia Film Festival On What Short Programs Are On Fire!

Thrilling Bloody Sword

As part of the retro program, this blast of the past is sure to entertain. While this work is not quite Shaw Brothers, what’s offered is just as crazy.

Plot Summary: A long-lost princess is abducted by evil magicians. A prince — guided by an energy-sensing fairy — embarks on a journey to save his love interest. Based on the tale of Snow White, The Thrilling Sword deviates from the somber original with a zany blend of Chinese-Egyptian-Roman costumes and electrifying special effects. A grindhouse xianxia film, is a suckerpunch of technicolor telekinetic mind control, shapeshifting and whimsical apparitions. – error4444.bigcartel.com

Zsazsa Zaturnnah

When Carlo Vergara created Zsazsa Zaturnnah, he had no idea she would become a cult sensation. After appearing in the Filipino graphic novel Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah in 2002, interest quickly grew. And for those who want to read the book it started it all, it’s available in English on Amazon.com!

Before long, a musical was developed, followed by the 2006 feature film. It became a sensation that relatively few people outside the Philippines know about. In North America, there will always be a portion of fandom unfamiliar with her, but for many of Asian descent, this title will earn an enthusiastic thumbs up. With its screening at this year’s festival, it’s the spotlight title in Fantasia’s Retro programming. And there’s more, as also mentioned elsewhere on this list.