Just shy of going two decades strong, Fantastic Fest descends upon Austin, Texas later this week for its 19th incarnation. I am by no means a veteran of the fest, a fledgling at best, eagerly returning for my fourth year. But as I share tips with our Fango fam heading to Austin for their very first Fantastic Fest experience, I figured I'd also share with you some of the events I am most looking forward to. The upcoming film festival is described on the Fantastic Fest website as an “8-day carnival of cinematic delights,” which is probably the most accurate description.
Fantastic Fest, a magical place where you can watch a world premiere of a movie that you know is going to land on your end of year best of list, and then head to the theater bar (The Highball) where you're more than likely to end up in a conversation with the very folks who brought one of your new favorite movies into fruition. Everyone in the joint is a genre film fan, and you'll find yourself in deep conversation with a guy from Ohio you just met and a director of one of the year's biggest films. And this sort of thing will happen continuously during your festival experience. It's void of pretense and there's a good chance you can strike up a conversation with just about anyone and leave with some new friendships forged.
The 19th edition of the festival showcases 83 feature films and episodics, as well as a variety of short films, (don't sleep on the short film blocks). You'll also find plenty of events, podcast recordings, and more happening all week. Here's a rundown of some of the things we are most looking forward to, special events you don't want to miss, and where you can find FANGORIA at the fest.
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Opening Night Party
Fantastic Fest parties and events take on a sort of mythological status. After attending my first opening night party a few years back, I immediately understood why. It's an absolute spectacle. The live performances are never restricted to something as banal as a stage, the whole venue becomes a performance space.
This year, Mac Sabbath will do the opening night honors. If you're unfamiliar, this is the world’s only McDonald ‘s-themed Black Sabbath cover band. A little Ronald McDonald metal before Terrifier 3 rips opening night wide open.
Paramount Scares Presents Dead Right Horror Trivia
Paramount Scares is partnering with FANGORIA to present Dead Right Horror Trivia at Fantastic Fest. The long-running, incredibly popular Los Angeles horror pub trivia game is coming to Austin! Join Fango podcast Colors of the Dark co-hosts Elric Kane and Rebekah McKendry as they test your horror movie knowledge in a chance to win amazing prizes and horror fan glory. Come with a full team or solo. All are welcome for fun trivia and awesome prizes.
September 20th 4:30 – 6:30 PM CDT in The Highball @ Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar.
Louisianna Purchase presents: Clown Town
Friday, September 20th at 8 pm – 10 pm, The Boulet Brother's Dragula contestant Louisianna Purchase and friends are taking over the Highball with a circus-themed drag show!
Ghoulish Book Fair
Join us on Monday, September 23rd, 11 am-4 pm in the Highball!Small publishing company Ghoulish Books presents a smorgasbord of ghoulish delights in The Highball. Stop by the FANGORIA table and meet our community manager Kimberly in the flesh. We'll have magazine issues and freshly baked merch hot and ready to go. (This is a non-ticketed event.)
Live Podcast Recordings
SpectreVision Radio will host live podcast recordings, including Mike Flanagan’s Director’s Commentary with special guest Jennifer Kent, and Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah's Visitations.
Fantastic Fest Debates
If Fantastic Fest opening parties have a mythological quality to them, then the Fantastic Fest Debates are best described as legendary lore. What are the Fantastic Fest debates? Well, two opponents (typically filmmakers showcasing their work at the fest) face off on a given topic, orating from a podium placed within a boxing ring. After the opponents finish their oral arguments, the podiums are removed from the ring, proper mouthguards are set in place, and they proceed to physically beat the hell out of one another.
It's brutal. It's shocking. And you'll never catch my ass in the ring (have turned down actual boxer/director Gigi Saul Guerrero multiple times now). But most of all, it's wild and weird. Longtime attendees tell tales of Elijah Wood or the 2013 bout between fest founder Tim League and Keanu Reeves.
This event takes place offsite at a gym, and it is worth the trek, especially if this is your first festival. What other film festivals feature a little bloodsport as a staple on the schedule?
Fantastic Feud
Another Fantastic Fest staple. Equally as competitive with none of the bloodshed (don't hold me to that last bit). This Family Feud-type gameshow takes place in a theater, so you won't need to leave the Alamo for this one. Two teams made up of filmmakers, actors, and industry folks face off head to head for genre movie trivia. The show tends to go late into the night, but it's a hell of a lot of fun.
In my second year at the fest, I had the great honor of participating in the Fantastic Feud, (victory was ultimately ours). But I can attest to having just as much fun with this one in the audience as on the stage. It's rowdy, the players are given never-ending buckets of libations, and the audience gets very into it. A good time all around.
Closing Night Party
In past years, the closing night party has included such festivities as guests being buried alive, casual blood sacrifice, some light autocannibalism, and beer donkeys. Who knows what's in store for this year's closing night festivities? We'll find out soon enough!
Free tattoos are always on the menu, sign up for the raffle if you're interested. Our Fango Creative Director has a small collection of them, maybe we'll eventually do a gallery showing of his Fantastic Fest tattoos. 999 Eyes Freakshow will be part of this year's festivities, described as a rotating cast of freak, sideshow, and music performers selected from throughout space and time. The 999 Eyes Freakshow & Surreal Sideshow is the last genuine traveling freakshow of its kind in the United States. It sounds like we're in for one hell of a night (and festival). Bring on the oddities.
Securing Your Tickets
The ticketing system may work a little differently for different badge types. For me and my lot, we log in every morning at 10am to secure our tickets for the next day's lineup. The best advice I can offer here so to have more than one choice picked, that way if your first choice screening is sold out, you're not poking around the app for another thing you're excited about while it sells out. As a safety maybe have your top three choices picked out in advance for each time block. And don't worry about it too much. What every Fantastic Fest attendee will tell you is that their favorite screenings always turn out to be the thing they hadn't previously heard of or planned for. You're in good hands with the programmers.
The Food Situation
Depending on how you fest, your trip to Austin will most likely be less of a trip to Austin and more of a trip specifically to the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. This means you will most likely be eating the majority of your meals at the Drafthouse. Luckily, the Alamo menu branches out from usual theater fare, offering up massive burgers, pizza, specialty drinks, and more.
The bottomless popcorn with clarified butter is a must. If you're in the mood for something sweet, the churro popcorn is also incredible. Also, my first year I was getting a giant bowl of popcorn for myself and never finishing it. Share with friends if you're in the same theater!
Texas has great BBQ, but vegan friends, fret not. The Alamo's got you covered with vegan options ranging from buffalo cauliflower to vegan pizza.
Every year, I eat an absolutely obscene amount of chicken tenders during the fest. Last year I discovered a savior on the menu (at a certain point, your body will likely be begging for greens). There are salads on the Alamo menu, but after discovering The Alamo Bowl late in the fest, I'm sure I'll be feasting upon it at least a handful of times during my stay at the theater. (In between every five or six orders of chicken tenders and cheeseburgers.)
The Temperature Situation
Not to sound like a beauty blog giving you skincare tips you didn't ask for, but make sure you're hydrating continuously! It may be September, but it is hot in Austin. Standing outside waiting for your badge group to be called into the theater can get a bit sweltering at times, so make sure to offset that with plenty of water. There's plenty of free water available (still and sparkling) so make use of it.
And while it's hot as the Devil's testicles (probably) outside, it can get a little chilly inside, so bring a sweater for your icy theatrical experience. (Also, watch out for giant insects outside. I tried to brush a Jurassic, multi-legged thing off a stranger's back, but it backfired and the creature jumped on me. What the stranger experienced in that moment was a girl swatting him on the back, and by the time he turned around, the girl was running away, screaming. Sorry to you, whoever you are. I've been mortified ever since.)
We'll see you in Austin! Fantastic Fest kicks off Thursday, September 19th. Check out our list of 16 New Horror Movies we're excited to see at the fest, and stay tuned for our ongoing Fantastic Fest coverage.
