[Fantasia ’23] Five Favorites From Fantasia

This year’s edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival had a number of great genre offerings. There were a number of world premieres and movies from all over the world. It was hard to narrow it down, but below are our five favorites. Classic stop motion adventure, time travel, atmospheric woods, a creepy vampire short, and even Star Wars made the list.

A Disturbance in the Force

“You could tell a casual Star Wars fan from a hardcore by whether they knew about the holiday special,” someone states in this informative documentary. Even the biggest fan will be impressed by the amount of footage and knowledge found here. Interviews and clips along with a straightforward tone that is funny but honest, make this one of the best documentaries out there about the beloved franchise.

Aporia

Writer-director Jared Moshe eschews the fantastic nature often found in time travel stories to tell a story that is filled with choices, consequences, and emotion. Great performances and a stripped down atmosphere add up to one of the most down to earth science-fiction movies in recent years. Does an excellent job of not talking down to the audience while never going over their heads.

Lovely Dark, and Deep

Arguably the best horror movie of the year, the directorial debut of Tess Sutherland is a hypnotic tour de force that is quiet, contemplative, and scary. The plot takes time building its tale while constantly pushing forward. The camerawork has a natural beauty that is inviting and secretive while Georgina Campbell (Barbarian) is fantastic. An absolute must-see and a reminder of everything right in indie horror.

The Primevals

A throwback to the days of stop motion adventure movies, this release from Full Moon Features brings the storytelling of decades past to modern audiences. There is a sense of fun not often seen today – one of the characters is named Rondo Montana – coupled with an innocence that highlights its old time charm. A refreshing throwback that genre fans will enjoy.

Transvlvanie

One of the best parts of any film festival are the short film blocks. Inevitably, there will always be a few that stand out. This year’s Fantasia was no different with a number of excellent shorts. With its story of a young vampire looking to take over, Transylvanie is one of the finest. Starts out chilling, then becomes something cute, before becoming frightening on a number of levels.