Let's Talk About: Fantastic Fest 2022 (Patreon)

One of the best reasons to head to Austin's annual Fantastic Fest film festival is that it functions as a pocket preview of the next 12 months or so in standout genre movies — the horror, sci-fi, animation, and cult releases that will be rolling out in theaters soon. The directors are almost always on hand to talk about their movies, and the audiences are engaged, enthusiastic, and never on their phones during the movie. (Thanks, Alamo Drafthouse.)

It's a cinephile's dream, which is why whenever Tasha makes it down there, she always runs into Next Picture Show listeners who recognize her by voice and have a lot to say about the podcast. It's a fun time with some of the most obsessive genre-loving filmgoers in the country.

Fantastic Fest 2022 had a particularly strong lineup, with secret-screening premieres of Marvel's Werewolf By Night and Hulu's Hellraiser, alongside premieres or pre-release screenings of Smile, The Menu, Park Chan-wook's Decision to Leave, Ruben Östlund's Triangle of Sadness, Luca Guadagnino's bloody romance Bones and All, Alberto Vázquez's horrifying animated film Unicorn Wars, a terrific action movie directed by Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae, Martin McDonagh's Banshees of Inisherin, the tiny sci-fi movie Vesper, and so much more.

In this bonus episode, Tasha runs through the highlights of Fantastic Fest 2022, and recommends horror and action movies from the fest you should watch for in theaters, both over the next several months and in some cases, in the indeterminate future.

Some of Tasha's coverage from the festival:

Smile review

The Menu review 

Unicorn Wars review 

Vesper review 

Interviews with Smile writer-director Parker Finn about the movie's take on mental illness and the practical effects in his big monster reveal 

Interview with Triangle of Sadness star Dolly De Leon about Triangle of Sadness' ending and Abigail's secret backstory 

Interview with Werewolf By Night's Michael Giacchino about the movie's place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline

And still to come… a deep dive into Decision to Leave with Park Chan-wook, director Mark Mylod talks The Menu vs. Succession, an interview with Alberto Vázquez about horror, war, religion, and animation, and more.