Fantasia 2025 I Filmmaking on the Bleeding/Sleazy Edge
The 2025 edition of Fantasia Fest has come to a close and I think it’s important to say the following.
The pendulum continues to swing in the direction of going back to a simple, more Puritanical time in this crazy world. As our leaders ramp up their obsession with censorship and telling the folks who voted for them that porn is outlawed in their state and we need to go back to wholesome values, what are we to do?
Simple; ramp up the sleaze, ramp up the insanity and bust through the barriers. As long as there is a punk rock spirit and festivals like Fantasia we can fight this new world order of social crusaders who are just upset that they secretly love this stuff, but that wouldn’t go over too well at their $500 a plate fundraiser in suburban Iowa.
Courtesy of Fantasia Film Festival
This year at Fantasia we had everything from a Messianic delivery boy who can cure with the use of their johnson to strippers turning into edible candy after a run-in with the ice cream man. You can’t say that creativity is dead when you also have a cokehead getting his head stuck in a toilet and trying to find a way out.
From year to year, no matter the subject matter, there is always room for any concept from any filmmaker from any and all walks of life. Since we’ve been covering Fantasia since 2020 we’ve been lucky enough to see wild movies from South Africa (‘Fried Barry’), Taiwan (‘The Sadness’), and of course the US (‘Black Eyed Susan’), but this year’s edition brought some gems that go beyond what you might expect, and deliver some memorable experiences.
Anything That Moves
One of my favorites from this edition, ‘Anything That Moves’ is what I would call the gig economy Giallo that is shot on film in such a grimy way I felt like I was back in the 1970s and about to be stabbed by a guy with a black glove. The premise is off-the-wall and is certainly something you should watch with the entire family; preferably during Christmas.
Sugar Rot
While a little rough around the edges, this is another insane premise that will make your teeth hurt. An underground feminist body horror flick that oozes sex and gore and of course a lot of candy. Punk rock splatter cinema at it’s stickiest.
$Positions
This is a film that I would love to see get a cult following going. There is a lot to like about this film and it’s trashy aesthetic is something that reminds me of another favorite festival favorite back in 2020, ‘Breakfast in America.’ It’s filmed well, has some great performances and takes some twists and turns that make this a highlight for 2025. ‘$Positions’ needs to be out in a world for people to see.
Flush
We’ve seen movies with people trapped in coffins, submersibles and even phone booths. But what happens when you’re head gets stuck in a toilet at a seedy club when you’re supposed to be seeing you’re daughter on her birthday.
‘Flush’ as a concept is ridiculous, but it’s a lot of fun, and works very well in it’s runtime of 70 minutes. A true Rube Goldberg of insanity.
Fucktoys
Like a twisted Alice in Wonderland, ‘Fucktoys’ brings something else entirely to the proceedings. It’s a whimsical adventure shot on 16mm film, lending a dreamlike aesthetic to an already out-of-this world fable. Director Annapurna Siriam’s directorial debut drops you right into Trashtown, a place you may want to run from, or even make yourself comfortable in.
Courtesy of Fantasia Film Festival
So from what it looks like, the future of cult, exploitation, horror, and anything that might be on the edge is in good hands with a new generation that isn’t relying on AI to create, because honestly, I think running prompts like this would break the system, which would be a start.