Real life sisters Kate and Rooney Mara play sisters in Werner Herzog's modern fairytale. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Agathe Bonitzer and Vladimir Vulevic star in Angela Schanelec's new film. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

The recently launched Punjab Film City is like a light at the end of a dark tunnel for the Pakistani film industry, since enough has been discussed about the lack of resources and weak infrastructure in this area. This is, indeed, a healthy step towards enabling local filmmakers to tell their unique stories to the world, and letting the world know about Pakistani culture on its own terms. Pakistan is not devoid of talent. New films with strong stories are released every year, with many also making their way to international film festivals. Experimental filmmaking is something that the region has just begun to explore with its latest release of Zombeid (2026). New streaming projects are on the rise due to the rapidly growing OTT... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

In an isolated rural community in the Colombian mountains, evil takes shape inside Abraham and Isabel's home through the existence of Lazarus. Guided by their own local beliefs and ancestral rituals, they confront the unknown in a desperate attempt to end their torment. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

When a documentary team set out to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a young girl, events soon take an unexpected turn, leading the filmmakers down an increasingly dark and horrifying path. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

When the body of a man missing for thirty-six years is discovered at the scene of a horrific crime, it's up to his estranged daughter to unravel his dark past. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Director Andrew Haigh's new drama stars Fred Hechinger, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Caitríona Balfe. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Filmmaker Mark Duplass has partnered with the Chilliwack Independent Film Festival as an industry mentor for its new micro-budget film grant initiative, which the festival is celebrating with a secret pop-up screening of Creep 2 and a live Q&A with director Patrick Brice. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Plus: 'Appofeniacs' and 'Misty Green.' [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

It's surely one of the finest films of the year, and yet another masterpiece by Lee Chang-dong. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

John Trengove adapts Mark Behr's novel into a restrained, disquieting coming-of-age drama that filters apartheid-era privilege, racial hierarchy and paternal idealization through a child's limited understanding. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

There's something special going on with Michiel van Erp's new film. That the cast and crew received a standing ovation at the opening of the Netherlands Film Festival (NFF) last Friday isn't all that unusual (festival opening, enthusiastic audience), but here something different seemed to be happening. First there's the film's subject: three men who, in the midst of one epidemic, corona, look back on another, entirely different but even deadlier epidemic of the 1980s, and on their lives and love within it. What's special about it, and it's easy to forget this after the largely positive reception, especially from the Amsterdam in-crowd and the media around it, lies particularly in the film's dramatic structure and execution, which is nearly flawless. Of course, the film... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Afsaneh Salari's formally controlled documentary examines cosmetic surgery in Iran as an unstable expression of conformity, resistance, consumer desire, and bodily autonomy. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor directed the documentary. Once we delegate our moral obligation to AI, we've already lost whatever we are fighting for. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Sandra Hüller and Caro Braun star in Markus Schleinzer's period drama. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Adam Driver, Miles Teller, and Scarlett Johansson star in director James Gray's crime thriller. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

During the opening titles of Vincent Munier's new documentary, you watch a forest, for minutes, with trees slowly emerging from the fog, while Hildur Guðnadóttir's Fólk Fær Andlit music plays. Seen on the big screen it's a jawdropper of a shot, and a meditative moment which is a feast for your senses. Many will follow. Vincent Munier is an award-winning nature photographer and filmmaker, and for this title he spent a winter in the French Vosges mountain forests. Not alone, mind you: he brought his father (also a renowned nature photographer) and his 13-year-old son with him. The end result is this film, Whispers in the Woods, which is about love of nature, of patience, of incredible dedication for getting the right shot. In a... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

The 19th edition of the Toronto After Dark Film Festival has announced the complete lineup of features and short films.    The rather intense looking nature thriller Whalefall will open this year's festival. Brian Duffield's thriller stars Zach Cregger alumni Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin.   Festival faves from the circuit, The Fox, Species and Drag, join the previously announced I Love Paris.    All the films playing at this year's festival are included in the announcement below.    The Toronto After Dark Film Festival (TADFF) has officially unveiled its lineup for its 19th edition of exciting new horror, sci-fi and action films, which will screen from October 14 - 18, 2026 at the Cineplex Scotiabank Theatre (259 Richmond St W) and CineCycle (129 Spadina Ave). Across... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

As glaciers advance and cities freeze, a team of scientists races against time to build a colossal thermal shield to protect Earth from an encroaching ice age that will plunge the planet into extinction. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

The folks behind horror hit, Buddy, have prepared one last gasp at getting clueless parents to take their innocent, unsuspecting children into a theater to watch a horror flick. They will do so under the family friendly guise of sing-along screenings.    Beginning Friday, October 2, BUDDY fans at cinemas nationwide can experience the film as never before with a special theatrical engagement of BUDDY: THE SING-ALONG VERSION, featuring on-screen lyrics to all of BUDDY’s unforgettable songs.   Audiences are encouraged to dress up, sing their hearts out and join BUDDY and his friends for an immersive, one-of-a-kind theatrical experience that turns BUDDY into the ultimate event. Fan favorites including “It’s Buddy!,” “You’ve Got to Be Scared to Be Brave” and “The Wrong Place in... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Of the six new genre films that we're highlighting today, I've seen three, and of those, Dave Boyle's Never After Dark stands out. Our critic J Hurtado goes into much more detail in his review, linked below, but I'll add only that it was a pleasant surprise that quickly becomes an entirely gripping horror thriller. Don't miss the opportunity to see it in a movie theater. I enjoyed Lance Oppenheimer's sizzling drama Primetime more than our critic, Kyle Logan. His review, also linked below, capably explains his reservations. Thirdly, I also enjoyed David Ayer's wilderness survival adventure Heart of the Beast, though to a much lesser degree than the films listed above; still, see Mel Valentin's review below to see why he thinks it's an... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

The 64th edition of the New York Film Festival kicks off tonight with a screening of James Gray's crime drama Paper Tiger. We might call the film an elevated genre picture, considering the filmmaker, the stars, and, of course, its opening night selection of one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. Per the official synopsis: "Adam Driver, Miles Teller, and Scarlett Johansson star in James Gray's brilliant New York thriller, charting the tragic fallout after a family man is pulled into a shady scheme with Russian criminals by his former cop brother." The biggest challenge for local residents is the relative scarcity of tickets; screenings tend to sell out very quickly. (See this page for available tickets, but act fast.) The programming... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

May el-Toukhy's film, by virtue of winning the Golden Lion, is an automatic entrant into the Best International Film Oscar race. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

The title of the Mahershala Ali-led, Bassam Tariq-directed Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, an action-thriller with more than just action or thrills on its mind, derives from a well-known “Hadith,” a saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad in Islam.   Depending on the translation, the question differs slightly (e.g., “Whom should you honor foremost?”, “Who deserves your companionship and finest treatment?”), but the answer, repeated three times, remains the same: “Your mother.” "Your father" comes in fourth and last.    Ali’s character, Latif, a Muslim hitman (“he only kills the undeserving and the unrighteous”), finds himself at a literal, metaphorical crossroads when his wife dies suddenly, not through random or intentional violence as a genre enthusiast might expect, but through natural causes. Her loss... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Mamoru Oshii ('Ghost in the Shell') tells a mysterious story in a mesmerizing fashion, now on 4K from GKids. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

A new chapter in the V/H/S anthology horror series has become as much of a Halloween tradition as anything else you do to celebrate spooky season each year.   Decorate your house. Buy or make your kid's costumes. Play spooky music on your smart speakers. Buy too much Halloween candy so you purposely have leftovers at the end of the night. Log into Shudder and watch the new chapter of V/H/S. See how natural that sounds?    And so here we are, with the trailer for this year's contribution to the franchise that will never die, V/H/S/Mixtape.    Featuring all-new segments from legendary filmmaker Ernest Dickerson, hip-hop icon RZA, visionary director David Moreau, and acclaimed filmmaker Renee Zhan, V/H/S/MIXTAPE cranks the franchise's signature found-footage horror... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Robert Pattinson, Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, Matthew Maher and Bokeem Woodbine star in director Lance Oppenheimer's drama, inspired by true events. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Long before 'Anora' made Sean Baker a record-breaking Oscar winner, he took to the streets of New York City. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Only a year and a half ago, the Boy Scouts of America officially changed the name of the century-old youth organization to Scouting America, a move intended to be more inclusive than its gender-specific predecessor. (Currently, Scouting America includes roughly 200K female participants out of a total of 1 million.) Their motto, “Be Prepared!”, however, remains the same.   While those two words encapsulate Scouting America’s wilderness-related goals, they're also applicable to everyday life, even in a survival thriller like Heart of the Beast, a Brad Pitt-led film helmed by David Ayer, Pitt's Fury collaborator (The Beekeeper, Suicide Squad, End of Watch), which can — and should — be amended to: “Be prepared and bring your closest canine companion on your wilderness adventures, planned or... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

On the eve of Halloween, Pumpkin, the sole survivor of a humanity-ending plague, must use her candy, wit, and weapons to ferociously defend her wasteland home from a savage gang of raiders led by the fearsome Thalia. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Moeka Hoshi, Kento Kaku, Kurumi Inagaki, Mutsuo Yoshioka, Bokuzo Masana, and Tae Kimura star in writer/director Dave Boyle's haunting thriller. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Ghosts, Goblins, and Crowley. Magick Mtn. is a rock & roll fairytale set deep in Laurel Canyon using instruments of the occult to dig beneath the soil of a hillside marked by tragedy and death. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Inside an amusement park, a group of children and teenagers become trapped in a dark curse connecting them to a parallel world. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Nikias Chryssos' horror flick Bloody Tennis releases on Shudder this Friday, September 25th. A new clip has been sent out today. You can check it out, down below. The things that athletes to will do to win, yeesh.    Our own Martin caught Bloody Tennis when it played at Locarno this summer. You will find a link to his full review below. For now, here is a worthy excerpt.    Nikias Chryssos' English-language debut Bloody Tennis pushes the brutality of sports competition to sadistic extremes. The academy promises excellence, but its real curriculum is obedience. Every drill, humiliation and grotesque initiation becomes another bizarre step on the journey to the top.   Watch the New Clip for BLOODY TENNIS!   Written/Directed by Nikias Chryssos  ... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

We have your exclusive first look at the trailer for Tanner Beard's Once Upon a Time in Texas, a reimagined restoration of a film he made fifteen years ago, The Legend of Hell’s Gate: An American Conspiracy.    What started as a restoration of the original film, in time for its fifteenth anniversary, took on a whole life of its own. Fifteen years after directing The Legend of Hell’s Gate: An American Conspiracy, Tanner Beard expanded an anniversary restoration into a completely revamped version of the Western film. By shooting new backlot footage, restoring deleted scenes, adding new characters, upgrading visual effects, and commissioning a fresh score, Beard realized his definitive vision through a unique collaboration with his younger self.    Yep. Beard done did... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

AMC Global Media have announced that the Crypt Keeper, the iconic host from the Tales of the Crypt franchise, will host the 30th Anniversary celebration of their annual Fearfest.   Horror veteran Greg Nicotero is directing new Crypt Keeper segments for the marathon, bringing fresh content (as fresh as a ghoul can be) from the classic character back to the screen. The event begins on October 1st and features over 650 hours of horror programming. The lineup includes the premieres of new series YAGA and The Terror: Devil In Silver.   October is shaping up to be a busy month for horror fans. Check out the main programming events in the gallery below, including a pic of the Crypt Keeper in his new duds, spinning... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Shudder has unveiled the official artwork for V/H/S/Mixtape, showing a melting-skull design ahead of the anthology's world premiere at Beyond Fest on September 30.   Along with the poster reveal, the streaming platform detailed the segments making up this audio-centric entry, which focuses on sound through short films directed by RZA, Ernest Dickerson, David Moreau, and Renee Zhan.   You will find all the information you need in the following announcement.   From Directors Ernest Dickerson, Flying Lotus, Tobias Forge, David Moreau, RZA, Renee Zhan   Featuring GWAR and Jim Henson's Creature Shop   Streaming Exclusively on Shudder Starting Friday, October 9th   Beyond Fest World Premiere Wednesday, September 30th @ 7:00pm The Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles *Followed by a Q&A with... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, and Kristin Scott Thomas reprise their roles in the British spy series. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

The era of physical bonus features is returning to screens. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Anuparna Roy's second feature intertwines queer longing, displacement, caste and emotional misrecognition in the nocturnal margins of Mumbai. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Eight cinematic masterworks from Steven Spielberg are brought together in a beautiful 4K UHD collector's edition. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

On a very dark and stormy night, Julia arrives for her very first overnight shift as a hospice nurse, only to end up trapped in a remote lakeside house with Evelyn, a dementia patient who might be dealing with something supernatural.    Julia took the job out of guilt because she avoided her own mom while she was dying of dementia. Now, she is stuck in this remote house, gradually unearthing the truth about their patient's past, realizing something supernatural is wrong with Evelyn.    Things get worse when Evelyn’s estranged ex-husband, Randall, shows up in the middle of the night, all "Torches and Pitchforks." He and Evelyn shared this dark past—they lost their daughter and used a sketchy spiritual ritual to try and save... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Pakistani cinema had streets, walls, billboards, and cinema entrances long before a YouTube trailer or social media existed. One year after independence, Pakistan entered cinema with its first film, Teri Yaad, which ran for five weeks on cinema screens, as per British Online Archives. The country officially saw the dawn of the Golden Age of Lollywood, when a film's marketing involved hand-painted posters. Lahore and Karachi became the primary filmmaking hubs, where hyper-vibrant, hand-painted posters defined the era's visuals. The art, technique, Urdu typography, visual styles, and cultural influences that make these posters distinctive have changed over time. For clarification, let's take the poster of 1979's Maula Jatt and 2022's The Legend of Maula Jatt. The 1979 poster (above) has an unmistakable look of classic... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Japanese cult filmmaker Sabu refreshes the police-action formula with screwball comedy and melancholic undertones. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Barbara Mori, César "Pudy" Ballumbrosio, Christian Meier, and Hermelinda Luján star in Ricardo de Montreuil's crowdpleasing film. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Alexandre Smia's gripping feature debut locks Denis Ménochet inside the machinery of presidential power, where rational calculations lead toward an unthinkable conclusion. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Blockbusters both new and old are now on 4K UHD from Universal, Warner Bros., and Sony. [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

Plus: 'Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!,' 'Heart of the Beast,' 'Ryuichi Sakamoto: Diaries.' [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

The 2026 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival concluded last night, but our coverage has not. Look for additional reviews this week, which we will add to this post and update it more thoroughly next week. For now, here are our reviews (so far). Our Curtain Raiser, put together by our own Kurt Halfyard, got us off to a good start. Then the reviews started pouring in ... Reviews by Kurt Halfyard: EVERYTHING ELSE IS NOISE HALF, Malayalam Vampires Throw Down the Beats, and Slay On the Beatings ANCHORS AWEIGH, Deadpan Profundity, With Sailing Metaphors LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BRIAN MULRONEY BAD LIEUTENANT: TOKYO, Takashi Miike's Fairy Tale of Redemption WILD HORSE NINE, All Flourish and No Feeling FURIES, A Sweaty Hellish Heist By Women... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]

In the article series Sound and Vision we take a look at music videos from notable directors. This week we discuss a duo of music videos by Olivia Wilde. Olivia Wilde might be known mostly as an actor. But after three films as a director that show a wide variety of styles and genres, it is clear she is the real deal of a good actor-turned-director, a feat which is still quite rare. You might think that her three films and two music videos don't have a lot in common. One is a highschool-comedy, one is a scifi-thriller, one is a razorsharp black comedy set in one room and the music videos are a skating-video and a dance-choreography shot on a phone. You would be... [Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]