It’s that time again for my annual sojourn to Fantastic Fest, the annual Alamo Drafthouse week long love letter to horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world. This year’s festival runs from Sept 18-25, here in Austin in the South Lamar location.

As in year’s past, I begin my coverage with a multi-part/day preview.

Fantastic Fest Preview Day Three

Whispers Behind the Wall

Martin (Vincent Redetzki) is a law student in Berlin. He’s excited to finally move away from home, but apartments are scarce. Eventually, he finds a cheap crummy apartment after the previous tenant disappears. While cleaning the messy flat, Martin discovers secret passageways that run adjacent to the home of his mysterious landlord Simone (Katharina Heyer). During his free time, Martin listens as Simone and her boyfriend (Florian Panzner) argue and have sex. When Martin finally meets Simone, he is quickly drawn into her bizarre and dangerous life.

The first feature from Grzegorz Muskala is a dark thriller that’s equal parts Lynch and Polanski. A choking claustrophobic atmosphere pervades the entire film, as most of the events take place within Martin and Simone’s apartments. Although stylish and visually clever, characters and relationships are the key to the film’s success. Martin is a naif who is eager to explore life outside of his parent’s home. Blinded by his newfound sense of personal and sexual freedom, he fails to notice the dangers that lie in front of him. Simone is alluring and methodical. Her damaged psychology is apparent but she’s also shown to be emotionally sensitive and vulnerable. Alternately funny and depraved, WHISPERS BEHIND THE WALL is a dark dizzying exploration of a strange—and ultimately doomed—relationship. (Rodney Perkins)

Kung Fu Elliot

Elliot “White Lightning” Scott is a man of many talents. This Nova Scotia native is a martial artist, a director, a special effects technician and Sinophile. Known throughout the region for films such as BLOOD FIGHT and THEY KILLED MY CAT, Elliot’s ultimate goal is to become Canada’s “first action star.” He spends all of his time—and all of his girlfriend Linda’s money—in an attempt to make this dream come true. However, Elliot is not the person that he seems to be.

Initially, KUNG FU ELLIOT seems like yet another documentary about a deluded amateur filmmaker who wants to become famous. As co-directors Jaret Belliveau and Matt Bauckman peel back the layers of Elliot Scott’s puffery and self-mythology, a more complex and truly bizarre picture emerges. Elliot’s personal narrative is revealed to be mostly based on numerous lies. Some of the lies are large. Some of the lies are small. Most of the lies are just weird. Elliot’s cadre of supporters, especially his best friend, are revealed as strange enablers who prop up his juvenile and perverse fantasy world. At the center of the mayhem is Linda, who is frustrated by Elliot’s lack of seriousness but is completely supportive of his endeavors. The arc of this true-life story is unpredictable and the conclusion, in which Elliot’s entire facade collapses before the audience’s eyes, is genuinely shocking. KUNG FU ELLIOT must be seen to be believed. (Rodney Perkins)

The Astrologer

A carnival con man discovers that he has genuine psychic powers and uses them to become an astrology bigwig. But the plot isn’t necessarily the focus of THE ASTROLOGER. It’s the kind of film where the main character makes a movie that is basically THE ASTROLOGER within the movie and then we get to spend a few minutes watching The Astrologer watch THE ASTROLOGER inside the movie THE ASTROLOGER! It’s the kind of movie that has an entire dynamic dinner scene shot entirely in slow-motion. It’s the kind of movie where someone shouts, “You’re not an astrologer… YOU’RE AN ASSHOLE!” And it’s all done without an ounce of irony. It’s all genuine, it’s all passion, it’s all GOOD. (Brian Kelley)

Tombville

David has a problem. That much is clear. But he just can’t remember what it is. The fact that he’s awoken battered and bruised on the outskirts of Tombville would be problem enough, you’d think. Or the fact that he has no substantive memory of how he got there or even much of who he is. Or that the town is filled with bizarre back country characters who seem to delight in his torment. Any one of these would seem to be enough of a problem but they’re all secondary to the fact that a mysterious force is preventing him from leaving Tombville no matter how hard he may try, and that the key to the force appears to lie somewhere in his fractured past.

A microbudget tour-de-force in mood and atmosphere from first time Belgian feature director Nikolas List, TOMBVILLE bears all the marks of a director who has absorbed the influences of Lynch, Cronenberg and the like and twisted them into something uniquely his own. List makes the darker urges of the psyche his playground, creating a dank and oppressive world that cannot be escaped. Despite the miniscule budget, List manages to create a deeply immersive sensory experience, his debut feature marking him as a striking talent and a worthy addition to the young cadre of Belgian talent that already includes Fabrice du Welz (CALVAIRE) and AMER / STRANGE COLOUR OF YOUR BODY’S TEARS duo Bruno Frozani & Helene Cattet.  (Todd Brown)