Indie Horror Spotlight: Sick and Littermates at Fantastic Fest 2026

Agata Trzebuchowska’s SICK will have its world premiere at this year’s Fantastic Fest in Austin. Photo: Maciej Edelman, used with permission.

Fantastic Fest is back at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas, running from September 17th–24th. As the U.S.’s largest genre film festival, it brings eight action-packed days of premieres, wild events, and special guests celebrating horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and independent cinema. (Fantastic Fest/Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, 2026)

This year’s lineup features 35 world premieres, 21 international and North American premieres, and 14 U.S. premieres. Highlights include opening night gala screenings of Resident Evil and Lionsgate’s Beware Boiúna, the closing night world premiere of The Swallow, Mike Flanagan debuting his Carrie series, and independent titles like Death of a Yellow Bird and I Have Proof!. Full film guide here.

Venue Information
Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar

1120 South Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78704


Two standout indie titles screening this week offer a deep dive into psychological dread and absurdist horror. (EG PR, 2026)

SICK (World Premiere)

  • Genre: Drama / Horror
  • Runtime: 90 minutes (In Polish with English subtitles)
  • Country: Poland
  • Directed & Written by: Agata Trzebuchowska
  • Starring: Konrad Kąkol, Katarzyna Łubik, Monika Niemczyk, Julian Świeżewski, and Eliza Rycembel

Official Screenings

  • World Premiere: Friday, Sept 18 at 5:30 PM (Theater 6)
  • Additional Screenings: Thursday, Sept 24 at 5:45 PM (Theaters 6 & 7)

Plot Overview

During the summer holidays, 16-year-old Maks and his 19-year-old sister Emma are sent to the Polish countryside to care for their ailing grandmother. Trapped in the heavy, stifling isolation of the summer heat, their sibling bond begins to shift into something unsettling and difficult to define. As tensions rise, their grandmother’s frail presence takes on a disturbing quality, turning an idyllic summer into a haunting passage into adulthood.

About the Filmmaker

Agata Trzebuchowska first gained international recognition starring in Paweł Pawlikowski’s Oscar-winning film Ida. Following her short film debuts Heat and Vacancy, Sick marks her anticipated feature-length directorial debut.


LITTERMATES (Drafthouse Exclusive)

  • Genre: Absurdist Horror
  • Runtime: 88 minutes
  • Country: USA
  • Written & Directed by: Scott Tinkham and Michael Woloson
  • Starring: Joey Bader, Oliver Woolf, and Kaylee McGregor
  • Theatrical Release Date: November 6, 2026

Official Screening

  • Screening: Sunday, September 20 at 2:00 PM (Theater 9)

Plot Overview

Set against the backdrop of a mysterious war, Littermates follows two disoriented survivors, Liam (Joey Bader) and Mel (Kaylee McGregor), who arrive bloodied and speechless at an isolated English countryside cottage. Taken in by an enigmatic caretaker named Chester (Oliver Woolf), they spend their days relearning basic tasks and earning “nifties” for good behavior. While Liam settles into the structured routine, Mel grows increasingly drawn to the forbidden woods outside—testing the fragile order of their makeshift family.

About the Filmmakers

  • Scott Tinkham is a Minnesota-based writer and director whose work explores dark comedy and emotional sincerity. His short 24 Hours After Reading Tuesdays with Morrie premiered at SXSW 2025.
  • Michael Woloson is a Los Angeles-based writer, director, and cinematographer known for character-driven narratives focusing on memory and time. He served as cinematographer and producer on Tinkham’s SXSW short.
Littermates. Photo: Drafthouse Exclusives

‘Flesh of the Unforgiven’ Review: A Dark Descent into Fear and Damnation

Joe Hollow’s ‘Flesh of the Unforgiven.’ Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Flesh of the Unforgiven: Death Is Only the Beginning

Synopsis

In Flesh of the Unforgiven, novelist Jack Russo (Joe Hollow) is suffering from crippling writer’s block. In a last-ditch effort to revive his creativity, he retreats to a secluded cabin in the mountains of Quebec with his estranged wife, Sienna (Debbie Rochon). Under pressure from his agent to deliver a treatment for his next bestseller within 72 hours, Jack is sent a mysterious VHS tape—meant to spark inspiration.

It starts as mere curiosity and quickly devolves into obsession. The disturbing contents of the tape drag Jack into a spiral of paranoia, hallucination, and dread. As he teeters on the edge of madness, Sienna struggles to ground him in reality. But she harbors secrets of her own—ones that blur the lines between the living and the dead. As they’re pulled into the twisted realm of the Death Dealer and his legion of manipulative demons, both Jack and Sienna must confront terrifying truths—about themselves, and about the price of fear.

Written and directed by Joe Hollow, the cast includes Debbie Rochon as Sienna Russo, Joe Hollow as Jack Russo/Death Dealer, August Kyss as Vivienne, and Adriana Uchishiba as Livinia.

It is available for rent/purchase on Amazon Video.


Movie Review: Flesh of the Unforgiven

This independent psychological horror film is a brutal, dreamlike exploration of grief, guilt, and damnation, wrapped in a narrative that feels like a waking nightmare. As psychological unrest spirals into full-blown torment, reality becomes warped, and redemption feels increasingly out of reach.

The film’s atmosphere is suffocatingly dark, enhanced by haunting cinematography and a pulse-pounding score that echoes like a heartbeat from hell. The performances are raw and deeply emotional—especially as the Death Dealer toys with his victims, offering twisted salvation in exchange for them embracing their deepest fears.

While the story sometimes stumbles under the weight of its own symbolism, it never loses momentum. The creature design is grotesque and unforgettable, with each demon representing a unique form of psychological torment. It’s not just a horror movie—it’s a disturbing reflection on punishment, corrupted love, and the monsters that live within us.


⚠️ Content Warning

Flesh of the Unforgiven is not for the faint of heart. The film features graphic nudity, gore, and intense violence throughout, including an explicit opening scene, and as a whole, flirts with softcore horror-porn territory. It’s a bold and boundary-pushing film that won’t appeal to everyone—and it’s definitely not family-friendly.

That said, for fans of indie psychological and supernatural horror, this film offers a darkly imaginative take on fear, deals with the devil, and the unbearable weight of our inner demons. NSFW alert: proceed with caution—but horror lovers may find themselves morbidly transfixed.


“Don’t run from your fears, embrace them.
The words of an ancient evil called…the Death Dealer.
It is said that he exists within a realm that lies between life and death.
Searching for lost souls and using his legion of demons to guide them..
If you’re chosen, he’ll make you a deal.
Granting a new life beyond death.
In return…you must face your fears…and embrace them.
He owns your soul once the deal is made.
But the fate of the soul, depends on your will to survive.”


*Thank you to Joe Williamson for the screener link for review consideration. I have not been compensated for this review and all views and opinions are my own.


Debbie Rochon as Sienna Russo. Courtesy photo, used with permission.