Panic Fest 2026: Cruel Hands (2026) Review

Director: Al Kalyk

Notable Cast: Mavournee Hazel, Diesel La Torraca, Josh McConville, Genevieve Lemon, Harry Greenwood, Iolanthe, Glenda Kalyk

 

I can already see it now. The comments that will cascade down from the internet as horror fans react to Cruel Hands and its 1970s-inspired stylistic choices. Comments about how it's ‘not horror enough’ or that ‘it's not a real horror film’ will garner thousands of reactions and probably just as many arguments around the spectrum of genre labels.

 

You know what? Good. Cause quite frankly, Cruel Hands is the kind of film that will need a bit of online discourse to push it further into the genre fans’ circles for viewing. Call it what you will, horror, thriller, dark drama, or whatever other sub-genre you want. This 1970s-inspired slice of atmospheric tension and visceral domestic horror is worth watching. It’s one of those palpable, character-driven, slow-burning old-school horror films that manages to curdle into the crevices of your heart and mind. Powered by some incredible performances, a steady hand at tone and atmosphere, and a real sense of grounded grit to its writing, Cruel Hands manages to be both subtle and impactfully hard-hitting. It’s the kind of throwback film that should be garnering some real fans when it finds a full release. 

 

Panic Fest 2026: Grind (2026) Review

Directors: Ed Dougherty, Brea Grant, Chelsea Stardust

Notable Cast: James Paxton, Christopher Rodriguez Marquette, Rob Huebel, James Urbaniak, Barbara Crampton, Vinny Thomas, Aubrey Shea, Courtney Pauroso, Ify Nwadiwe, Jessika Van, James A. Janisse, Sharlene Cruz, Jon Gabrus, Teri Gamble, Hannah Alline, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Anastasia Washington, Bries Vannon

 

Well, if you’re going to make a socio-political satire horror film, taking a shot at the gig economy is a great way to do it. In an age where satire is essentially dead, thanks to real-world events that could not possibly be any dumber, it’s nice to see a film like Grind succeed at being successfully funny and manage to be creatively empowered to have something to say while doing it. It helps that the talent in front of and behind the camera are working with the same spirit and tenacity to make it all work, but Grind manages to blend comedy and horror in some refreshingly fun and smart ways. Each story in this anthology has its own distinctive voice without betraying the film's overall intention, and the combination proves to be lethally hilarious. 

 

Panic Fest 2026: Frogman Returns (2026) Review

Director: Anthony Cousins

Notable Cast: Nathan Tymoshuk, Alexis Allotta, Natalie Tran, Chelsey Grant, C.Andrew Kogolenok, Brian Villalobos, Benny Barrett, Tom Ringberg, Karen Schovajsa

 

“Time to croak, bitch.” 

 

Despite the surprising amount of world-building that erupted in the third act of Frogman, I’m not sure I would have expected there to be a sequel. Yet, the film proved to be something of a massive cult hit, and when Frogman Returns was initially announced, I was pretty stoked. While the original certainly used the tropes and style of found-footage horror well, balancing comedy, horror, and exploitation into one slurpy stew, its third act went fully off the lily pad and straight into the deep end, with some wild ideas and wicked body horror. It’s the kind of film that comes with a built-in cult following. 

 

Frogman Returns follows in those leaps and hops with an eagerness to extend and deepen the insanity of Frogman’s world. Powered by some returning cast, a slightly meta approach to the original, and the pace of the Energizer Bunny on crack (is the Energizer Bunny even still a thing? Probably in Frogman’s world as a real cryptid), this sequel does go bigger, badder, and bolder with the ideas planted by its predecessor. And, don’t worry, the third act goes even more bizarre than expected. It’s insane and ‘ribbit-ing.’ You know, like riveting but for frogs. Or something. Sorry, I’ll show myself the door. 

 

Panic Fest 2026: Ivan (2026) Review

Director: Damien Fannon

Notable Cast: Anna Mirodin, Tayna Clarke, Julia Tomasone, Stephen Bogaert

 

When I read that Ivan would be a film centered around a piece of technology, specifically an AI device named - you guessed it - Ivan, I do not think I would have ever expected that the film would be a period piece. Not that it’s given a definitive year, or does it make the horrible mistake of littering the film with a plethora of needle drops and references to pop culture, but Ivan surprisingly takes its audience back to a time and place where having an electronic device that can watch, hear, and talk to you is almost beyond understanding. 

 

It’s one of the bold choices that Ivan makes throughout that sets it aside from many of the other films in this year's Panic Fest. Director and co-writer Damien Fannon takes a familial drama and inserts this technological horror aspect as the catalyst to address many dark family issues, and manages to craft a rollicking thriller that regularly sidesteps expectations and delivers a surprisingly potent mix of horror and drama. And that’s before the ending slams its audience with two or three new layers of intensity. 

 

Panic Fest 2026: The Burning of Broken Beak (2026)

Director: Christian Carroll

Notable Cast: Briar Rose, Lydia Peckham, Katlyn Wong, Joel Tobeck, Jonny Brugh, Rob Kipa-Williams, Bruce Hopkins, Bala Murali Shingade, Beth Alexander, William Zhang

 

I’m a sucker for a good folk horror story. Throw in some kind of ancient legend, told in rhyme and shown with stylized animation, and put in a touch of body horror, and suddenly I’m doing a skip down the walk in anticipation of seeing it. For The Burning of Broken Beak, writer/director/editor/most everything under the sun Christian Carroll is aiming for something of a modern folk horror tale and he manages to conjure up something that feels like it owes its cornerstones to the folk horror of yesteryears, but manages to modernize in a way that feels relevant and potent for the last couple of years. While the film tends to play things slightly on the safe side with its horror elements until its final act, spending much of its runtime on a murder-mystery plot, it also packs an impactful amount of dynamite into its final act, putting it above and beyond some of its indie genre peers. And it certainly doesn’t feel bird-brained in the process. 

 

Its central character, Emma, played by Briar Rose, returns to New Zealand with her girlfriend from her life as a photographer in New York to attend the reading of her adopted uncle’s will after he is horrifically murdered. However, with a massive inheritance on the line, the family quickly comes into odds with one another. It’s too bad, though, because their squabbles have seemingly unleashed a curse upon the family of the old Māori legend of a human-sized bird who was slaughtered when she stood up against colonists. Now the family is being killed one by one, leaving Emma as the prime suspect. Visions of Broken Beak haunt her, and Emma must uncover whether the curse is real or if there’s more to her family than even she thought. 

 

Panic Fest 2026: Buffet Infinity (2026)

Director: Simon Glassman

Notable Cast: Kevin Singh, Claire Theobald, Donovan Workun

 

Much of modern storytelling, through whatever media you choose - whether it's book, TV, movie, or even the internet, is being built on nostalgia and meta-narratives. For many of us, remembering what something was like in the media from 20 or 30 years ago is ripe for analysis and exploitation. Releases like ‘legacy sequels’ or shows like Stranger Things aim to evoke nostalgia and meta commentary to sell their material. Remember how we felt about Star Wars? Or the old Steven Spielberg films? Remember when Rosanne was one of the best sitcoms on TV? Try out The Connors. You’ll feel the same. 

 

However, there’s a sect of artists out there who use these same tactics to weaponize those concepts against their viewers, creating intriguing slices of art. The Adult Swim segment Too Many Cooks used the opening credits of an early-90s sitcom to kick-start its own descent into unnerving territory. Watching that on my phone while riding on a train in the middle of the night certainly added to it, but there was a bold, artistic, and often satirical slant to it that left me unnerved. 

 

It’s been over a decade since I saw that segment, and this approach to undercutting nostalgic elements is only finding more footing. Take Buffet Infinity as the prime example of such. This instant cult classic uses local commercials as canvases to paint a narrative around the horrors of capitalism through a cosmic-horror lens. Yes, you read that right. Buffet Infinity is an entire film made of clips of fake commercials for small-town businesses, news segments, and infomercials. Yet, it’s incredibly poignant in its tone, sociopolitical commentary, and razor-sharp writing that it manages to be hilarious, sorrowful, and utterly terrifying - oftentimes within one moment. It’s fucking brilliant. 

 

Panic Fest 2026: Pitfall (2026) Review

Director: James Kondelik

Notable Cast: Alex Essoe, Marshall Williams, Richard Harmon, Jordan Claire Robbins, Matt Hamilton, Randy Couture

 

Within the first ten or fifteen minutes of Pitfall, there are literally three instances of deer being killed. Now, granted, one of them is in a hallucinatory state for one of its lead characters, but it certainly set the stage for how I was going to watch this film.  Cause that’s certainly a silly choice, and I kind of appreciate it cause it does set the stage for what one can expect from the two-tone approach that Pitfall is using as its concept. 

 

Despite perhaps hitting the hammer on the head about the film’s ‘nature can be dangerous’ themes that are layered into the two genres that it's mish-mashing together - the survival film and the slasher, Pitfall is certainly a film that has a lot more going for it in the undertones than what I expected. This is the two-tone approach that director James Kondelik is aiming for with this film.  

 

Get Cooked: Hellfire (2026) Review

Director: Isaac Florentine

Cast: Stephen Lang, Scottie Thompson, Chris Mullinax, Johnny Yong Bosch, Dolph Lundgren, Michael Sirow, Harvey Keitel

 

Back in the late 00s and the early 10s, if you wanted to find great old school action, you would scan the internet for Isaac Florentine. His ‘straight-to-video’ (a term that essentially doesn’t exist thanks to streaming now) affairs were some of the best you could find. His work with classic icons like Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme was fun, and his partnership with Scott Adkins defined that era for incredible action. I’d still argue that Ninja: Shadow of a Tear is one of the greatest action films ever made, and I will absolutely fight you if you disagree.

 

However, Florentine’s career has been much rockier lately. Some of this is due to trying some new styles, working in slightly different genres, or partnering with different stars, but it felt like some of the shine was being dulled. It culminated in Hounds of War, an ultimately droll affair with Frank Grillo on autopilot and horrendous editing and action design that felt completely out of sync with what one expects from a Florentine flick.

 

Thus, my expectations for Hellfire were relatively muted. Sure, it has a hell of a cast, including Stephan Lang as the special ops veteran caught in the criminal web of a small town, but even that was not necessarily as exciting as I hoped for. Yet, while Hellfire certainly struggles to find some of its voice in the first 45 minutes and really loves to hammer down on those straight-to-VOD action tropes, it is something of a bounce back for Florentine. Its foundations are solid, the main performances - even if tropey - feel engaged, and the back end of the film really starts rollicking once tensions of its generic script finally pop. By the end, I was totally engulfed by the fun and surprising moments that Hellfire was delivering. Enough so that there’s a part of me that hopes Florentine has found his new franchise in the wandering warrior that Stephan Lang is bringing to the table. 

 

Slice of Strife: The Wailing (2025) Review

Director: Pedro Martín Calero

Notable Cast: Ester Expósito, Mathilde Ollivier, Malena Villa, Claudia Roset, José Luis Ferrer, Lia Lois, Sonia Almarcha, Tomás del Estal, Lautaro Bettoni, Alex Monner

 

The entire arthouse horror aspect of pairing "haunting" and "trauma" has now become a staple of the genre, but The Wailing approaches it in a fascinating way. The film essentially tells its tale through three women through two different time frames. It's a slow-burn narrative that focuses on how this haunting builds from the mundane to the manic, and on not being up front with its terrors, but seeding them under the skin and in the folds of the brain. Sure, it’s the kind of horror film that seems fairly par-for-the-course now in a post-A24 era, but don’t sell The Wailling short - it has a voice, and it's executed impressively. 

 

The Wailing is a film that might be compared to other haunting/trauma films, like the socio-hauntings of It Follows or the technological horrors of The Ring, but it wholly wants to present itself as a slice-of-life film. It just happens to feature various characters who are terrorized by an unseen horror that creeps up through an outside lens (in this case, the camera), thereby highlighting the technological aspect that was so prevalent in late 90s and early 00s J-horror. However, the film certainly takes its time with each of its characters as they go about their lives, and with how each one eventually succumbs to the horror of this ‘curse’ passed down to them. The process of getting there may be fairly mundane to some, with its incredibly meticulous pacing and seemingly meandering character beats, but it all fits with the complexity of its themes and the humanity that is tragically lost as the horror grows closer. 

 

Peril at Sea: Rescue at Dongji (2026) Review

Directors: Fei Zhenxiang, Guan Hu

Notable Cast: Zhu Yilong, Leo Wu, Ni Ni, Yang Haoyu, Chen Minghao, Ni Dahong, William Franklyn-Miller, Li Jiuxiao, Wang Yiquan, Kevin Lee

 

Living in the shadow of Hollywood, the big war story blockbuster is essentially its own genre. Although Chinese cinema handily receives the “jingoistic” label more often than not, let’s be up front and honest here - they learned how to do it from Hollywood. And judging from Rescue at Dongji, they’ve taken the classic war-film elements, given them a Chinese cinematic twist, and let them rip. Rescue at Dongji is a bombastic flick, layered with incredible performances, white-knuckle action, and a heartfelt narrative that speaks universally. While it certainly feels like it owes much of its success to lessons learned from previous films, it does so in a way that makes it feel fresh, and that’s ultimately what matters. 

 

Part of what makes Rescue at Dongji (sometimes noted as Dongji Rescue) so fresh is that it strikes a balance between the rousing heroics and the war's innate brutality, which these films so often miss. Its narrative is certainly centered on the village's heroics. The focus remains on two brothers, played by Zhu Yilong and Leo Wu - outcasts even on the island they were raised on, adopted by a local fishing family, and their relationship with each other and the life they live in the village. By focusing on them and then building the settings around them, the film moves from being just a historical action drama to a film about humanity. It’s an incredibly smart choice.