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Festival coverage

Beyond Fest

26 September – 10 October 2023

The 2023 edition of the popular Los Angeles genre festival has a fantastic line-up of classics alongside some of the highlights of this year's festival crop.

The festival runs from 26 September to 10 October.

View complete schedule

Other years (3)

Latest reviews

  • Omen
    Review preview for Omen

    The powerful forces of family and fable, old and new, intertwine and vie for supremacy in Belgian-Congolese director Baloji’s visually striking debut.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    When a man who was cast out as a child after being considered a sorceror returns home, he faces prejudice.
  • All You Need Is Death
    Review preview for All You Need Is Death

    It’s solidly rooted in the ordinary and yet its habit of drawing out small absurdities means that ordinary things and places won’t seem so safe after you’ve seen it.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    A young couple records and collects folk songs in rural Ireland, selling them to a mysterious, rich buyer. When rumours of a song never-before-heard reach the couple, they find themselves in an uneasy alliance with a music professor to discover an ancient song.
  • All Of Us Strangers
    Review preview for All Of Us Strangers

    Protagonist Adam (Andrew Scott) lives in a neatly furnished home, no longer feels the need to hide his sexuality, and tells himself he’s fine, but the music says otherwise.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A screenwriter embarks on a relationship with a neighbour at the same time as making a journey into his troubled past.
  • Anatomy Of A Fall
    Review preview for Anatomy Of A Fall

    Hüller has always been an unfussy actress, who allows a character's flaws to shine out in interesting ways.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A woman is accused of her husband's murder.
  • Last Straw
    Review preview for Last Straw

    It’s a clever structure but one which could easily go awry. Neal handles it well, with the confidence to alter events very slightly so as to communicate the different perspectives of his principal characters.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    Miscommunication and a lack of empathy cause events to spiral out of control as a young waitress finds herself in the centre of a murder spree.
  • The Royal Hotel
    Review preview for The Royal Hotel

    The feeling that something bad could happen at any moment permeates the mood.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
    US backpackers Hanna and Liv take a job in a remote Australian pub for some extra cash and are confronted with a bunch of unruly locals and a situation that grows rapidly out of their control.
  • When Evil Lurks
    Review preview for When Evil Lurks

    The film carries us from a carefree existence made possible by not paying attention, to a crushing tragedy.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    In a remote village, two brothers find a demon-infected man just about to give birth to evil itself. They decide to get rid of the man but merely succeed in helping him to deliver the inferno.
  • V/H/S/85
    Review preview for V/H/S/85

    By far the best instalment to date, with a stylistic consistency and a sharp wit which make it worth seeking out regardless of your feelings about the found footage genre as a whole.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    An ominous mixtape blends never before seen snuff footage with nightmarish newscasts and disturbing home video to create a surreal, analogue mashup of the forgotten Eighties.
  • The Creator
    Review preview for The Creator

    Detail abounds. Glorious detail.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    A post-apocalyptic thriller involving a future impacted by a war between humans and AI.
  • To Fire You Come At Last
    Review preview for To Fire You Come At Last

    Coloured with rural folklore, this black and white take on the experience on 17th Century life is deeply English in its sensibilities.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    In rural 17th century England, a group of men gather to carry a coffin on the long walk to the local graveyard for burial. A great deal of ancient folklore and superstition surrounds the pathway to the church, and several of the party are afraid to walk it after dark.

A–Z of Beyond Fest 2023 reviews

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