Skip to main content

Festival coverage

Beyond Fest

25 September – 9 October 2024

The annual Los Angeles celebration of horror, science fiction and fantasy cinema is back with another mixture of festival favourites, brand new titles and genre classics.

The festival runs from 25 September to 9 October.

View complete schedule

Other years (3)

Latest reviews

  • Rich Flu
    Review preview for Rich Flu

    There is certainly some pleasing schadenfreude, but it doesn’t have the nerve to go all out, and ultimately it’s not as clever as it thinks it is.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    A strange disease threatens to kill anyone with any sort of fortune.
  • Jimmy And Stiggs
    Review preview for Jimmy And Stiggs

    The pace is so manic, the action so intense, that it’s easy to be fully immersed in Jimmy’s experience.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A filmmaker spirals into an out of control bender, during which he comes to believe that he has been abducted by aliens. Fearing they’ll come back, he contacts an old friend to help him gear up for war.
  • AJ Goes To The Dog Park
    Review preview for AJ Goes To The Dog Park

    It’s a decidedly quirky tale of the sort that will infuriate some viewers, who will feel they’ve been egregiously ripped off – but if you like that sort of thing, you’ll be in your element.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A man who finds contentment in the simple pleasures - buttered toast, bicycle rides and walking his dog - discovers that his beloved dog park has been transformed into a 'blog park', a digital sanctuary where youths gather to open their laptops. He feels compelled to take action, to set things right.
  • A Desert
    Review preview for A Desert

    There’s a fantastically unhinged performance in here which it would be a spoiler to say too much about. Everyone is good at what they do.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    A photographer on a road trip meets a carefree young couple and finds himself in danger.
  • The Last Sacrifice
    Review preview for The Last Sacrifice

    In this tangled tapestry, Russell has captured the soul of a nation.

    Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
    A documentary about the real-life 1945 witchcraft killing of Charles Walton - the terrifying event that inspired The Wicker Man and birthed the folk horror genre.
  • A Real Pain
    Review preview for A Real Pain

    Eisenberg takes us through the entire journey in a brisk 90 minutes, but the film never feels rushed.

    Jeremy Mathews · 4 out of 5
    Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honour their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
  • The Girl With The Needle
    Review preview for The Girl With The Needle

    Illusions are everywhere in this film.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    In Copenhagen in the aftermath of World War one, a young woman in desperate circumstances takes on a job which will lead her to still greater depths of despair.
  • Nightbitch
    Review preview for Nightbitch

    Nightbitch is of an ilk that is off-kilter. It is unreliable and unstable. It is visceral and dark. It is taxidermy and what I think are freezer potato pancakes.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    A woman pauses her career to be a stay-at-home mother, but soon her domesticity takes a surreal turn.
  • Anora
    Review preview for Anora

    What isn't untrue is that Anora is brilliant.

    Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
    Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch.
  • Terrifier 3
    Review preview for Terrifier 3

    Leone demonstrated that he is a talented director with a perfect instinct for set pieces, but that he is less capable as a screenwriter.

    Marko Stojiljkovic · 3.5 out of 5
    Art the Clown is set to unleash chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve.

A–Z of Beyond Fest 2024 reviews

Features