Film Fests
Fantastic Fest: ‘Godmother’ Review
I love catching independent horror films at festivals because you never know what you’re going to get. Sure, they may not all work for you, but sometimes you stumble on a gem like Godmother, the feature debut of director John Vernon. The team behind the film shot themselves in the foot a little ahead of their world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2026 by hyping the audience up with promises that we’re simply not ready for Godmother, a promise that’s hard to live up to with a genre-savvy crowd. But while that may have been a bit of an overstatement, the film is truly hard to get a handle on for much of its runtime, leading to a delightfully—and quite unexpectedly—chaotic final act.
A Tech Bro, Two Sisters, and an Odd Couple Walk Into a Bar…
Godmother centers around a couple, Theo (Paige Evans) and Colby (Cameron Cuffe), heading to an oasis in the New Mexico desert for the weekend. Theo is experiencing some doubts about the relationship; Colby is the “safe” option, a whitebread tech bro who made his money turning nature into an app (literally). He makes her happy, but is she ready to settle down? Perhaps not, because she’s sabotaging her own romantic getaway by inviting her burnout sister Katie (Riley Dandy), fresh off a bad breakup, to be their third wheel.
Colby and Katie butt heads immediately—but in the background, something weird is going on with the host couple who own the home, Mr. and Mrs. Martinson (played by horror legends Bruce Davison and Dee Wallace respectively). They’re very friendly—perhaps too friendly—but something is off. Weird things are happening around the house. The welcome gift they’ve dropped off smells kinda funky. And after an explosive fight in which Katie takes off into the desert, the shit quickly hits the fan.
Godmother Has a Simple Set-up With Satisfying Depth and Pay-off
Godmother’s power lies in its ability to tell one engaging story that turns out to be merely the tip of a much deeper, darker iceberg. The first act of the film revels in simmering unease as the tension between Colby and Katie approaches boiling point. The character of a tech bro dabbling in AI could easily come across as immediately unlikable, but the script—co-written by Vernon and video game writer Alanah Pearce—gives Colby more depth than that. There’s plenty of douche-baggery on display, but there’s also a humanity to Colby’s frustration that makes him, at times, almost relatable. Katie can be annoying, and some of her actions are inappropriate. Nobody’s motives are entirely black and white—at least, not at first.
In his Q&A after the film’s premiere, Vernon credited Pearce for injecting some much-needed nuance to the woman-centric story, especially considering some of the themes it deals with. I won’t discuss those here for fear of spoiling the film’s wild climax, but an early example is Theo’s anxieties about her relationship and what it might say about her as a person. The push and pull between wanting to reject the expectations society places on you and finding comfort in a stable, conventional relationship is something that many women can relate to, and it fleshes out Theo’s character nicely, even before it pays off in unexpected ways in the third act.
Godmother Is a Twisty Indie Well Worthy of Your Watchlist
For their part, Wallace and Davison are having an absolute blast with the material, and their joy is palpable through the screen. There’s never a dull moment, but once the plot kicks into high gear and the blood starts flowing, Godmother becomes an entirely different beast than you may have expected going in. Some degree of turning your brain off is required, especially when it comes to suspending your disbelief around the level of activity that injured people can undergo. My advice? Just lie back and let Godmother into your life—she’s a worthy addition to the horror family.
If you’re not watching Indonesian horror, you’re missing out. The region is producing some of the craziest genre movies around right now, thanks in no small part to the efforts of writer-director Joko Anwar. His latest, Ghost in the Cell, which celebrated its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest 2026, combines everything we love about the filmmaker’s work—supernatural scares, inventive kills, and gnarly gore—along with a strong vein of comedy and political satire.
What is Ghost in the Cell About?
Ghost in the Cell centers around Dimas (Endy Arfian), a journalist whose life falls apart after he tries to run a story on corporate corruption and mysterious worker deaths. Wrongfully convicted of the horrific murder of his boss, Dimas finds himself with a one-way ticket to Cell Block C, where he quickly meets a colorful cast of prisoners—the good, the bad, and the seriously nasty. Among the good guys, there’s Anggoro (Abimana Aryasatya), who is constantly getting into trouble for defending fellow inmates, and Six (Yoga Pratama), who claims he can see people’s auras.
As if Dimas’ situation couldn’t get any worse, his arrival seems to trigger a series of brutal killings in the prison. Bodies are showing up mangled beyond recognition and displayed in positions that wouldn’t look out of place in Hannibal. It soon becomes clear that Dimas isn’t behind the murders, which begs the question: what did he bring in with him?
Anwar Embraces Horror-Comedy Whole-Heartedly
Prison is a scary place, and Anwar makes great use of the setting, with the action moving from the dingy showers where predators lurk to the bleak cellblock where inmates are at the mercy of their captors and the cafeteria where rival gangs eye each other up with ill intent.
But for all the human misery contained within the film, Ghost in the Cell is ultimately a horror-comedy, one that isn’t afraid to lean into broad slapstick and quippy dialogue when it wants to raise a chuckle. The tonal shifts can take a little while to adjust to, especially if your previous experience with Anwar comes from his more serious horror outings like Impetigore. This might be a problem if the film wasn’t actually funny, but Ghost in the Cell has enough laugh-out-loud moments to make you forget about any whiplash.
Ghost in the Cell Is a Genre-Bender to the Max
Comedy isn’t the only new flavor that Anwar has tossed into the mix. In Ghost in the Cell, dance sequences and martial-arts fight choreo sit side-by-side with some of the most extreme gore scenes seen outside a Terrifier movie in recent years. Then there’s the eerie way the spirit presents before it kills (trypophobia sufferers, beware) and the extensive critique of political corruption, power, and inequality. It’s an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach that shouldn’t work on paper, but under Anwar’s assured hand, it does.
It helps that for all the slapstick, the film lands a surprisingly earnest message, amplified by its vast ensemble cast. Dimas and Anggoro at times feel like main characters, but everyone in Ghost in the Cell has a big part to play, and that’s the point: in seemingly impossible circumstances, there’s strength in unity.
Ghost in the Cell Is an Endlessly Entertaining Blend of Goofiness, Heart, and Gore
If you’re looking for nonstop scares, you won’t find them in Ghost in the Cell. What you will find is a delightful blend of horror, comedy, and action that is apt to leave you grinning from ear to ear.
The film doesn’t skimp on the gore, throwing flesh and fluids at every surface. But it’s also charmingly goofy, with a cast that doesn’t take itself too seriously and a script that’s all too happy to devolve into a comedic dance scene when it feels like the spirit might strike. In every sense, Anwar is doing the most, and the end result is a film where there’s nary a dull moment in sight.
One of the great pleasures of attending Fantastic Fest is the ability to occasionally see movies that won’t be out for many months. That’s especially true with the Secret Screenings, which this year included a work-in-progress print of In a Violent Nature 2, a film that doesn’t even have a release date yet and made for a wildly entertaining midnight movie surprise.
While a few things may change between now and release, the cut shown at Fantastic Fest felt near-final. Here’s what you can look forward to when this sequel eventually slashes its way onto our screens.
Johnny Returns in In a Violent Nature 2
In a Violent Nature 2 picks up right where the action of its predecessor left off, while also introducing new aspects of the lore that slightly contradict or complicate what has already been established, a nod to the way that slasher sequels throw in new plot elements willy-nilly to suit their needs.
The second film centers on Alex (Lucas Nguyen), a quiet 14-year-old kid who misses the bus home from camp because his bullies have stuffed him in a trunk. Since his older sister works at the camp, he gets to hang out for the night while the counselors celebrate the end of the season. Unfortunately, an old fireman’s whistle has drawn the mute, hulking Johnny (Ry Barrett) to the camp—and before long, their night of revelry has turned into one of unimaginable horror.
Less Walking, More Killing
Chris Nash, who wrote and directed the first film, handles scripting duties this time around, with Nate Wilson—who served as first assistant director on the original—stepping into the director role. It feels as though Nash may have listened to viewers’ complaints about how much walking was in the original, because In a Violent Nature 2 takes a break from following Johnny on his lumbering mission. Instead, the camera largely chases Alex through the woods as he runs, trips, and stumbles away from the carnage.
This change is a mixed bag. Alex may be more a dynamic figure to follow overall, but he also makes some frustratingly poor choices, and his teenage moodiness makes him a little unlikeable. The first film also succeeded, in part, because it consciously played into how audiences consume slasher movies, with their sympathies shifting from cheering on the killer to rooting for the final girl when she triumphantly emerges. In a Violent Nature 2 feels like less of a meta-commentary on the slasher genre, though it still has plenty to offer fans of the genre, especially when it comes to kills.
In a Violent Nature 2 Takes the Gore to a Whole New Level
Mention In a Violent Nature to a horror fan and they’ll probably bring up the yoga kill within 10 seconds. For the sequel, Nash and Wilson attempt to up the ante—no small feat considering just how violent the first film was. It’s hard to top that particular kill, but In a Violent Nature 2 certainly gives it the old college try.
Shifting the focus from a single group of friends to an entire summer camp, even one that’s emptying out, instantly ups the potential body count (and harkens back to the slasher films of yore). Counsellors are slaughtered in droves, in ways more brutal than anything seen in the original film, with a few kills in particular sure to get people talking. It’s a real treat for fans of practical effects, and it’s great to see that even horror films positioning themselves as more “elevated” than the typical fare can have fun and get their hands bloody.
A Possible Set up for Another Sequel?
Minor spoilers ahead.
In a Violent Nature 2 feels like something of a response to the reception of the first film, removing what people didn’t like and piling on more of what they did. The result is a movie that feels a little less focused and meditative than its predecessor, but still incredibly fun. And with a third film heavily teased in the final minutes, it seems like we’ll be seeing more of Johnny in the near future. Based on the trajectory of other slashers, can we expect to see him fighting a psychic child next? Or—dare we dream—is he preparing for a trip to space?
Only time will tell. Better lace up your walking shoes.
When Does In a Violent Nature 2 Come Out?
In a Violent Nature 2 is slated to hit theaters sometime in 2026. Keep an eye on IFC Films and Shudder’s socials for more release information as it becomes available.
