Fantastic Fest is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025 and if you’ve never been to the festival, you are truly missing out. We’ve been attending off and on for most of those two decades and we’ve seen a lot of fantastic things over the years.
Here Are 20 Of The Best Moments From 20 Years Of Fantastic Fest!
20 – 2008 Air Sex World Championships
The first year we attended was 2008 when the opening night film was Zack and Miri Make a Porno, with Kevin Smith in attendance. It was followed by the air sex world championships. Now that’s keeping Austin weird!
19 – 2009 Zombieland Premiere
The best part of the Zombieland world premiere at the Paramount in 2009 came after the film when Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg and director Ruben Fleischer hit the stage to answer questions from avid zombie fans. Oh, I also enjoyed my free Hostess Snowball. If you’ve seen the film, you know that Twinkie is king but hard to find. See all my pics and get more info on what went down that evening here.
18 – 2010 Ryan Reynolds Buried at Fantastic Fest
Long before the Blake Lively drama, Ryan Reynolds was a diva in his own right, showing up 45 minutes late to the Buried premiere in 2010. More details here.
17 – 2010 Rebecca De Mornay Looking Drop Dead Gorgeous
Can you believe Rebecca De Mornay is 51 in these pictures? At the premiere of Mother’s Day in 2010, I asked her what her secret is. She said, “Happiness.”
16 – 2011 Shakey Face Badge Pictures and Stealthy Celeb Photos
In 2011 we were advised to pose a bit differently for our badge pictures. Instead of the same old smiling pic, we were told to make a shakey face. To this day, this is my favorite press badge. This was also in my era of snapping pictures of celebs in the background rather than bothering them for a picture. That’s Ryder Strong of Boy Meets World fame behind my friend Danny Trevino.
15 – 2011 Elijah Wood and Dominic Monaghan Debate
Spoiler alert: you will see a lot of Elijah Wood on this list as he attends the festival almost every year and is very vocal about his love for the fest. In 2011, he and his Lord of the Rings co-star came to blows following their debate about whether World of Warcraft is a complete waste of time.
14 – 2012 Frankenweenie 3D Premiere
Fantastic Fest’s opening-night film in 2012 was Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie. Burton attended the premiere, along with stars Winona Ryder, Martin Landau and Charlie Tahan. In a Q&A following the film, Burton described Frankenweenie as an attempt to honor that universal childhood experience of feeling “alone and separate” from the world around you.
13 – Two Years of Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves popped up at the fest not just one year, but tow years in a row. In 2013, he premiered the film Man of Tai Chi while John Wick screened in 2014.
12 – Elijah Woods Talks Fantastic Fest Debates on Conan
While appearing on Conan in 2014, Elijah Wood was asked about a picture of the actor in a dunk tank at Fantastic Fest. Wood explained what the one-of-a-kind festival is like, detailing how the Fantastic Debates works and how he almost ended up fighting Daniel Radcliffe. Later in the show, he tells a story about how he got a free tattoo at a Fantastic Fest party.
11 – 2016 Split Secret Screening
One of the coolest things about this festival is the secret screening. Every year, since the beginning, the festival hosts a secret screening and you don’t know what the film is until you are there. 2016 was one of our faves as it was M. Night Shyamalan’s Split staring James McEvoy, both of whom were in attendance.
10 – 2018 Halloween Screening
When Jamie Lee Curtis walked the red carpet at the Halloween screening, we discovered IRL what we always thought to be true. JLC is a bad ass. She jokes, she swears, she gives the bird and she oozes personality. Oh, how’d I’d love to spend an evening simply hanging out and chatting with her. Read more about the red carpet experience here.
9 – 2018 Jonah Hill’s Directorial Debut
Jonah Hill screened his directorial debut film Mid90s at Fantastic Fest in 2018. “You step off the plane and can tell how much people here appreciate film, ” the Academy Award nominee said. “There’s no place I’d rather show it.”
8 – Tenacious D Premiere and Post Party
The animated series Tenacious D in Post-Apocalypto premiered in 2018. But it wasn’t the screening that had us most psyched. The band played a set following the screening at the High Ball and it was bitchin’.
7 – The Elijah Wood Scooter Meme
2018 also gave us one of the best memes of all time: Elijah Wood’s viral scooter riding moment. Once again, he discussed Fantastic Fest on Conan, highlighting the capture saying, “Within 5 minutes (of posting on Twitter), there were memes,” he said. “And now it continues.” His giggle in this clip is so contagious!
6 – 2019 Jojo Rabbit Premiere
In 2019, Taika Waititi and Stephen Merchant walked the red carpet before premiering the film Jojo Rabbit. On the red carpet Waititi said, “I think now more than ever this film has become very relevant and very important.”
5 – 2021 Lamb Premiere
This was by far one of my favorite screenings ever. This film is so weird and I love it. I also truly loved the Alamo team dressing up as lambs and wandering the lobby before the screening.
4 – 2021’s Rad Stunt
2021’s pre-fest screening of Rad‘s 35th anniversary restoration featured a bike stunt and on-site activations with local BMX groups. Visually, it really was rad – and made for some excellent photo ops. The film’s star Bill Allen was in attendance.
3 – 2022 Smile Premiere With Sosie Bacon
At the Smile premiere in 2022, the highlight of the red carpet for us was Sosie Bacon! Though many may not have known who she was prior to this film, we certainly did as her last name is quite memorable. Yes, she’s the daughter of that famous Bacon. On the carpet, she stated that she actually lived in Austin for a little while but this was her first time at the festival.
2 – 2023 Halle Berry One-On-One
When Oscar winner Halle Berry came to the festival to screen Never Let Go in 2023, we got to chat with her and the moment was surreal. She is definitely one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen. This was her first time in Austin and though she noted how hot it is, she said, “It’s amazing to be here, though. I’ve been a fan of the festival. A lot of good things have come out of this festival.”
1 – TBD
The #1 spot remains to be seen. This year’s 20th anniversary festival is sure to bring MANY memorable moments and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us!
Fantastic Fest 2025 features 45 World Premieres, 15 International and North American Premieres and 12 U.S. Premieres that are guaranteed to delight and surprise you. It’s all happening at the legendary Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, TX, from September 18 to 25, 2025. Get your tickets here.
