The wait is finally over. After 20 tantalizing previews spotlighting two dozen entries in the annual genre celebration, Fantastic Fest kicks off today with a lineup of the most distinctive horror, sci-fi, and beyond from both seasoned and emerging filmmakers worldwide. To mark the 21st anniversary of the Austin-based event, we've got one more exclusive treat to share as part of our ongoing preview series—and it comes from a familiar face at the festival: The Adams Family. The shot, pulled from their latest macabre project, The Glorious Dead, offers a deliciously gruesome glimpse of the apocalyptic chaos set to unfold later today.
The Glorious Dead is making its U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest, and it's the husband-and-wife duo of John Adams and Toby Poser's take on the rapture. The story centers on a sheriff and her deputy, with the latter waking the former on her day off to report strange occurrences around their quiet town. Half the sheriff's office is mysteriously absent, phone lines are down, and residents are vanishing from their homes—and that's just the beginning. As the day progresses, the weirdness spirals into full-blown nightmare: blood pours from faucets, animals disappear, and flesh-like holes start appearing on properties. The world transforms into a hellscape of bloody chasms, fleshy monstrosities that feast on the unfortunate, and the dead rising to walk the Earth once more. While panic sets in and rumors of a new virus spread, the sheriff slowly realizes she might be witnessing the end of days.
In our exclusive image, a woman is captured in sheer terror as she stares at her hand. A gnarly hole has been torn through it, and the nasty wound is gushing thick, dark blood. The Adams Family's projects are often modest and DIY in nature, but this image is a stark reminder that their latest won't skimp on well-crafted practical gore. Their vision of the apocalypse feels all the more unsettling in a small town where everyone knows each other and must watch their neighbors be ripped apart quickly and violently.
What Other Films Have The Adams Family Brought to Fantastic Fest?
Before The Glorious Dead, The Adams Family have been such a regular presence in Austin that it's hardly a Fantastic Fest unless they're around. Last year, they brought the eerie folk horror flick Mother of Flies to the event, and before that, they premiered their acclaimed feature Where the Devil Roams at the 2023 iteration. With each film, they've built a reputation as a creative unit with singular visions and a passion for spreading fear together. Poser pulls triple duty for this outing as co-writer, co-director, and star as Sheriff Deb alongside Zelda Adams as Deputy Mikey, with John and Lulu Adams also taking up prominent roles.
If you're a fan of the family's previous work, you might also want to check out this twisted coming-of-age horror also making waves at Fantastic Fest this year. And for those who love a good scare, our ranking of gothic horror novels might be right up your alley.
The Glorious Dead makes its U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest today at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas. Check out our exclusive image above and feel free to look back on the rest of our preview pieces from our 21st anniversary preview event. More information on all titles at Fantastic Fest, including screening times for each, can be found on the official film guide.
