As we start fantasising about next year’s festival (and the Club Imagine editions in between), here’s a list of genre must-sees for the following weeks on the big screen or from your lazy sofa. Dark content for darker days!
Fantastic Animation: Flow incl Masterclass
10 december at 10:00 in LAB111
Not very dark, but very Imagine: Flow, a gorgeous animated feature from Latvia which centres on a very cute cat navigating the ruins of civilisation joined by a capibara, a maki and a big bird. Flow will be released nationally on December 25th, but Imagine is hosting a special pre-screening on December 10th together with Bantam Film and Kaboom Animation Festival. Director Gints Zilbalodis is presenting a masterclass after the film. Get your tickets through the LAB111 website.
Zombieverse: New Blood
Now streaming on Netflix
Part 2 of the hit Korean reality-zombieshow, which sees participants facing the living dead on a quarantaine island. Fast, gory and hilarious. Perfect for a wintery night in!
Heretic
In cinemas from 21 November
The Imagine audience made sure this scary theology lesson made it to the top 3 of our Audience Award, which makes total sense. The ever-excellent High Grant (strongly supported by Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher as two young mormons) releases his inner villain in this tight horror film with more twists than a mountain road.
Bird
In cinemas from 28 November
This magical-realist tale directed by Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank, American Honey) played at Imagine this year too. Mixing true, hard facts with fairytale elements, Bird took the festival by storm, ending up with a number two spot on the Silver Scream Audience Award list. See it while you can!
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (re-release)
In cinemas from 5 December
Another Imagine 2024 title, this 4K restoration of classic anime Ghost in the Shell (1995) delves even deeper into that first film’s existential themes and ups the visual ante. No wonder it was nominated for a Golden Palm, the first animated feature to do so. Deserves to be seen on the big screen.
Hellbound Season 2
Now streaming on Netflix
It took some patience, but the second season of Yeon Sang-ho’s popular horror series Hellbound – in which supernatural creeps take people on a one-way ride to hell – is finally here. There’s a few changes (actor Yoo Ah-in, currently in the midst of an ugly lawsuit, has been replaced by Kim Sung-cheol) but its style and madness remain.
Kraven the Hunter
In cinemas from 12 December
Come get your superhero fix before the year is over with this long-awaited take on Kraven the Hunter, the first R-rated film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. The film stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven and Russell Crowe as his father. We love villains with daddy issues.
The Conversation (re-release)
In cinemas from 19 December
Francis Ford Coppola’s paranoid classic from 1974 is coming back to cinemas nationwide after playing at Imagine as part of our 1984 Re:Imagined festival theme. Gene Hackman plays Harry Caul, a surveillance expert who becomes convinced Big Brother is watching hím.
Squid Game Season 2
Streaming on Netflix from 26 December
Boxing Day is so much better than Christmas this year, because that’s when it’s time for season two of Squid Game! Seong Gi-Hun is back as Player 456, and Hwang Dong-Hyuk, de show runner, has already described certain scenes as ‘hell’ in Empire Magazine. We can’t wait to obsess over this one.
Arcane (Series Finale)
Now streaming on Netflix
It’s not too let to get hooked on Netflix Original Series Arcane. The second and final season of this amazing animated series – which is based on League of Legends, but can also be watched without any knowledge of the game – is now available. Pure art.
Sting
Streaming on Netflix, Prime Video and Pathé Thuis from 1 November
Arachnophobia eat your heart out, there’s a new spider horrorfilm in town: Sting. A 12-year-old girl decides to keep a spider for a pet, but her eight-legged friend is no ordinary critter… Sting was created by Kiah Roache-Turner (Wyrmwood) who’s from Australia so knows exactly how terrifying spiders can be.
Chucky (The Series)
Now streaming on Netflix, SkyShowtime and Videoland
The United States were treated to three whole seasons of your favourite killer doll before we were, but it’s finally our turn. Season 1 of Chucky can be seen on Netflix, the other on Videoland. Wanna play?
Happy viewing and see you in 2025!
