The latest edition of the SXSW Film Festival (March 8-16, 2024) kicks off later this week in Austin, Texas, unleashing an expansive slate of film programming an experiences- emphasis on expansive. For the horror fan, the fest offers so much more beyond the Midnighter programming section, and this SXSW 2024 preview guide should help.

The 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival’s Opening Night TV Premiere is the highly anticipated Netflix series 3 Body Problem created, executive produced and written by Emmy Award winners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and Emmy Award nominee Alexander Woo. The Midnighter category includes buzzy titles like Samara Weaving-starring Azrael and Sundance favorite It’s What’s Inside. The fest’s Headliner section comes packed with highly anticipated titles like Immaculate, Cuckoo, and Arcadian. But all of this only scratches the surface of titles to get excited about.

Whether you’re heading to Austin this week or keeping track of what’s on the horizon, here are 7 additional film premieres and festival experiences worth seeking out.

Film Premieres:

Birdeater

Directors: Jack Clark, Jim Weir, Producers: Stephanie Troost, Ulysses Oliver, Screenwriter: Jack Clark
When a bride-to-be is invited to her own fiancé’s bachelor party in the Australian outback, a night to remember takes a feral turn.
Cast: Shabana Azeez, Mackenzie Fearnley, Ben Hunter, Jack Bannister, Clementine Anderson, Caroline McQuade (International Premiere)

Why we’re excited: Birdeater hails from Australia, all but ensuring a nail-biter genre effort worth seeking out. If that’s not enticing enough, filmmakers Jack Clark and Jim Weir draw inspiration from Wake in Fright for their feature film that digs into themes of identity and masculinity.

Dead Mail

Directors/Screenwriters: Kyle McConaghy, Joe DeBoer, Producers: Zachary Weil, Brett Arndt
An ominous, bloody help note finds its way to the desk of a seasoned “dead letter” investigator at a 1980’s Midwestern post office, leading him down a violent, unforeseen path to a kidnapped keyboard engineer and his demented business associate.
Cast: Sterling Macer, Jr., John Fleck, Susan Priver, Micki Jackson, Nick Heyman, Tomas Boykin (World Premiere)

Why we’re excited: Dead Mail leans heavily into the ’80s analog aesthetic, delivering a unique crime thriller unafraid to get offbeat with its dark narrative. Expect its characters to be as atypical as Dead Mail‘s sense of style.

Desert Road

Director/Screenwriter: Shannon Triplett, Producers: Steven Schneider, Josh Clayton, Kirk Martin, Alec Roth, Lauren Bates, Sam Cohan
A young woman crashes her car and walks down the road seeking help, only to find no matter which way she walks she ends up back at her car. As night falls, she realizes she’s going to die in this endless loop… unless she can find a way to escape.
Cast: Kristine Froseth, Frances Fisher, Beau Bridges, Ryan Hurst, D.B. Woodside, Max Mattern, Ratchel Dratch, Edwin Garcia II (World Premiere)

Why we’re excited: One affable lead instantly draws you into this road trip thriller. While Triplett helms a taut, winding mind-bender, Desert Road also surprises for its infectious character work and endearing messaging. In other words, the sci-fi thriller finds clever new ways to engage with familiar ideas to a charming degree.

Kryptic 

Director: Kourtney Roy, Producers: Amber Ripley, Sophie Venner, Josh Huculiak, Screenwriter: Paul Bromley
Kryptic is a psycho-thriller about a woman’s search for a missing monster hunter and her growing realization that she is inescapably linked to the creature being pursued.
Cast: Chloe Pirrie, Jeff Gladstone, Jason Deline, Ali Rusu-Tahir, Christina Meredith Lewall, Patti Allen, Pam Kearns, Jennifer Copping (World Premiere)

Why we’re excited: Director Kourtney Roy leans heavily into the “psycho-thriller” aspect of this cryptid horror movie. The pursuit of a mysterious cryptid winds up serving as a heady metaphor, but Roy fearlessly brings the ick-factor, too.

Oddity

Director/Screenwriter: Damian McCarthy, Producers: Katie Holly, Laura Tunstall, Evan Horan
In this new supernatural spectacle from Caveat‘s Damian McCarthy, a blind medium uncovers the truth behind her sister’s death with the help of a frightening wooden mannequin.
Cast: Gwilym Lee, Carolyn Bracken, Tadhg Murphy, Caroline Menton, Steve Wall, Jonathan French, Joe Rooney (World Premiere)

Why we’re excited: Mannequins are inherently creepy, but Damian McCarthy’s Caveat already demonstrated the filmmaker’s talent for crafting unexpected, bone-chilling scares. You can bet that continues here.

SXSW Experiences: 

Ralph Ineson as Father Brennan in 20th Century Studios’ THE FIRST OMEN. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

The First Omen “Confessional Booth”

20th Century Studios invites horror fans to an interactive “Confessional Booth” inspired by the upcoming film, The First Omen, only in theaters April 5. Guests who dare to enter this immersive 2-minute experience will uncover a terrifying secret behind the birth of evil, leaving them with the only physical proof that a sinister unholy conspiracy is at work.

Location 1: Congress Avenue (Space A4) | 712 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701
Location 2: 2nd Street & Trinity Street (West) | ~310 E 2nd St, Austin, TX 78701
Hours of Operation: 12:00pm-8:00pm CT

This experience is available to the public; priority access granted to SXSW badgeholders.

Paramount+’s The Lodge (“Halo”, “Star Trek: Discovery”, and more)

From the Mountain to Rainey Street, The Lodge will take SXSW attendees on a journey through the unique world of Paramount+. Fans are invited to:  

• Explore props and costumes straight from the set of HALO; 

• Step onto the iconic bridge of the U.S.S. Discovery ahead of the STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Season 5 premiere at SXSW;

• Enjoy refreshments like themed cocktails at the LAWMEN: BASS REEVES saloon, or sports-inspired drinks at the Paramount+ Pub; 

• Immerse themselves inside the world of the new MEAN GIRLS (2024);

• Interact with experiences inspired by their favorite titles like SURVIVOR, INK MASTER, THE CHI (Paramount+ with Showtime), and many more. 

Location: The Clive Bar (609 Davis St, Austin, TX 78701)

Dates and Times: 

• Friday, March 8 from 4PM to 12AM (all consumers, Badge Access Priority)

• Saturday, March 9 from 12PM to 7PM (all consumers, Badge Access Priority) & 8PM to 11PM (SXSW Badge Holders)

• Sunday, March 10 from 12PM to 7PM (all consumers, Badge Access Priority) & 8PM to 11PM (SXSW Badge Holders)

• Monday, March 11 from 12PM to 7PM (all consumers, Badge Access Priority)