One of the genre films set to World Premiere at Fantastic Fest this year is The Swallow, the brand new quicksand creature feature from filmmakers Kevin Kölsch & Dennis Widmyer.
Kölsch and Widmyer, the filmmaking duo behind Starry Eyes and the Pet Sematary remake, weaponize quicksand in The Swallow, and you can check out a first look image up above.
Grace Van Dien (“Stranger Things”) stars in The Swallow.
Here’s the official plot synopsis…
“A sentient, quicksand-like sludge terrorizes a group of young people in this brutally efficient, effects-forward creature feature.”
Jack Wright (A Bloody Night), Tayler Buck (Annabelle: Creation), Kalama Epstein (The Fabelmans), and Kayla DiVenere (Love, Victor) also star alongside Grace Van Dien.
Kölsch and Widmyer said, “The Swallow is a tonal throwback to the type of horror that made us excited about this genre in the first place. Something pure, visceral and absolutely harrowing. Our hope is that it will make you never look at the ground the same way again.”
James Harris and Mark Lane for Tea Shop Productions, John Finemore for Lost City, Adam Goldworm for Aperture Entertainment (My Friend Dahmer) and Josh Goldbloom (V/H/S franchise) are producing alongside Kölsch and Widmyer. James Hoppe is an executive producer.
Fantastic Fest is back this year for its 21st edition, unleashing a jam-packed week of face-melting genre cinema from September 17-24, 2026. Stay tuned for our Fantastic Fest coverage.