Bagworm, which made its North American debut at SXSW this weekend, is a film built on the idea of a sick mind producing an even sicker body. An intimate, grungy descent into paranoia and disease, it’s a very effective work of body horror with more than a few wonderful stylistic flourishes, even if its third act never quite goes as far as you’d like. 

Carroll (Peter Falls) is a man with doom on his mind. Laboring listlessly in the gig economy and playing the numbers game with dating apps, he’s also obsessed with the end of the world, to the point that he believes he knows exactly what crises lie ahead and wants to explain them to everyone. He’s the Uber driver who’ll talk your ear off about the water crisis, the salesman who’ll bug you about plant-based eating, the friend who’ll flake because he’d rather sit in his room and look deeper into the black hole of the internet. He’s also, after an unfortunate encounter with a rusty nail, an extremely sick man.

The film’s spare plot follows Carroll’s downward spiral as he tries to forge ahead with his life and relationships, always aware of the nagging sickness growing inside him, threatening to burst free. 

For much of Bagworm‘s runtime, director Oliver Bernsen and writer Henry Bernsen keep their grip on a tone that successfully straddles the line between bleak and darkly comic, as Carroll bumbles, stumbles, and generally struggles through life in one way or another. Oliver also works as a painter, and it’s clear that even within the constraints of this film’s budget, his visual skills are on point. Carroll’s living space is less of a home than it is of a lair, a gritty, malignant dungeon that looks like something out of Possession by way of Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

As Carroll sits alone in his room, pondering the disgusting new chair he bought or conducting truly strange, deeply unsettling video conferences with one of his employers, we can feel the infection in the space, even when it’s not shown. It’s very well-designed, so even when the film leans into tone poem territory, it works. 

The body horror of the piece also works, both as a potent metaphor and as a disgusting series of visuals ranging from a severely runny nose to…well, much more horrific things that I won’t spoil for you here. Carroll’s deep sense of impending doom runs through every aspect of his life. He distrusts people, uses them, and mocks them both publicly and privately. He believes he’s seen some secret architecture in the way society will someday crumble, and because no one wants to listen to him, he believes that those around him are either indifferent, stupid, or both. He’s seething with so much resentment and bitterness and pain that it manifests physically in ways that body horror fans can savor. It’s not subtle, but it doesn’t need to be. 

What it does need to be is committed, and unfortunately, the film’s one real stumbling point is how Carroll’s journey resolves in the final act. There’s tremendous tension in his breakdown, and the film keeps building and building it, and then suddenly it’s just…gone. It’s not a cop-out, really, nor is it an unsatisfying handwave moment of quick resolution. It’s more of a sputter.

The film’s most effective qualities as both a horror film and a comedy seem to fall away in the final minutes, leaving us with a movie that feels unfinished. Wanting more when a film ends is good for an audience, but in this case, seeing, or at least feeling, just a bit more would have gone a long way. 

Fortunately, Falls’ performance sells every moment of it anyway. This is a regular guy who went just plain wrong somewhere along the way, and he’s able to make Carroll feel like a guy you might know while also embodying his more monstrous qualities. He’s a man infected not just with illness, but with something akin to literalized toxic masculinity. Falls has to jump through a lot of emotional hoops in this film, and he clears virtually all of them. 

Bagworm is in the midst of its festival breakout after an acclaimed run at Sitges and, now, a SXSW premiere. That means it’s poised to be an indie horror hit in the very near future, and despite my quibbles with its resolution, I hope it gets there. This is one of the year’s most squirm-worthy movies, and you should seek it out.

Bagworm made its world premiere at SXSW. Release info TBD.

The post ‘Bagworm’ SXSW Review – Squirm-Worthy Body Horror Doesn’t Fully Stick the Landing appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

SXSW 2026’s first wave of programming unveiled buzzy Headliners including Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, The Trip remake Over Your Dead Body, and They Will Kill You, as well as a thrilling slate of Midnighters.

The highly anticipated Hokum is among the latest additions joining this year’s fest, along with Sundance faves Buddy and Leviticus. That’s only the tip of the iceberg.

Read on for the new genre titles included in SXSW 2026’s lineup:

HEADLINER
Big names, big talent featuring red carpet premieres and gala film events with major and rising names in cinema.

Pretty Lethal (United Kingdom)
Director: Vicky Jewson, Producers: Kelly McCormick, Mike Karz, William Bindley, Piers Tempest, Screenwriter: Kate Freund
An action-packed thriller where five ballerinas, stranded in a remote forest, take shelter at an unsettling roadside inn. They must weaponize years of brutal training, turning grace, discipline, and even pointe shoes into tools for survival. Cast: Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, Maddie Ziegler, Uma Thurman (World Premiere)

MIDNIGHTER
Exciting after-dark features for genre lovers and the terminally curious.

Hokum (Ireland, United States)
Director/Screenwriter: Damian McCarthy, Producers: Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Derek Dauchy, Ruth Treacy, Julianne Forde, Mairtín de Barra
When novelist Ohm Bauman retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he is consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance forces him to confront dark corners of his past. Cast: Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Will O’Connell, Michael Patric, Siox C, Brendan Conroy, Austin Amelio, Ezra Carlisle (World Premiere)

NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
Unforgettable features receiving their World, North American, or U.S. premieres.

Chili Finger
Directors: Edd Benda, Stephen Helstad, Producers: Sam Sandweiss, Jo Henriquez, Screenwriter: Stephen Helstad
When a small town lawyer discovers a severed finger in her chili, she blackmails the restaurant for a cash payout in an effort to regain control over her mundane life. The situation quickly spirals out of control, and her life descends into chaos. Cast: Judy Greer, Sean Astin, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Madeline Wise, Paul Stanko, Sarah Herrman, Sara Sevigny, Dann Florek (World Premiere)

Kill Me
Director/Screenwriter: Peter Warren, Producers: Nate Bolotin, Keith Goldberg, Natalie Metzger, Maxime Cottray, Mike Richardson, Charlie Day, Peter Warren
Jimmy didn’t try to kill himself. Or at least, he’s pretty sure he didn’t… With the help of a reluctant 911 operator, he sets out on a darkly comedic amateur investigation to solve whether he is being stalked by a killer or chasing himself. Cast: Charlie Day, Allison Williams, Giancarlo Esposito, Aya Cash, Jessica Harper, David Krumholtz, Tony Cavalero (World Premiere)

Normal
Director: Ben Wheatley, Producers: Marc Provissiero, Derek Kolstad, Bob Odenkirk, Screenwriter: Derek Kolstad
Director Ben Wheatley and John Wick creator Derek Kolstad pit a provisional sheriff against his constituents when the exposure of a small town’s sordid secret sparks a rip-roaring firefight. Cast: Bob Odenkirk, Henry Winkler, Lena Headey, Ryan Allen, Billy MacLellan, Brendan Fletcher, Reena Jolly, Peter Shinkoda, Jess McLeod, Derek Barnes (U.S. Premiere)

The Saviors
Director: Kevin Hamedani, Producers: Matt Smith, Dan Gedman, Nicholas Weinstock, Naomi Scott, Adam Scott, Divya D’Souza, Bradley Gallo, Michael Helfant, Screenwriters: Kevin Hamedani, Travis Betz
An estranged couple rents out their Airbnb, but soon start to suspect their guests might be plotting something nefarious. As the couple investigates, they rekindle their relationship and discover something stranger than they could have imagined. Cast: Adam Scott, Danielle Deadwyler, Theo Rossi, Kate Berlant, Nazanin Boniadi, Daveed Diggs, Ron Perlman, Colleen Camp, Greg Kinnear (World Premiere)

Ugly Cry
Director/Screenwriter: Emily Robinson, Producers: Sophia Sabella, Pablo Feldman, Jolene Mendes, Rhianon Jones, Tristan Scott-Behrends, Emily Robinson
An actor loses their dream role because of their “ugly cry” causing them to spiral down the dark and dangerous path to perfection. Cast: Emily Robinson, Ryan Simpkins, Aaron Dominguez, Robin Tunney (World Premiere)

FESTIVAL FAVORITE
Acclaimed standouts from festivals around the world.

Buddy
Director: Casper Kelly, Producers: Tyler Davidson, Drew Sykes, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, Tracy Rosenblum, Screenwriters: Casper Kelly, Jamie King
A brave girl and her friends must escape a kids television show. Cast: Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, Patton Oswalt (Texas Premiere)

Leviticus (Australia)
Director/Screenwriter: Adrian Chiarella, Producers: Samantha Jennings, Kristina Ceyton, Hannah Ngo
Two teenage boys must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most — each other. Cast: Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Mia Wasikowska, Jeremy Blewitt, Ewen Leslie, Davida McKenzie, Nicholas Hope, Zahra Newman (Texas Premiere)

Rock Springs
Director/Screenwriter: Vera Miao, Producers: Stephen Feder, Kiri Hart, Charles D. King, Poppy Hanks, Greta Talia Fuentes, Jason Michael Berman, Matthew Lindner, Jordan Moldo, Vera Miao
After the death of her father, a grieving young girl moves to an isolated house in a new town with her mother and grandmother, only to discover there is something monstrous hidden in the town’s history and the woods behind their new home. Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Benedict Wong, Jimmy O. Yang, Aria Kim, Fiona Fu (Texas Premiere)

VISIONS
Audacious, risk-taking artists who demonstrate innovation and creativity.

Bagworm
Director: Oliver Bernsen, Producer: Zoe Rosenberg, Screenwriter: Henry Bernsen
After a sexually frustrated hammer salesman steps on a rusty nail, he must determine whether the world’s sudden and violent turn against him is real or the result of an infection consuming his body and mind. Cast: Peter Falls, Michelle Ortiz, Robbie Arnett, Corbin Bernsen, Stephen Borrello, Jessy Morner-Ritt, Sydney Winbush, Francesca Galassi (North American Premiere)

Dead Eyes (Australia)
Director/Producer/Screenwriter: Richard E. Williams
After the death of his sister, Sean ventures into a remote forest with his friends to find his missing father, only to discover his grief has become the bridge between the living and the dead. Cast: Ana Thu-Nguyen, Mischa Heywood, Rijen Laine, Charles Cottier, Alea O’Shea, Stephen Phillips, Freya Callaghan, Lewis Smith (World Premiere)

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