Love is a justification for a lot of horrible, horrible things. It’s been the genesis of wars, murders, cons and all other manner of destructive rages. Like a gateway emotion to a gauntlet of positive/negative feelings it lurks, percolating, waiting to give us the hot poison and send us into the world, convinced that whatever crusade we’re on is rightly appropriate. Anchoring these sentiments are husband and wife Jorge (Gabriel Goity) and Alicia (Lola Berthet), two lovers with a bond cemented all the way through to the afterlife. Foreseeing his early departure from this world, Jorge teaches Alicia a ritual that can jumpstart his pulse back from the grave. All that’s required is a house full of love. Keeping the secret to herself, Alicia sets to work. Friends are gathered, Jorge’s life  is celebrated, and pretty soon everyone is misty-eyed. The sun sets, drinks are had, the clock strikes midnight and a dead girl appears ominously on a swing set outside. Alicia’s plan is underway.

As you well know, Fantastic Fest is the one. There are plenty of fine film festivals that take place in many fine locations around the globe. They all show movies, many of which end up on our top ten lists at the end of the year. But no matter what any of those TIFFs and Cannes-fests have, they don’t exactly measure up to the pure, blood-filled experiential goodness that is Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. For a fair number of us, this is the most wonderful time of the year. Great friends come into town, great BBQ is consumed by the pound, and a number of carefully programmed movies are displayed just for us on the screens of the Alamo Drafthouse. It’s high praise, sure. But as anyone who has actually attended the festival might tell you, it’s perfectly spot on. Our goal for this year’s coverage – this being our fifth consecutive year covering as a site – is to bring you even closer to the experience that is Fantastic Fest than ever before. We won’t just be filing reviews for the big movies like Dredd 3D and Looper, we’ll be providing looks at every single feature film playing this year’s festival. We’ll have spotlights on filmmakers you should keep an eye on. We’ll show you what it’s like to attend Fantastic Fest. We’ve got a crack staff in place, the one we call the The Fantastic Fest Death Squad. Joining veterans Rob Hunter, Brian Salisbury, Luke Mullen, and Adam Charles are