‘Death of a Unicorn’, ‘Ash’, and ‘Drop’ to Headline SXSW 2025’s Packed Horror Lineup

This year’s SXSW Film Festival (March 7-15, 2025), taking place in Austin, TX, has unveiled its lineup this afternoon and it’s another insanely packed year for horror premieres.

While the Midnighter section is dedicated to the genre lovers, SXSW 2025 has filled its Headliner section and beyond with buzzy, highly anticipated titles including Flying Lotus‘s sci-fi horror movie Ash, Christopher Landon‘s ode to Brian De Palma in Drop, and A24’s Death of a Unicorn. Also look for Clown in a Cornfield, the film adaptation of Adam Cesare’s YA slasher novel.

Read on for the genre titles included in SXSW 2025’s lineup, and stay tuned for additional programming announcements.

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

Ash
Director: Flying Lotus, Producers: Nate Bolotin, Matthew Metcalfe, Screenwriter: Jonni Remmler
A woman wakes up on a distant planet and finds the crew of her space station viciously killed. Her investigation into what happened sets in motion a terrifying chain of events. Cast: Eiza González, Aaron Paul, Flying Lotus, Iko Uwais, Kate Elliott, Beulah Koale (World Premiere)

Death of a Unicorn
Director/Screenwriter: Alex Scharfman, Producers: Drew Houpt, Lucas Joaquin, Alex Scharfman, Lars Knudsen, Tyler Campellone, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page
A father and daughter accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties. Cast: Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, Richard E. Grant, Anthony Carrigan, Sunita Mani, Jessica Hynes (World Premiere)

Drop
Director: Christopher Landon, Producers: Jason Blum, Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, Cameron Fuller, Screenwriters: Jillian Jacobs, Chris Roach
A widowed mother, on her first date in years, arrives at an upscale restaurant where she meets her handsome date. But their chemistry curdles as she begins being irritated and then terrorized by a series of anonymous drops to her phone. Cast: Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, Jacob Robinson, Ed Weeks (World Premiere)

Holland
Director: Mimi Cave, Producers: Kate Churchill, Peter Dealbert, Nicole Kidman, Per Saari, Screenwriter: Andrew Sodroski
In this unpredictable thriller, Nancy is a teacher whose life with her husband in Holland, Michigan, tumbles into a twisted tale when she and her colleague become suspicious of a secret. Cast: Nicole Kidman, Matthew Macfadyen, Jude Hill, Gael García Bernal (World Premiere)

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

Descendent
Director/Screenwriter: Peter Cilella, Producers: David Lawson Jr., Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Caleb Ward
After a traumatic brain injury triggers terrifying visions of extraterrestrials and a newfound talent for drawing, a father-to-be begins to question his reality and becomes obsessed with the need to protect his family from an unseen threat. Cast: Ross Marquand, Sarah Bolger, Susan Wilder, Charlene Amoia, Dan O’Brien, Brandon Scott, Alexandra Barreto, Alex Ruiz, Clare Cooney, Emily Pendergast (World Premiere)

Good Boy
Director: Ben Leonberg, Producers: Kari Fischer, Ben Leonberg, Screenwriters: Alex Cannon, Ben Leonberg
Do you ever wonder why your dog stares at empty corners, barks for no reason, or refuses to go into the basement? Good Boy is the story of a dog who sees everything that goes bump in the night. No talking pets, just terrifying scares. Cast: Indy, Shane Jensen, Larry Fessenden, Arielle Friedman, Stuart Rudin, Anya Krawcheck, Max (World Premiere)

Photo credit: Julie Vrabelova

Hallow Road (Czechia, Ireland, United Kingdom)
Director: Babak Anvari, Producers: Lucan Toh, Ian Henry, Richard Bolger, Screenwriter: William Gillies
Two parents enter a race against time when they receive a distressing late-night phone call from their daughter after she caused a tragic car accident. Cast: Rosamund Pike, Matthew Rhys, Megan McDonnell (World Premiere)

The Home (Estonia, Iceland, Sweden)
Director: Mattias J Skoglund, Producer: Siri Hjorton Wagner, Screenwriter: Mattias J Skoglund, Mats Strandberg
Joel reluctantly returns to his childhood town to help his mother Monika move into a home for people with dementia after she suffers a stroke. She is unrecognizable and Joel becomes convinced that something has followed her back from the other side. Cast: Philip Oros, Anki Lidén, Gizem Erdogan, Malin Levanon, Peter Jankert, Lottie Ejenbrant, Ayan Ahmed, Bengt CW Carlsson (World Premiere)

New Jack Fury
Director/Screenwriter: Lanfia Wal, Producers: Van White, Mariah Morgenstern, Denaun Porter, Lanfia Wal, Akino Childrey
After his girlfriend is kidnapped by a ruthless kingpin, a former cop must seek the help of two unlawful R&B eccentrics to help save her. Cast: Andre Hall, Page Kennedy, Dean “Michael Trapson” Morrow, Paul Wheeler, Ally Renee, Shawn Nathan, Wrekless Watson, Ace Vane, James Markham Hall, Jr., Vincent M. Ward (World Premiere)

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (Canada)
Director: Matt Johnson, Producers: Matthew Miller, Matt Greyson, Screenwriters: Matt Johnson, Jay McCarrol
Matt and Jay try to get a show at the Rivoli. Cast: Cast: Jay McCarrol, Matt Johnson (World Premiere)

Redux Redux
Directors/Screenwriters: Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus, Producers: Michael J. McGarry, Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus, Nate Cormier, PJ McCabe
In an attempt to avenge her daughter’s death, Irene Kelly travels through parallel universes, killing her daughter’s murderer over and over again. She grows addicted to the revenge streak, putting her own humanity in jeopardy. Cast: Michaela McManus, Stella Marcus, Jeremy Holm, Jim Cummings, Grace Van Dien, Taylor Misiak, Dendrie Taylor (World Premiere)

The Surrender
Director/Screenwriter: Julia Max, Producers: Mia Chang, Lovell Holder, Julia Max, Ian McDonald, Robert J. Ulrich
When the family patriarch dies, a grieving mother and daughter risk their lives to perform a brutal resurrection ritual that will bring him back from the dead. Cast: Colby Minifie, Kate Burton, Neil Sandilands, Vaughn Armstrong, Mia Ellis, Pete Ploszek, Chelsea Alden, Alaina Pollack, Riley Rose Critchlow, Lola Prince Kelly (World Premiere)

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

Photo credit Bernard Walsh

The Astronaut
Director/Screenwriter: Jess Varley, Producers: Brad Fuller, Eric B. Fleischman, Chris Abernathy, Cameron Fuller
An astronaut believes something extraterrestrial has followed her back to Earth. Cast: Kate Mara, Laurence Fishburne, Gabriel Luna, Ivana Milicevic, Macy Gray (World Premiere)

Clown in a Cornfield
Director: Eli Craig, Producers: Marty Bowen, John Fischer, Wyck Godfrey, Screenwriters: Carter Blanchard, Adam Cesare, Eli Craig
A fading midwestern town in which Frendo the clown, a symbol of bygone success, reemerges as a terrifying scourge. Cast: Katie Douglas, Will Sasso, Cassandra Potenza, Aaron Abrams, Carson MacCormac, Verity Marks, Dylan McEwan, Daina Leitold, Vincent Muller, Kaitlyn Bacon (World Premiere)

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