Top 10 Films to Watch at CUFF 2025
(Calgary Underground Film Festival)
Now in its 22nd year, the Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF) has evolved from local curio to one of the most respected genre festivals on the circuit — not just in Canada, but globally. From April 17–27, CUFF 2025 takes over the Globe Cinema with a packed lineup of 41 feature films, 45 shorts, and eight special events, including live script readings, retro cartoon parties, found footage chaos, and even a 007 GoldenEye tournament. This year’s programming, like always, skews proudly eclectic: horror, documentary, indie drama, surreal comedy — often all in the same film.
The following ten selections aren’t just buzzy titles; they reflect the spirit of CUFF at its best — bold, challenging, off-centre, and often deeply personal. Whether you’re a local diehard or just curious what’s bubbling under the surface of mainstream cinema, CUFF is where you’ll find the future of film… or at least a haunted house movie told entirely from a dog’s POV.
Check out the full list of CUFF 2025 (Calgary Underground Film Festival) Films here
10. FRIENDSHIP
Short Synopsis (From CUFF 2025):
Craig (Tim Robinson) has his life turned upside down by the arrival of a new neighbor (Paul Rudd). As Craig’s attempts to make an adult male friend spiral out of control, their blossoming relationship threatens to ruin both of their lives. The directorial feature film debut of comedy writer Andrew DeYoung, who also wrote the script, had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was second runner-up for the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award.
Director:
Andrew DeYoung
Cast:
Tim Robinson, Paul Rudd, Kate Mara, Jack Dylan Grazer
Tickets for Friendship: here
My Thoughts on Friendship:
Friendship is already one of the most talked-about films on the circuit – and its inclusion at CUFF, weeks before its wide release, makes it a pretty rare opportunity to catch one of the “buzziest” films around before the rest of the world. It would be higher on this list if not for the fact that tickets will go quickly, so it’ll be important to act fast here.
At its core, this is a story about male loneliness, emotional dependency, and what happens when admiration turns into identity crisis. Robinson’s version of Craig looks to be someone who doesn’t just want a friend — he wants a new self, and he wants Austin to model it.
Andrew DeYoung has pointed to The Master as a reference point, which is probably not what folks are expecting. As such, it’s safe to say that Friendship is not just a “bro comedy”, but is also concerned with providing some layered psychological subtexts. The snowy suburban setting, layered with holiday décor, gives the film a strange kind of coldness — emotionally as much as visually. If anything, Friendship looks less like a comedy and more like a portrait of someone trying to reinvent himself, and falling apart in the process.
What Others Are Saying about Friendship:
“DeYoung sticks the landing with a touch of sweet in Craig’s otherwise curdled view of the friend who left him – an experience few people, especially straight men, are talking enough about.”
– Adrian Horton, The Guardian
Distribution:
Friendship has been acquired by A24 and is scheduled to be released in theatres on May 9, 2025.
9. PREDATORS
Short Synopsis (From CUFF 2025):
A cultural sensation from its inception in the early 2000s, Dateline NBC’s candid-camera investigative series TO CATCH A PREDATOR ensnared sex offenders while cameras rolled. The show was a hit and transformed its host Chris Hansen into moral crusader and TV star, while spawning a worldwide industry of imitators and vigilantes. Looking back on the program, and the franchises it spawned, filmmaker David Osit (CUFF.Docs 2015 selection THANK YOU FOR PLAYING) turns his camera on journalists, actors, law enforcers, academics, and ultimately himself, to trace America’s obsession with watching people at their lowest. PREDATORS delves into the murk of human nature to observe hunter, predator, subject and spectator alike, all ensnared in a complicated web of entertainment as far as the eye can see.
Director:
David Osit
Tickets for Predators: here
My Thoughts on Predators:
Most of us watched “To Catch a Predator” at some point — or at least absorbed it through cultural osmosis. Predators begins from that shared recognition, but quickly pulls away from the typical true crime framework. This isn’t about rehashing the show. It’s about interrogating the genre itself — how true crime lets viewers stay morally comfortable while consuming real human suffering.
What makes this different is the director’s decision to insert himself into the film. His perspective shifts over time, starting with distance and moving into something more personal and ethically unstable. In fact, he describes the experience as “emotional ping pong” between disgust and sorrow, and that sort of cognitive dissonance is central to its exploration.
This is the same filmmaker behind Mayor, and he brings the same level of control and intention here — directing, editing, producing, and serving as cinematographer. Expect something that challenges rather than confirms. It’s not here to give viewers a satisfying arc — it’s here to sit in the discomfort of what we watch, and why.
What Others Are Saying about Predators:
“Osit’s brilliant, subtly needling film leaves us unnerved and alert, but not certain of our convictions — an outcome, perhaps, that more true-crime programming should pursue.”
– Guy Lodge, Variety
Distribution:
Predators has been acquired by MTV Documentary Films and are planning a fall 2025 release.
8. CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD
Short Synopsis (From CUFF 2025):
Quinn and her father have just moved to the quiet town of Kettle Springs hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she discovers a fractured community that has fallen on hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down. As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning figure emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time. The real fun starts when Frendo the clown comes out to play. Based on Adam Cesare’s best-selling horror series, CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD is directed by CUFF alumnus Eli Craig, winner of the CUFF 2011 Audience Award Winner for TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL, which CUFF will be hosting a special 15th Anniversary screening of at the festival.
Director:
Eli Craig
Cast:
Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams, Carson MacCormac, Vincent Muller, Kevin Durand, Will Sasso, Verity Marks, Cassandra Potenza, Ayo Solanke, Alexandre Martin Deakin
Tickets for Clown in a Cornfield: here
My Thoughts on Clown in a Cornfield:
Slasher fans likely won’t need much convincing. Clown in a Cornfield brings together exactly what the title promises, with a director who knows how to work within the genre. Eli Craig, who directed Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, shifts from full-tilt horror-comedy to something more of a suspense-driven thriller – he has been open about wanting to pull back on the satire and focus on building tension. There are still flashes of humour, but this one leans more into the DNA of ’80s slasher films.
Adapted from Adam Cesare’s YA novel, the story follows a girl pulled into a small town with a bleak history — and, unsurprisingly, a killer in clown makeup. It’s not trying to reinvent anything, but that’s kind of the point. Expect fast pacing, masked killers, and a lot of practical effects. Craig has said he avoided using CG wherever possible, favouring in-camera work and old-school gore.
Also, it was shot in Winnipeg — which is already scary enough (kidding… Winnipeg friends).
What Others Are Saying about Clown in a Cornfield:
“Clown in a Cornfield’s fun, witty and absurd take on the slasher genre also comments on a divisive culture fueled by corrupt government, distracting America with its own suffering and pitting its people against each other.”
– Glenn Garner, Deadline
Distribution:
Clown in a Cornfield has been acquired by Shudder and RLJE Films and is scheduled to be released in theatres by Elevation Pictures on May 9, 2025.
7. ELSE
Short Synopsis (From CUFF 2025):
A romance blossoms between an introvert (Anx, Matthieu Sampeur) and a confident woman (Cas, Edith Proust), but their relationship faces a threat when a strange epidemic causes the infected to merge with their surroundings, trapping the couple in a shapeshifting nightmare. Inspired by the aesthetic of Björk‘s “body fantasy”, the boundary between the natural and the artificial disappears. Developed over 13 years, including the 2007 short of the same name, ELSE has won multiple awards on the genre film festival circuit: Best Director and Picture at Screamfest 2024 and Directorial Revelation and Best Special, Visual or Makeup Effects at Sitges Film Festival 2024. Above all, ELSE is a story of two characters behind closed doors, with a fundamentally different, minimalist, poetic aesthetic.
Director:
Thibault Emin
Cast:
Matthieu Sampeur, Edith Proust De La Comédie Française, Lika Minamoto
Tickets for Else: here
My Thoughts on Else:
Else builds from a single, literal idea: a virus that causes bodies to merge with the inanimate world around them. From there, it becomes something much more internal. Shot almost entirely inside one apartment, the film uses tight space and close relationships to explore what the director calls the fear of “dissolution” — not just physically, but emotionally.
Thibault Emin has cited David Cronenberg as a core influence, but the film trades in body horror for something quieter – rooted in the “body fantasy” of the singer Björk.
The sound design also plays a key role. Emin worked with his designer to create a more immersive, ambient feel — with influences that include Eraserhead and Blade Runner. Ultimately, you shouldn’t expect a traditional sci-fi or horror film — it’s closer to a contained surreal drama, focused on relationship dynamics under extreme pressure.
What Others Are Saying about Else:
“It’s an obvious labor of love captured creatively by cinematographer Léo Lefèvre and promises soul-shaking success from its director later in his evolution.”
– Alison Foreman, IndieWire
Distribution:
Else has been acquired by Fandor and will be released online on July 8, 2025.
6. $POSITIONS
Short Synopsis (From CUFF 2025):
When Mike Alvarado’s crypto investment strategy decays into a full-blown gambling addiction, he sends his life into a nightmarish anxiety-inducing downward spiral, compromising his relationships with his girlfriend, his developmentally disabled brother, and his recovering addict cousin. The feature directorial debut of writer and director Brandon Daley is a semi-autobiographical story based on his time trading stocks and crypto during the COVID-19 quarantine days. A twitchy, hyper-contemporary comedy with equal doses of laughs and panic attacks, $POSITIONS recently had its World Premiere at SXSW 2025.
Director:
Brandon Daley
Cast:
Mike Kunicki, Vinny Kress, Trevor Dawkins, Kaylyn Carter
Tickets for $POSITIONS: here
My Thoughts on $POSITIONS:
$POSITIONS feels like the kind of film that could sneak up on people. Brandon Daley’s background in shorts is evident – there’s a sense of rhythm and irreverence in the writing that hints at something sharper than it first appears. It’s not exactly subtle, and it’s definitely not trying to be polished, but that looseness might be part of the charm.
There’s something oddly compelling about watching deeply unlikeable characters navigate their own mess. If anything, this seems like a film more interested in observing a specific type of chaos than resolving it. Daley clearly doesn’t take himself too seriously – and that energy could end up being what gives the film its bite.
What Others Are Saying about $POSITIONS:
“$POSITIONS is a brutally honest portrait of lower-income life in Midwestern America, shining a realistic light on harrowing situational struggles with heart and outlandish humor.”
– Bianca Piazza, MovieWeb
Distribution:
$POSITIONS is currently seeking distribution
TOP 10 FILMS TO WATCH AT CUFF 2025 (CALGARY UNDERGOUND FILM FESTIVAL)
5. TWO WOMEN
Short Synopsis (From CUFF 2025):
Violette and Florence no longer understand what is happening to them. Respectively, on maternity leave and off work, one is on edge, the other no longer feels anything. The neighbors are both filled with a feeling of failure: despite their careers and families, they are not happy. Florence’s first infidelity with is a revelation. In a context where having fun is very low on the list of priorities, sleeping with a delivery guy is perhaps downright revolutionary. For Violette and Florence, it will be the breath of fresh air they were hoping for. From acclaimed Quebec filmmaker Chloé Robichaud (HERD LEADER, SARAH PREFERS TO RUN), the fun and sexy alternative rom-com was a stand-out at Sundance 2025.
Director:
Chloé Robichaud
Cast:
Karine Gonthier-Hyndman, Laurence Leboeuf, Mani Soleymanlou, Félix Moati, Juliette Gariépy, Sophie Nélisse
Tickets for Two Women: here
My Thoughts on Two Women:
Shot on 35mm and styled across eras, Two Women blends visual references from the ‘70s, ‘90s, and 2020s — not out of nostalgia, but to create a version of now that’s shaped by what came before. The setting, a real Montreal housing co-op, gives the film a sense of everyday closeness, with architecture that reinforces the characters’ emotional constraints.
While sexuality is part of the story, it’s framed more around connection than spectacle. Chloé Robichaud has talked about reversing expectations — nudity appearing in mundane moments, while the sex scenes themselves focus on what’s happening between the characters, not just their bodies.
The tone sits somewhere between deadpan and quietly charged. There’s structure here, but also lightness, and the film never pushes its ideas too hard. Instead, it lets the space, the routines, and the relationships do most of the work.
What Others Are Saying about Two Women:
“Two Women is not as obviously political or provocative, but its reflections on modern relationships are engagingly comical, cynical and ultimately tender.”
– Allan Hunter, Screen Daily
Distribution:
Two Women has been acquired by Maison 4:3 and is scheduled to be released in theatres on May 31, 2025.
4. THE UGLY STEPSISTER
Short Synopsis (From CUFF 2025):
In a fairy-tale kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira will go to any lengths to catch the Prince’s eye, including battling with her insanely beautiful stepsister Agnes. A gory tale of the blood and sweat, grit and gold that goes into making Elvira the belle of the ball.
Director:
Emilie Blichfeldt
Cast:
Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp, Flo Fagerli
Tickets for The Ugly Stepsister: here
My Thoughts on The Ugly Stepsister:
The Ugly Stepsister reimagines the Cinderella story from the other side — not to redeem the so-called villain, but to dig into the shame, desperation, and dark humour of trying to live up to a fantasy you’ll never quite fit. Elvira, played by Lea Myren, takes centre stage in this body horror–inflected fairy tale. When she swallows a tapeworm egg in an effort to transform herself, the film shifts fully into horror — but not the jump-scare kind. Think slow, Cronenberg-style horror.
Director Emilie Blichfeldt draws heavily from Grimm folklore, practical effects, and other fairy tales in film (particularly the 70s Czech film, Three Wishes for Cinderella), blending realism and artifice in unsettling ways. Expect something truly raw, grotesque, and sometimes laugh-out-loud weird. But it’s not just shock — it’s a film about how far we’re willing to go to be seen, and the damage that pursuit can leave behind.
What Others Are Saying about The Ugly Stepsister:
“The director isn’t interested in shock and outrage so much as she is in mood and texture. We can feel the tapeworms, the nausea, the anguish, the sheer physicality of Elvira’s distress and ambition. We feel the sadness, too.”
– Bilge Ebiri, Vulture
Distribution:
The Ugly Stepsister has been acquired by IFC Films and Shudder and is scheduled to be released in theatres on April 18, 2025.
3. GOOD BOY
Short Synopsis (From CUFF 2025):
Canine hero, Indy, finds himself on a new adventure with his human owner and best friend, Todd, leaving city life for a long-vacant family home in the country. From the start, two things are abundantly clear: Indy is wary of the creepy old house, and his affection for Todd is unwavering. After moving in, Indy is immediately vexed by empty corners, tracks an invisible presence only he can see, perceives phantasmagoric warnings from a long-dead dog, and is haunted by visions of the previous occupant’s grim death. When Todd begins succumbing to the dark forces swirling around the house, Indy must battle a malevolence intent on dragging his beloved Todd into the afterlife.
Director:
Ben Leonberg
Cast:
Indy, Shane Jensen, Larry Fessenden, Arielle Friedman, Stuart Rudin, Anya Krawcheck, Max
Tickets for Good Boy: here
My Thoughts on Good Boy:
The premise sounds like a gimmick — a haunted house story from a dog’s POV — but Good Boy leans into the idea with full commitment.
Filmmaker Ben Leonberg shot the entire film over three years, building the structure around Indy, a real dog with no on-screen training, no cues, and no awareness of the camera. The result is surprisingly grounded, and that realism gives the horror an even weirder edge. The house is haunted, but not in obvious ways. It’s more about flickers on old TVs, unseen forces just out of frame, and the way a dog might understand — or fail to understand — what’s happening.
Expect VHS fuzz, Skinamarink-style liminality, and a constant downpour of rain. Leonberg pulls from Stephen King, Poe, and The Fall of the House of Usher in tone — but filters everything through the unwavering loyalty of a dog who will do anything to protect his person.
What Others Are Saying about Good Boy:
“The film refuses to let Indy feel like a cheap gimmick. If anything, it’s a very well-considered one, as the relatively simple act of replacing a dumb human character at the center of a haunted house story with a dog makes even the most ordinary and predictable of scares newly effective.”
– Rafael Motamayor
Distribution:
Good Boy is currently seeking distribution.
2. SHADOW OF GOD
Short Synopsis (From CUFF 2025) :
When several of his fellow Vatican exorcists are simultaneously killed, Father Mason Harper (Mark O’Brien, READY OR NOT, CUFF 2022 Selection THE RIGHTEOUS) returns home to spend time with a childhood friend, and await orders from the Church. However, this small town holds dark secrets about Mason’s past and the religious organization once run there by his father, Angus (Shaun Johnston, HEARTLAND). Thought dead, Angus reappears, forcing a reunion between father and son. But Angus is different now, and before long, Mason suspects he’s possessed, not by the devil, but by something… holy. When Mason attempts to exorcise the holy presence from his father, he sets off a chain of events that may end in a cataclysm of biblical proportions, testing everything he holds sacred.
Director:
Michael Peterson
Cast:
Mark O’Brien, Jacqueline Byers, Shaun Johnston, Adrian Hough, Josh Cruddas, Shane Ghostkeeper
Tickets for Shadow of God: here
My Thoughts on Shadow of God:
It’s always exciting to see Calgary filmmakers bringing something home. Shadow of God is directed by Michael Peterson, a local fixture who’s not only made his mark with the episodic series “Department of Paranormal Affairs” (a 2024 CUFF selection), but has also given back through producing workshops and support for emerging talent.
This is a genre film through and through — an exorcism thriller with Vatican politics, family trauma, and biblical-scale consequences. The twist here is tonal: this isn’t a fight against the devil, but something holy that might be even more terrifying. It’s written by Tim Cairo (Off Ramp, another 2024 CUFF selection) and produced by The Coven in their first foray into production (they led sales for Terrifier 2 and 3.)
I will admit that I am a touch biased here, as Peterson has also produced “Ming’s Dynasty” which was a television show on CBC Gem created by one of my good friends, Antony Hall. At the end of the day, this is a fun exorcism horror with local roots. What more can you ask for?
What Others Are Saying about Shadow of God :
“Arriving just ahead of Easter is the new exorcism horror movie Shadow of the God, which appears to introduce a new twist in the trailer that debuted this morning: an elite exorcist realizes he may be dealing with a holy entity.”
– Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting
Distribution:
Shadow of God has been acquired by Shudder and will be released on Shudder on April 11, 2025.
1. VULCANIZADORA
Short Synopsis (From CUFF 2025):
Director and star Joel Potrykus (BUZZARD, THE ALCHEMIST COOKBOOK, and CUFF 2018 Secret Screening RELAXER) serves up another deliciously dark film, and possibly the most well-realized culmination of the themes featured throughout his body of work. A heavy metal slacker comedy, VULCANIZADORA cascades into an existential nightmare and journey through themes of friendship, guilt, and contemplations of mortality. The Tribeca and Fantasia Film Festival selected film is a masterful combination of jet-black humor and psychological horror.
Director:
Joel Potrykus
Cast:
Joel Potrykus, Joshua Burge, Bill Vincent, Solo Potrykus, Melissa Blanchard
Tickets for Vulcanizadora: here
My Thoughts on Vulcanizadora:
Few filmmakers capture masculine fear and Midwestern dread like Joel Potrykus. Vulcanizadora may be his most personal film — and his most haunting.
It’s a film about two friends on a surreal camping trip, a DIY death device, and a cloud of buried guilt that never quite lifts. But it’s also about fear — of parenting, of failure, of becoming the person you swore you’d never be. Potrykus stars alongside longtime collaborator Joshua Burge, and their dynamic — worn, weird, deeply human — carries the film even as it drifts into some truly dark territory.
Expect handmade contraptions, Michigan dunes, metal references, and a sadness that doesn’t feel performative. Potrykus isn’t chasing genre tropes — he’s mapping his own internal weather and asking us to sit with it.
What Others Are Saying about Vulcanizadora:
“This is the alienation of divorced dads becoming estranged from their kids; the existential hell of knowing that you’ve made mistakes and that there’s nothing you can do to change them.”
– Katie Rife, IndieWire
Distribution:
Vulcanizadora has been acquired by Oscilloscope Laboratories and will be released in theatres in late 2025.
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