10. VAMPIRE ZOMBIES… FROM SPACE!

Check out our interview with the director of Vampire Zombies… From Space!, Michael Stasko

Short Synopsis (From the Calgary Underground Film Festival):

In 1957, two detectives, a young heroine, and a chain-smoking greaser try to stop Dracula’s cosmic plan to turn a small American town into his vampire-zombie army before it’s too late. From the depths of space, Dracula has devised his most dastardly plan yet: turning the residents of Marlow into his personal army of vampire zombies. Terror grips the town as a full-blown zombie outbreak erupts, leaving chaos in its wake. A motley crew consisting of a grizzled detective, a sceptical rookie cop, a chain-smoking greaser, and a determined young woman band together to save the world from – (see title). Packed with gruesome special effects, B-movie miniatures, and gut-busting laughs, Vampire Zombies…From Space! is a bloody comedy rooted in 1950s horror films.

Director:

Michael Stasko

Cast:

Lloyd Kaufman, Judith O’Dea, Michael C. Gwynne, Simon Reynolds

My Thoughts on Vampire Zombies…From Space!:

This is a true festival film. There’s something kind of miraculous about how it walks the line between spoof and sincerity. Sure, there are greasers, detectives, and vampires from outer space, but the attention to detail makes it more than a gag. Stasko’s choice to shoot in high-contrast black and white isn’t just aesthetic – it elevates the joke. The comedy lands harder because the world feels oddly gorgeous. If you’re someone who worships at the altar of Ed Wood but also studies lighting diagrams, this one’s for you.

Distribution:

Vampire Zombies…From Space! has played 35+ festivals and is still seeking distribution; no wide theatrical release announced.

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9. NO ONE DIED: THE WING BOWL STORY

Short Synopsis (From the Calgary Underground Film Festival):

A hilarious look back at the greatest radio promotion of all time: Philadelphia’s Wing Bowl, a 26-year-long, controversial annual event that was never really about eating chicken wings. Featuring interviews with iconic eaters, organizers, celebrities, and “Wingettes” (many of whom worked as strippers), those involved recount the event’s wild journey from humble beginnings to an unbelievable spectacle. What started as a wing-eating contest between two men in the lobby of the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel in 1993 became an event that drew thousands to its final celebration at the Wells Fargo Center in 2018. Often referred to as a “bacchanal,” the event was billed as an outlet for frustrated Philadelphia fans with no hope of a Super Bowl championship. Wing Bowl was a cultural phenomenon that drew capacity crowds and offered average people the chance at unimaginable fame—a pure spectacle of debauchery.

Director:

Pat Taggart

My Thoughts on No One Died: The Wing Bowl Story:

What makes this documentary great is that it doesn’t pretend the Wing Bowl was noble — but it does show us why it mattered. Taggart’s approach is smartly non-judgmental, allowing a full range of voices to explain how this raunchy, ridiculous tradition became a defining piece of Philly’s cultural identity. By capturing both the gleeful idiocy and the emotional resonance, Taggart gives us a documentary that feels both hyperlocal and strangely universal. People wanted a stage, and now they have one on the big screen.

Distribution:

No One Died: The Wing Bowl Story is currently seeking distribution.

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8. GOOD BOY

Check out our interview with the director of Good Boy, Ben Leonberg

Short Synopsis (From the Calgary Underground Film Festival):

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

My Thoughts on Good Boy:

There’s something deeply affecting about watching an animal try to protect someone from something they don’t understand. That’s the core of Good Boy, which is less about jump scares and more about helplessness — ours and the dog’s. Leonberg’s use of light and stillness gives the story a gentle unease, and Indy, as a performer, is instinctive in a way no human could fake. As a result, our deep empathy with the protagonist makes the inevitable tragedies even more impactful.

Distribution:

Good Boy is still seeking distribution; no theatrical or streaming dates have been announced.

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7. THE UGLY STEPSISTER

Short Synopsis (From the Calgary Underground Film Festival):

A sinister twist on the classic Cinderella story, The Ugly Stepsister follows Elvira as she prepares to earn the prince’s affection at any cost. In a fairy-tale kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira will go to any lengths—including battling her insanely beautiful stepsister Agnes—to become the belle of the ball. This gory tale lays bare the blood, sweat, grit, and gold behind Elvira’s quest for acceptance.

Director:

Emilie Blichfeldt

Cast:

Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp, Flo Fagerli

My Thoughts on The Ugly Stepsister:

The Ugly Stepsister is at its most effective when it plays things straight. Blichfeldt doesn’t wink at the audience or treat her premise like satire – instead, she leans into the physical reality of beauty rituals and lets the discomfort build naturally. The set design and makeup are strong, but it’s the pacing that holds the film together. There’s no major tonal shift, no unnecessary twists. Just a steady decline into obsession, filmed with a kind of detached precision that makes the body horror land without theatrics.

Distribution:

The Ugly Stepsister had a brief U.S. theatrical run on April 18, 2025, and streams on Shudder starting May 9, 2025.

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6. TWO WOMEN

Check out our interview with the director of Two Women, Chloé Robichaud

Short Synopsis (From the Calgary Underground Film Festival):

Two struggling mothers are grappling with unfulfilled expectations and societal pressures when one’s unexpected affair sparks a reevaluation of their lives and priorities. 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. Both neighbours are filled with a feeling of failure—despite their careers and families, they are not happy. 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.

Director:

Chloé Robichaud

Cast:

Karine Gonthier-Hyndman, Laurence Leboeuf, Mani Soleymanlou

My Thoughts on Two Women:

What’s most affecting about Two Women is how ordinary it all feels. There’s no major betrayal, no moral conclusion – just the slow build-up of constraint. Robichaud and screenwriter Catherine Léger rework the original film’s provocations into something more nuanced: not women escaping husbands, but women trying to make sense of themselves. Every choice feels measured. From the blocking to the colour palette, the filmmaking emphasizes containment. And in the absence of judgment, what we’re left with is recognition – that we are all just trying to do our best to make sense of this world and our place within it.

Distribution:

Two Women will be released in Canadian cinemas by Maison 4:3 on May 31, 2025.

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5. VULCANIZADORA

Check out our interview with the director of Vulcanizadora, Joel Potrykus

Short Synopsis (From the Calgary Underground Film Festival):

Two friends trudge through a Michigan forest with the intention of following through on a disturbing pact. After they fail, one of them must return home to deal with the legal and emotional repercussions. A heavy-metal slacker comedy, Vulcanizadora cascades into an existential nightmare, exploring themes of friendship, guilt, and mortality. This Tribeca and Fantasia Film Festival selection is a masterful blend of jet-black humour and psychological horror.

Director:

Joel Potrykus

Cast:

Joel Potrykus, Joshua Burge, Bill Vincent, Solo Potrykus

My Thoughts on Vulcanizadora:

This is Potrykus at his bleakest — and, maybe, his most honest. Vulcanizadora doesn’t chase narrative urgency or catharsis. Instead, it offers a slow drift into guilt, anxiety, and male isolation, carried by two characters we’ve met before but who feel even more emptied out here. The humour still shows up in flashes, but it’s quieter, closer to coping than punchline. The 16mm photography swings between wide, observational distance and suffocating close-ups, mirroring a script that never pushes for clarity but still knows exactly what it’s doing.

Distribution:

Vulcanizadora gets a limited theatrical release via Oscilloscope Laboratories on May 2, 2025.

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4. EEPHUS

Short Synopsis (From the Calgary Underground Film Festival):

As an imminent construction project looms over their beloved baseball field, two New England recreational teams face off one last time. The River Dogs and Adler’s Paint have met every Sunday for decades; although they can’t run or hit like they used to, their appetite for socializing, squabbling, and busting chops remains undiminished. After the county board opts to raze the diamond to build a school, the teams convene for a final game, and as innings bleed into night, the players confront the uncertainty of a new era. Lovingly set in a vanished mid-1990s Massachusetts, Eephus plays like a lazy afternoon, combining ribald baseball comedy with poignant nostalgia.

Director:

Carson Lund

Cast:

Frederick Wiseman, Keith William Richards, Wayne Diamond, Gregory Falatek

My Thoughts on Eephus:

Lund’s directorial debut understands something a lot of films don’t: that men often need an excuse to be around each other. Baseball here is less a sport than a structure — a reason to keep showing up. Eephus moves at the pace of a real game, but it’s the offhanded conversations and shared rituals that give it weight. These aren’t backstories waiting to be told — they’re lives that have already been lived, shaped by years of repetition. It’s not overtly sentimental, but it is deeply aware of what’s being lost when the field goes quiet.

Distribution:

Eephus is on a limited theatrical run and available to rent online.

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3. $POSITIONS

Check out our interview with the director of $POSITIONS, Brandon Daley

Short Synopsis (From the Calgary Underground Film Festival):

A blue-collar Midwesterner attempts to save his family from poverty by investing their savings into speculative cryptocurrencies. When Mike Alvarado’s crypto strategy decays into a full-blown gambling addiction, his life spirals into a nightmarish anxiety-inducing downward plunge, compromising his relationships with his girlfriend, developmentally disabled brother, and recovering-addict cousin. Writer-director Brandon Daley’s semi-autobiographical feature debut is a hyper-contemporary tragi-comedy blending laughs with panic attacks.

Director:

Brandon Daley

Cast:

Mike Kunicki, Vinny Kress, Trevor Dawkins, Kaylyn Carter

My Thoughts on $POSITIONS:

$POSITIONS is a mess, but intentionally so. It moves like someone who hasn’t slept — fast, erratic, and occasionally brilliant. Daley’s sense of humour leans absurd, but never careless. Kunicki gives a performance that’s loud on the surface but haunted underneath, and the film’s final image reframes the story in a way that’s unexpectedly gentle. This isn’t just a satire about digital collapse; it’s a story about someone trying to outrun their own sadness with momentum.

Distribution:

$POSITIONS continues its festival run and is entertaining distribution offers.

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2. FRIENDSHIP

Short Synopsis (From the Calgary Underground Film Festival):

A suburban dad falls hard for his charismatic new neighbour in the latest release from A24. Craig (Tim Robinson) has his life turned upside down by the arrival of Paul Rudd’s charming neighbour, and as Craig’s attempts at adult male friendship spiral out of control, their blossoming relationship threatens to ruin both of their lives. Andrew DeYoung’s feature debut premiered at TIFF 2024 and blends heartfelt comedy with a deep dive into the awkward abyss of male bonding.

Director:

Andrew DeYoung

Cast:

Tim Robinson, Paul Rudd, Kate Mara

My Thoughts on Friendship:

I have not laughed this hard in a theatre in years. But what makes Friendship more than a string of sketches is how controlled the whole thing is — visually, tonally, structurally. DeYoung shoots in a style more often reserved for slow-burning indie dramas, with references to The Master in framing and colour. That contrast makes the absurdity feel sharper, not sillier. Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson are a wonderful contrast, and it’s difficult not to love each of their characters in their own unique way. This is truly controlled chaos.

Distribution:

Friendship gets a wide theatrical release from A24 on May 9, 2025.

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1. PREDATORS

Check out our interview with the director of Predators, David Osit

Short Synopsis (From the Calgary Underground Film Festival):

A surprising exploration of the scintillating rise and staggering fall of the television series To Catch a Predator, which lured child predators to a staged film set only to have them interviewed and arrested. Dateline NBC’s candid-camera investigative show transformed host Chris Hansen into a moral crusader and spawned a worldwide industry of imitators and vigilantes. Filmmaker David Osit turns his lens on journalists, actors, law enforcers, academics, and himself to trace America’s obsession with watching people at their lowest. Predators delves into the murk of human nature—hunter, predator, subject, and spectator alike—entangled in a complicated web of entertainment.

Director:

David Osit

My Thoughts on Predators:

This isn’t an exposé, and it’s not an endorsement – it’s a provocation. Osit’s film digs into the cultural obsession with catching predators on camera, but never simplifies the material into outrage or defence. The use of footage from To Catch a Predator and its many imitators forces us to confront our own role as viewers. Why did we watch? Why do we still? The film doesn’t try to moralize, which is exactly what gives it power. It’s not just about the “predators” themselves – it’s about the ecosystems that made them a spectacle.

Distribution:

Predators has been acquired by MTV Documentary Films; theatrical release TBA.

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