Monsters – Fantastic Film Festival

The eighth edition

From October 26 to 31, 2025, the Monsters – Fantastic Film Festival brought Taranto to life with 55 titles from 22 countries distributed across 9 sections, held at the Cinema Teatro Orfeo, Savoia Cityplex, Spazioporto, and Casablanca Multicine in San Giorgio Ionico.

Special guests included Italian horror master Lamberto Bava and actress Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, celebrated with the Monsters Lifetime Achievement Award on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Demons. Among the most anticipated evenings were the screening of the restored The Phantom of the Opera (1925) with a live electronic score by Gabriele Panico, the Toxic Night dedicated to Troma productions, and the Demoni Night. The Feature Film Competition (6 films) and the Short Film Competition (19 works), along with Monsters Kids and the Vortex section, awarded the Monsters Awards with juries of critics and filmmakers.

Special evenings

• October 26 — Opening night at Cinema Teatro Orfeo: The Phantom of the Opera (1925) with live electronic music by Gabriele Panico.
• October 28 — Toxic Night dedicated to Troma, featuring the remake of The Toxic Avenger and the 1984 original.
• October 29 — Demoni Night for the 40th anniversary of Demons, attended by Lamberto Bava and Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni.

Competitions and sections

• International Feature Film Competition (6 films) — jury: Pippo Mezzapesa, Grazia Tricarico, Emanuele Di Nicola.
• International Short Film Competition (19 shorts) — jury: Ilaria Ferramosca, Gaetano Colella, Angela Bianca Saponari.
• Monsters Kids (6 short films) and Vortex section.
• Focus and retrospectives: "Something in the Fog" (45 years of John Carpenter's The Fog), tribute to producer Val Lewton, and a spotlight on Iranian cinema.

Monsters Lifetime Achievement Award to Lamberto Bava and Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni; 40th anniversary of Demons; restoration of The Phantom of the Opera with live music.