Panic Fest 2026 Round-up
We’ve already looked at an incredible 15 films recently screened as part of the Panic Fest 2026. You can click the following links to read up on any of those:
The festival also included a trio of films we’ve covered on the site before…and you can find links to those reviews below:
Even with nearly 20 movies already receiving coverage…there are another 5 films that we need to give some attention to. This will conclude our coverage of Panic Fest 2026 at an impressive 24 movies. Panic Fest is one of the best out there for genre lovers. The four movies we’re going to touch on today might not quite qualify as horror…but they all have something to offer. I highly recommend picking up an online pass for their virtual festival next year if you identify as one.
Assets & Liabilities
Directed by Zach Weintraub
Written by Zach Weintraub
Starring Zach Weintraub and Arsenio Salvante
Plot Summary – Zach is a suburban father haunted by the impending arrival of middle age as he juggles the demands of work, family, and the sale of an investment property. When his wife and daughter go away for a short trip, he seizes the opportunity to live out a day as his younger, less responsible self. A spontaneous encounter with a fellow skater feels like a victory until an unsettling connection between the two emerges. The result is a forcible confrontation with his own bourgeois standing that shatters the illusion of Zach’s carefree day and sends it spiraling into dark territory.
Assets & Liabilities may not be a traditional horror movie…but it does get suitably weird. At a brisk 62 minutes, Assets & Liabilities makes for an easy watch. It’s about a man who uses a respite from his family life to have a short mid-life crisis. The story begins with Zach (Zach Weintraub) settling a rental property. A seemingly innocuous action that has unexpected ripple effects when he unknowingly defends the person being evicted by his actions. Worth a watch for the odd vibe and increasingly ominous tone. Weintraub (who also wrote and directed the film) turns in a great lead performance as the briefly happy man whose bubble is destined to burst.
Cruel Hands
Directed by Al Kalyk
Written by Al Kalyk and Matthew Kalyk
Starring Mavournee Hazel, Iolanthe, Glenda Kalyk, Diesel La Torraca, Ana Benham, Max Cattana and Harry Greenwood
Plot Summary – A mother and her son hideout in an abandoned farm, on the run from an abusive husband. Taking place during the 2019 bushfires, as emergency service struggle to track down the missing family, Dai begins to uncover not all is as it seems.
Cruel Hands is a dramatic thriller whose stakes feel immediate and real. A desperate woman takes her son and attempts to hide from her abusive husband. Things get dark quickly and only get darker as the story progresses. Maria (Mavournee Hazel) and her son Dai (Diesel La Torraca) are holed up in an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. That should be enough to protect them, but other perceived dangers find their way to the doorstep. Meanwhile…Maria’s husband is in pursuit…and brushfires are forcing an evacuation of the area. Cruel Hands leaves a few bodies in its wake…and death is treated with the appropriate weight in this story. If you like dark drama…Cruel Hands has what you’re looking for.
Debone
Directed by Lee Dae-han
Written by Lee Dae-han
Starring Lee Gyu-Tark, Zoo Minchan, Do Heejun and Eunjung Lee
Plot Summary – After killing his abusive father to protect his mother, Gyutark serves his youth in prison. Released into a hostile world where he and his ailing mother face persecution from villagers, Gyutark flees to find work at a distant warehouse. When his mother collapses and needs expensive surgery, his meager wages aren’t enough. Desperate to save the only person who ever loved him, he crosses into the criminal underworld…
The award for the bleakest movie at this year’s Panic Fest goes to Debone. It’s full of blood and vengeance…and incredible sadness. Gyutark (Lee Gyu-Tark) killed his father when he was young. He did it to protect his mother…but ends up in prison anyway. When he gets out…society sees him as a killer. It’s done a number on his mother too…as does the neighborhood’s reaction to her once her sone returns. When she becomes ill, Gyutark takes on some dangerous work to raise the funds he needs…and ends up crossing the wrong people. Debone is a tough watch but it’s a well-made tough watch. The pace is slow…but the big moments really land.
Don’t Sleep Alone
Don’t Sleep Alone
Directed by Talo Silveyra
Written by Talo Silveyra
Starring Agustina Benavides, Paula Brasca, Ignacio Perez Cortes, Daniel Araoz, Olga Zaytseva Bagliani and Tupac Larriera
Plot Summary – After her father’s suicide, Sami returns to her childhood home to reunite with her family. At night, she begins to suffer episodes of sleep paralysis, blurring the line between reality and nightmare, and is visited by a presence seemingly tied to what happened. What Sami ultimately uncovers will force them to confront a truth far more disturbing than her father’s death.
Unlike the other movies featured in this wrap-up, Don’t Sleep Alone is an out and out horror film. It involves a family trapped in a haunted house after the death of the family patriarch. Sami (Agustina Benavides) begins to suffer from sleep paralysis upon returning to the house. She begins to uncover a dark family secret that has been locked away in her memory for years. The family is trapped not by whatever the house is doing (and it does some crazy stuff) but by the fear of the house being boarded up if they leave it empty. With a wake being held in the home for financial reasons and trying to deal with a deadly house while dealing with their grief…Don’t Sleep Alone has enough going on to keep its story flowing in the right direction.
Flytrapper
Flytrapper
Directed by Drew Britton
Written by Drew Britton and Georgia Lee King
Starring Georgia Lee King and Lea Piescinski
Plot Summary – Crystal’s life of extremely aggressive rap music, jet-skiing, and nefarious activities is upended by a visit from her estranged best friend, Melonie. With a motive in hand, Melonie begins digging into the past, what led to their falling out, and the connection it might share with the present. As the situation becomes increasingly unstable, she can’t help but stay as the two rekindle their friendship.
Flytrapper is a stylish movie…if you can get down with a style that comprises “loud” and “obnoxious”. Crystal (Georgia Lee King) is surprised by a visit from a friend she hasn’t seen in a while, Melonie (Leah Piescinski). Crystal is an insane person…and that’s without even getting into the plot. Melonie is concerned because there has been a slew of murders in the area. Crystal seemingly just wants to rap and ride jet-skis. There’s more to it than that, obviously. But not that much more. I’ll say this…Georgia Lee King does an incredible job making Crystal so (purposely) annoying that you can’t help but be intrigued about why Melonie sticks around and puts up with it. Flytrapper has some moments that elevate it…but it’s still an acquired taste at its best.
