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Amazing Fantasy Fest 2025 Reviews: Dead White & Blue, Reverie, More
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Amazing Fantasy Fest 2025 Report: Part 2
Amazing Fantasy Fest is a genre specific film festival that recently completed its second year of operation. The event for 2025 was held over nine days and in two locations, with the first seven days at the majestic Dipson Amherst Theatre in Buffalo, New York (September 12th, 2025, to September 18th, 2025), and the final two days at The Screening Room Cinema & Arts Café in Amherst, New York (there was also a “secret cinema”/“day 10” for select pass holders only also held at The Screening Room). The festival screened 16 feature films and 78 short films, 94 movies total. Check out the first part of this report here, where I review everything that I saw on days 1 and 2. This second part is all about everything that I saw on day 7. Each movie, regardless of length, will get a number rating (1 to 10). Short film reviews will appear first, followed by feature film reviews.
And so, without any further what have you, what else did I see at the 2025 edition of Amazing Fantasy Fest?
Amazing Fantasy Fest 2025 Report: Part 2
Short Films
Reverie: Written and directed by Gabrielle Nunzio, Reverie tells the story of Sam (David DeCaro), an office worker that keeps having vivid dreams of a beautiful blonde woman. One day, a new employee shows up at Sam’s office, Valerie (Veronica Rozler), and Sam immediately believes that Valerie is the blonde woman he keeps seeing in his dreams. So Sam works up the courage to talk with Valerie, and after an awkward first discussion, they become sort of “office friends” after several more discussions. And so they hit it off, they have obvious chemistry and whatnot, and then they start hanging out together with other friends on the weekends. Sam and Valerie eventually go on a date, an event that goes well for everyone, which then leads to Sam telling Valerie about how he believes that the blonde woman from his dreams is her.
I can’t stress how goddamn sweet and wonderful Reverie is on every level imaginable. The music, the overall tone of the short, and the general pacing of the story and how it all comes together at the end are beyond spot on. There isn’t a wasted moment in its 21 minute runtime, and yet it never once feels like director Nunzio and company are trying to rush things along to “get to the good stuff” because everything in Reverie is “the good stuff.” And when the short ends, you feel that you’ve seen both a complete story and, somehow, only the beginning of a story that likely has more sweet and wonderful chapters in it. You’re completely satisfied when the short ends, and you really want to see what happens next.
The various performances are exactly what you want to see in this sort of romantic comedy, with everyone being incredibly likable, especially DeCaro and Rozler. You just know that their Sam and Valerie belong together as soon as they first talk to one another, and it’s a real treat to watch them figure that out over the course of the story. Donovan Gale is fantastic as Sam’s best friend Alex, the guy that Sam confides in about his dreams (Alex doesn’t give Sam much in the way of shit about his, well, weird dream story, which is exactly what you want in a friend when you’re essentially spilling your guts). Everyone else in the short does great work, too, including Sandra Roberts as Marissa, Isabel Descahmps as Grace, and Kim Piazza as Dolores the office manager. And be on the lookout for director Nunzio as a waitress during the big date scene.
There is one moment in Reverie that bothers me, and it’s due to me being curious as to what the characters are drinking in the scene (it happens during the “everyone hanging out on the weekend” scene). Is that red liquid they’re drinking supposed to be cranberry juice? Is it Hi-C? Hawaiian Punch? Kool-Aid, maybe? I have no idea why I want to know, it isn’t important at all, and yet I can’t stop thinking about it. It looks like cranberry juice to me, but do young people drink that?
I loved every second of Reverie. Every single second. It’s sweet and warm and funny and wonderful, exactly what you want with a romantic comedy, and Reverie is one of the best romantic comedies I’ve ever seen. I can’t recommend Reverie enough. See it, see it, see it!
Rating: 10.0/10.0
Brainless: Directed by Phill Will, Brainless is a wonderfully weird sci-fi comedy about a young man named Jeffrey and his girlfriend Marissa. We see Jeffrey and Marissa on a date, apparently having a good time and enjoying one another’s company. As the date progresses, though, it becomes obvious that Jeffrey and Marissa think about their relationship differently, with Marissa wanting to be more romantic and Jeffrey seemingly oblivious to her frustration. We then see Jeffrey and Marissa go on another date, this time at a library. This second date leads to more frustration for Marissa, with a problem picking out cookies leading to a series of missed romantic signals (basically, she wants a kiss, and he can’t respond in a meaningful way).
What the heck is going on here with Jeffrey and Marissa? They clearly like one another, they do have “couples chemistry,” so why does it appear as though only Marissa wants to be in a “romantic relationship?” What does Jeffrey think is happening? What does Jeffrey want or expect from his relationship with Marissa?
What’s great about Brainless is that, up until the last quarter or so, you think Jeffrey is just clueless about what is happening when he hangs out with Marissa. Does he know that she thinks they’re a real deal couple and should be doing real deal couple things? We then see Jeffrey talk with a scientist or a doctor in the peculiar building Jeffrey apparently lives in, and we find out that Jeffrey is clueless, but it’s not a “natural” cluelessness. There is something else going on, something bizarre and strange and kind of sad. And when you, the audience, find out what’s going on, it can only be described as “beyond unexpected.”
The two main actors who play Jeffrey and Marissa (I didn’t catch their names) are terrific, and it’s a joy to see them interact with one another. You can see Marissa fighting with her emotions, trying to express how much she likes Jeffrey without being blunt and obvious and maybe scaring Jeffrey off, and Jeffrey somehow believing things are going well when they are clearly not. The movie’s final sequence is heartbreaking and oddly funny at the same time. That’s hard as hell to pull off.
I also want to commend director Will and company for the sci-fi elements that we see towards the end, as they’re all very unusual and make no sense but also make all of the sense in the world. That kind of thing is hard as hell to pull off, too.
Brainless is very much a “must see” short film. Definitely be on the lookout for it.
Rating: 9.0/10.0
Courting Death: Written and directed by J.A. Latona, Courting Death is a hilariously messed up and oddly poignant dark comedy about a young man that is set to become the next Grim Reaper (it’s actually his birthright). We actually see the “current” Grim Reaper show up at the young man’s apartment and sort of “check in” on him to make sure he’s ready to become Death. But before the young man, Shade (Daniel Colern), becomes the Grim Reaper, he has to father an heir who can eventually become the new Death in the future. Shade has one year to father a child. If Shade fails to father a child after a year, the full on apocalypse will happen. So Shade heads to a suicide prevention group in order to find the potential mother to his child.
Shade eventually hits it off with the leader of the suicide prevention group, Oriella (Jo O’Donnell), and they go on a bunch of dates. They become a couple, and then the short ends with a time jump of eight years, where we find out that the apocalypse didn’t happen, Shade and Oriella had a daughter, and Shade is now Death. We see Shade as Death watching Oriella and their daughter, but he can’t interact with them because if he does he will kill them. You would think that is depressing, but it isn’t. I mean, it’s sad, but it’s also somehow hopeful. Is it because the apocalypse didn’t happen? Maybe?
The best sequence in Courting Death is the suicide prevention group meeting, where we watch Shade participate in the group and just about everyone in the meeting being super attracted to him, and that includes dudes. It all feels so wrong while also being hilarious. Watch the various group participants fight over a clipboard. It’s awesome. The best part of Courting Death, though, is how director Latona manages the short’s tone throughout its half hour run time. With such potentially super dark subject matter as the plot of the short, you can see how Courting Death could go off the rails and become weird and depressing. It doesn’t, though.
It also helps that every acting part in the short is perfectly cast, especially when it comes to Shade and Oriella. Colern and O’Donnell have tremendous chemistry, and as soon as you see them interact during their first date you can tell that Shade and Oriella belong together. I mean, when Oriella finds out what’s really going on, you’d think she’d run away. What normal person wouldn’t? It’s such a strange story. But that couple’s chemistry is what keeps Shade and Oriella together, and it’s why the short works as well as it does.
Definitely keep your eye out for Courting Death. It’s very much worth your time.
Rating: 8.5/10.0
Cupcake: Directed by Amanda L. Woomer, this wonderfully fucked up 3 minute short is all about a young girl that is incredibly upset about no one showing up for her birthday party. We watch the girl leave her home, go next door, confront a slightly older young girl, and then… I’m not sure I should say exactly what happens, as the “twist” should be experienced fresh. I will say, though, that that twist is, again, incredibly fucked up. Like fucked up in a way you’re not expecting at all. You will cringe, you will laugh, then probably cringe again, and then laugh again. That’s what I did.
It’s amazing how well Cupcake works at just three minutes. It gets in and gets out quickly, and you will remember it. Cupcake also has top notch cinematography and production design (the short looks expensive). I loved everything about Cupcake. Everything.
Rating: 10.0/10.0
Dead Men: Directed by Cat Martinez and Tim Watson, this 7 minute short is all about people trying to survive an ongoing zombie apocalypse. We see two men (Watson is one of them) break into an assumed abandoned apartment to get away from the violence and carnage outside. The apartment isn’t completely abandoned (they have to deal with a zombie inside), but the men are able to deal with the attacking zombie. We then see the men try to relax for a moment, as there is safety inside. Of course, this being a zombie story taking place in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, nowhere is safe, and the two men are eventually taken out. And then it’s over.
In general, Dead Men isn’t anything horror fans haven’t seen before. It’s a zombie movie. I will say, though, that Dead Men is a well-made and a well done zombie movie. There’s a real sense of dread throughout the short, and you can tell that the characters are just doing what they can to survive. The zombie special effects look decent, and the guns that the human characters have look like, well, guns. I did like the moment where we see the two men play cards to relax and pass the time, and they gamble with packets of ramen noodles. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that in a zombie movie.
The short’s abrupt ending does feel a bit too abrupt. I feel like Dead Men needs a little more time, a little more zombie action, a little more of everything. Could it be that Dead Men is a sort of test film for a potentially larger zombie apocalypse story in the future? I have no idea if that is what everyone involved wants to do, but it would make sense. There is a definite sense of “let’s see if we can do this” running throughout the short (at least that’s what I sensed. I could be the only one feeling that).
I liked Dead Men quite a bit, and I’m game for a bigger Dead Men if that’s what all involved want to do.
Rating: 7.5/10.0
Departure: As directed by Josh McMillan, Departure features a young woman (Victoria Estelle Elia) driving out to a remote farmhouse, presumably for a sort of weekend getaway type thing. She’s alone driving to the farmhouse, and when she gets to the farmhouse it looks like she’s going to be alone the whole time that she’s there. It looks like that. The reality, though, is that the young woman isn’t alone. There’s a malevolent force lurking at the farmhouse, and the young woman is going to have to confront it while she is there.
What is this malevolent force? Basically, the malevolent force is a manifestation of the young woman’s addiction issues, and the reason that the young woman came out to the farmhouse is to deal with those addiction issues. Will the young woman succeed?
Clocking in at around 11 minutes, Departure works quite well building suspense as the reality of the story reveals itself. And Victoria Estelle Elia is fantastic as the young woman. You’re on her side the entire 11 minutes. And the sort of “shadow” visual effects that represent the malevolent force the young woman has to deal with look convincing. The location the short was filmed at looks appropriately lived in and creepy in an off kilter sort of way (the farmhouse looks fairly normal, which, in this sort of story, means that something weird is going on there, you’re just not sure what that weird thing is going to be). And the short moves along quite well. I initially thought it should probably be about a minute shorter, but I’ve come around to accepting the short’s pacing as it is. The short’s suspense is very well done. I can’t stress that enough.
Departure is yet another short that you should make an effort to see. Very much worth your time.
Rating: 8.5/10.0
Shadows: Written and directed by Tim Watson, Shadows is a sort of meditation on loneliness. Watson stars as a youngish guy that lives alone in an apartment somewhere. We watch him get his mail, read his mail, watch a black and white horror movie, and then go to bed. In the middle of the night, the guy wakes up and there’s a dark figure in his bedroom. What the heck is that dark figure? Is it real?
We then see the guy look up some supernatural hooey on the internets, reads some stuff about “shadow people,” and then he makes some cocoa. And we watch him make that cocoa. The guy then takes a bath. I won’t say how the short ends, but I will say that it’s unsettling. Because, ultimately, you have no idea what the heck is going on, but you can’t look away. You, the viewer, are watching this guy that lives alone, who really doesn’t do much beyond exist, and his existence keeps going on and on until it is interrupted by dark figures. And when those dark figures, those shadows, appear, you don’t know what’s going to happen next. Are these “shadow people” actual malevolent forces? Are they actually supernatural? Is it all in the guy’s head? Is this guy about to spiral out of control?
The pacing of this short is superb. You are on the edge of your seat after about a minute because you have no idea what’s really going on. Why are we seeing the minute details of this guy’s life? Why are parts of apartment in shambles? What caused all of this? What caused his loneliness? Did his loneliness sort of bring the shadow people into his apartment and into his life? Or is it all in his head? The ending doesn’t really provide any answers, at least as far as I can tell. You’re probably going to ask yourself a million questions once the short is over, and it’s okay that you don’t have any answers. You might develop some answers after thinking about the short, or you might just start asking yourself even more questions. That’s where the power of Shadows comes from.
And Tim Watson delivers a brilliant performance. Just fantastic stuff.
I loved Shadows. I’m still thinking about it now. I don’t know what sort of festival run it will get, but it deserves to be screened far and wide. Shadows is awesome.
Rating: 10.0/10.0
Thrillogy: Directed by Ryan Elizabeth Brady, Thrillogy can best be described as a wacked out horror-comedy. It starts out with three people, a guy and two women, running in a cemetery and messing around. Why are they doing this? Just because, I guess. Before you can figure out what’s happening, all three of the people suddenly disappear. Then, after a beat, we see each person in a weird environment, and each environment is different. The guy is in an office somewhere, talking with a woman that has a computer. One of the women is at some sort of beauty pageant. And the other woman is being chased by a train. And then bizarre stuff happens to each character in their specific environments.
The first thing you’re likely to notice is that Thrillogy feels like an homage to Beetlejuice (1988) but somehow even more insane. Everything that we see happen to the guy and the two women is completely off-the-wall and funny, and it all gets funnier as it progresses. It’s a little rough around the edges at times, it isn’t “slick,” but it all somehow works. There’s a sequence where various characters engage in a shootout with what appear to be Nerf guns that have been spray painted. The guns don’t look “real” at all, and it doesn’t matter one bit. You completely buy that what’s happening is what’s happening, even if you don’t fully grasp why any of it is happening. That’s goddamn talent.
Now, the ending of Thrillogy may end up dividing viewers, as it’s easily the most insane thing that happens in the short. It somehow feels both wholly wrong yet incredibly appropriate. I’m still trying to figure out whether or not I “approve” of the ending. I mean, I like it, but I don’t know if I should. And that’s the ultimate brilliance of Thrillogy. It’s funny, it makes you feel uneasy, and you can’t wait to see what happens next. And it all happens in 16 minutes. Amazing stuff.
Thrillogy is sensational.
Rating: 9.0/10.0
The Monster of My Mind: Holy fucking shit. The Monster of My Mind is the most dread inducing short film that I saw at Amazing Fantasy Fest 2025. It’s also the only one that I saw that, after its first minute or so, caused the assembled audience to gasp in complete shock. Did this short really do that? And after doing that, where the hell can it go? What could possibly be next?
Directed by Bradley Liverman, The Monster of My Mind is an incredibly disturbing horror movie. It’s about a man named Sam (played by Chris Romano) who, in the first minute and a half of the short, shoots his wife and child (this is done off screen but we hear the whole thing happen). We then see Sam bury both dead bodies. As all of that is happening, we hear Sam via voiceover attempt to explain why he had to kill his wife and child. Sam claims that he had to kill his wife and child because of some dark, malevolent force in the world, and that killing his family was a merciful action. As the short progresses, we find out that Sam likely has a mental illness (he takes pills for something). Did Sam kill his family because of that mental illness and a series of delusions, or was there an actual dark and evil force that made him do it?
The way the short navigates the whole “is it mental illness/delusion or an actual evil entity?” question is fascinating, because how you come to your own conclusion on what is happening will heavily depend on how you take Sam as a character. Is this guy actually going through something sinister and he has no way to stop it, or is this all just some elaborate bullshit that he’s concocted in his mind to try to justify what he’s done? Is it possible that Sam is just an evil person and he’s fucking around with the audience? I think you can make a plausible case for either. And that’s where the overall power of The Monster of My Mind comes from. Do you trust anything that Sam says? Is he a “reliable narrator?”
Romano is fantastic as Sam. He fully embodies the part, and he’s either going to depress you or infuriate you (or maybe both). And director Liverman shows a firm hand throughout the short’s 10 minute runtime. Liverman knows exactly what he’s doing visually and tonally, and he knows how to create perpetual dread that will get under your skin. That’s always great to see.
You need to see The Monster of my Mind. It really is that damn good. It’s nothing short of amazing work. The Monster of my Mind is currently available to watch on YouTube. Check it out here. Do it now.
Rating: 10.0/10.0
Aaron My Friend: Directed by Chris D’Addario, this short starts off with two people walking in a field somewhere. We then see one of those people running away into the woods. At least I think that’s what happens. Aaron My Friend confused the hell out of me.
The bulk of the short seems to involve two people talking about how much they love being in the woods, one of those people then claiming that something is coming after them, and then those two people continuing to talk about how much they love being in the woods. There’s also a section where it seems like the two people are chasing one another in the woods. Why is any of this happening? I have no idea.
This short’s cinematography is dreamy and weird, and it definitely helps create a sort of uneasiness that makes the short watchable (because what the hell is going to happen?). But I don’t think the short really comes together at the end. It’s just too confusing.
I am willing to admit that I may not be smart enough to grasp what the heck is going on here with Aaron My Friend. It could be one of those shorts that you need to see more than once to fully understand. I don’t know. I liked parts of it. I just wish I knew what it was about.
Please, seek this short out and tell me what I’m missing.
Rating: 6.0/10.0
Underbelly: Directed by Taylor Martin, Underbelly is a gnarly horror short about a gangster named Carlo (Dom Penna, who also wrote the short’s screenplay) forcing a guy (played by Matty McDonald) to dig his own grave. Carlo is pissed with something the grave digger did, and this is his ultimate punishment. The grave digger asks Carlo if he can say a prayer before Carlo shoots him dead. Carlo tells the grave digger that he can. And in the short’s first “holy shit!” moment, the grave digger digs out his own eyes. Why the hell would he do that? Carlo doesn’t bother to find out and shoots the grave digger in the head and then buries him. Job done.
Before Carlo leaves the area, he receives a series of weird phone calls that eventually freak him out. What the hell is happening? And then the short’s second “holy shit!” moment happens. I won’t say what it is, but I will say that it’s nasty. And funny, in a darkly weird way.
Clocking in at a lean and mean 6 minutes, Underbelly is a real deal thrill-a-minute. Underbelly doesn’t waste a second, and it has absolutely no problem being both fun and disturbingly violent (in a good way). Penna and McDonald are both tremendous, and the way the short concludes will no doubt please horror fans and brave cinema watchers that can appreciate a super- efficient story. I loved every single second of Underbelly. And all of that makes sense, as director Martin and screenwriter Penna also did the excellent The Showffeur, which I reviewed in the first part of this report. Martin and Penna know what the heck they’re doing.
Keep an eye out for Underbelly. It’s six minutes of full on gnarly horror ecstasy.
Rating: 10.0/10.0
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Feature Films
Dead White & Blue: Written and directed by Mike Davis, Dead White & Blue is advertised as a “green” movie, meaning that director Davis actually created a movie out of public domain movies, stock footage, and specifically in the case of Dead White & Blue, U.S. military and FBI recruitment films (he’s “reusing” already made films to make a new movie). It’s all held together by voice actors voicing the various “characters” and whatnot. It’s a strategy that probably shouldn’t work, because it all seems so insane. A new, coherent movie out of other movies? It has to be impossible. I’m happy to say that Dead White & Blue does work. It could probably lose about ten minutes or so (the flick runs about 85 minutes, and I think this concept in general will work best the shorter the piece), but that’s me just being nitpicky. Dead White & Blue is coherent, entertaining, and very, very funny.
The story for Dead White & Blue features the city of Atlanta, where a major law enforcement and military convention is taking place. The wife of the mayor of Atlanta is kidnaped by revolutionaries for some reason. There are racist cops killing people. The Ku Klux Klan is active in the area (we see a hilarious KKK recruitment commercial at the beginning of the movie) and has access to a special technology that allows them to shrink a person down to microscopic size, and they intend to use that technology to send someone into the dead body to retrieve the bullet used to kill the guy. At the same time, the FBI wants to use the same shrinking technology to send a US Army unit into the same dead body to take out the Klan. All of that, as far as I can tell, is the story.
The jokes come fast and furious throughout Dead White & Blue. And the jokes are equal parts offensive, laugh out loud funny, and politically tinged. The voice actors are all terrific. And the various footage types, while they don’t “match” at all (it looks like the footage is all from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s), it all does “fit” together. It’s simply amazing how Davis can use the same “actor” footage over and over again, in different contexts, to tell his story. And the various bits of footage are fascinating in and of themselves. The weirdest footage appears to be some sort of FBI video about how to properly process a crime scene and then how to do an autopsy.
And then there’s the footage depicting the leader of the KKK. I’m fairly certain that the guy playing the head of the KKK is Robert Prosky, of John Carpenter’s Christine (1983), The Great Outdoors (1988), Hoffa (1992), and Last Action Hero (1993) fame (those are the movies I remember him from). If that isn’t Robert Prosky, man, he really, really, really looks like Robert Prosky. I’ve looked through Prosky’s IMDb page, and I can’t figure out if the movie Davis used is listed there. In general, I’d love to know what movies, stock footage, etc. Davis actually used.
Again, I think Dead White & Blue would work better if it was somehow shorter by about ten minutes, but I’m not sure what to cut. I’d love to see it again and try to “figure it out.” According to his IMDb page, Dead White & Blue is the third “green movie” Davis has made. The other two are Sex Galaxy (2008) and President Wolfman (2012), and as I write this President Wolfman is on a few streaming services. I’d like to see both of them, to see how this “green movie” idea has evolved since he first did it.
I loved Dead White & Blue. It’s funny and wild and brilliant in its own way. If it’s playing at a film festival near you, definitely make an effort to experience it. And keep an eye out for it on the various streaming services. I’m sure it will pop up there (or maybe on home video in some form), as it’s way too good to be kept under wraps. Way, way too good and funny.
See Dead White & Blue. See it, see it, see it!
Rating: 8.5/10.0
*******
And now, movies that played at Amazing Fantasy Fest that I didn’t get a chance to see but hope to one day…
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Conclusion
I once again had a great time at Amazing Fantasy Fest. Festival founder Gregory Lamberson, as well as all of the festival volunteers and sponsors and collaborators and whatnot, have produced a monumental celebration of indie genre cinema a second time, and it looks like the festival is set to continue on into the future (the third edition of Amazing Fantasy Fest is set for September 11th through September 17th, 2026). If you find yourself in the Buffalo, New York area in September 2026, and you’re in the mood for a worthwhile movie watching experience, be sure to give Amazing Fantasy Fest a shot. It will definitely be worth your time and the effort.
And that goes for film festivals in general. If you have a film festival in your area, please do check it out. It will be an experience you won’t soon forget, especially if you’re a movie nerd.
Amazing Fantasy Fest. See it, see it, see it!
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Check out the official Amazing Fantasy Fest website here!
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