Gothic Horror ‘Upiro’ to Premiere at Fantastic Fest

Ahead of a U.S. festival run, including Beyond Fest and Sitges’ Official Fantàstic Competition, Óscar Martín’s Upiro will have its World Premiere tonight, September 18, in Fantastic Fest’s Horror Competition. A second screening will follow on September 22. On September 28, Upiro will debut along the West Coast at Beyond Fest, with a Q&A to follow.

“Fantastic Fest holds a very special place in our history,” says Martín, whose debut, Amigo, premiered in Austin. “That was where we discovered a community with an extraordinary passion for genre cinema. Returning with Upiro, competing in the main section, and celebrating its World Premiere there is incredibly exciting.” 

“For the film to go directly from Fantastic Fest to Beyond Fest and then compete at Sitges exceeds everything we imagined when we began this project,” Martín adds. “All three festivals have fiercely distinctive identities and champion bold, independent filmmaking with a deep connection to audiences. We could not have hoped for a better start to Upiro festival journey.” 

The official synopsis reads: “In 1755, Ana, a young woman, is sent to a remote cloistered convent to atone for her sins. There, she discovers that several novices are suffering from a mysterious blood-related illness. An unconventional Franciscan friar begins investigating the events, but his methods clash with the prevailing scientific thought of the Enlightenment.” The film is “inspired by one of the earliest documented cases of vampirism in the Iberian Peninsula.”

The cast is led by Victoria Cerrada, Pauline Brisy, Diego Anido, Javier Botet, María Galiana, Enrique Martínez, and Juanjo Puigcorbé. 

Sounds incredible. If you’re at Fantastic Fest, any plans to check this out? If not, be certain to keep it on your radar, and stay tuned to Dread Central as we learn more.