Monsters Fantastic Film Festival

Monsters Fantastic Film Festival presents fantastic and horror cinema in Taranto, Italy. It was founded in 2018 by Massimo Causo and Davide Di Giorgio and is organised by Brigadoon – Altre storie del cinema, a Taranto film culture association started by three Apulian film critics. Originally called Monsters – Taranto Horror Film Festival, it now covers fantastic cinema in all its forms, with attention to its historical, social and cultural context. Screenings take place at the Savoia Cityplex and Spazioporto, and admission is free.

Three international competitions — feature films over 60 minutes, short films under 20 minutes, and Monsters Kids, judged by children aged 5 to 12 — sit alongside the non-competitive Vortex section, retrospectives, tributes, talks and live film scores. Each edition has a poster created by a different visual artist. The dates for the ninth edition are 22–31 October 2026.