Lisbon's streets will echo with cinematic screams from 3 to 13 October as MOTELX, Portugal's premier horror film festival, returns for its 20th edition. For the first time, the event stretches over ten days and gains a second home at the Cinemateca Portuguesa, complementing its traditional base at Cinema São Jorge. The expansion marks a milestone for a festival that has grown steadily since its founding in 2007.
Directed by João Monteiro and Pedro Souto, MOTELX has carved a niche in the European festival circuit, blending cult discoveries with mainstream scares. This year's programme is notably ambitious, reflecting the festival's maturity and its commitment to showcasing the genre's breadth.
Opening night and tributes
The festival opens with Drag, a US production directed by Raviv Ullman and Greg Yagolnitzer, produced by Danny DeVito. The film sets the tone for a programme that balances new voices with established masters.
A key highlight is the tribute to Italian director Sergio Martino, a master of the giallo subgenre, who will receive the "Master of Horror" statuette. The festival also marks the centenary of Roger Corman's birth, honouring the legendary producer and director through his widow, Julie Corman, who attends as a guest of honour. Corman, a guest at the 2017 edition, left an indelible mark on genre cinema.
In another nod to the genre's diverse contributors, the Noémia Delgado Award—established last year to celebrate women in horror—goes to Portuguese-Swedish filmmaker Solveig Nordlund. Nordlund, known for films like Low-Flying Aircraft (2002), based on a JG Ballard story, will be recognised for her distinctive voice.
New discoveries and European contenders
The "Room Service" section, dedicated to the most eye-catching films, includes a provocative mix. Fuck My Son! (USA) by Todd Rohal is described by the festival as "a tasteless X-rated comedy," while AnyMart (Japan) by Yusuke Iwasaki exposes the dark underbelly of Japanese corporate life. Two Belgian-French co-productions stand out: Species_, a body-horror piece by Marion Le Correller, and The Birthday Party by Léa Mysius, starring Monica Bellucci.
These two films are also in the running for the Meliès d'Argent, awarded to the best European fantasy film. They compete against a strong field that includes Bloody Tennis by Nikias Chryssos (Germany), Bodyhackers by Carlos Conceição (Portugal), Ferine by Andrea Corsini (Italy), No Rest for the Wicked by Kasper Kalle (Denmark), and The Rest of It by María Martínez Bayona (UK/Spain/Norway). The winner will go on to compete for the Meliès d'Or at the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation.
Retrospectives and classics
This year's edition also casts a spotlight on horror films produced behind the Iron Curtain. The retrospective, titled Lost in Europe: Terror Behind the Iron Curtain, features works from the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and the German Democratic Republic, offering a rare glimpse into how Eastern European filmmakers navigated censorship and political constraints to craft unsettling tales.
For those seeking familiar chills, the festival screens Werner Herzog's 1979 Nosferatu, starring Klaus Kinski, and Jörg Buttgereit's NEKromantik (1988), a film notorious for its shocking content. These classics, alongside the new discoveries, underscore MOTELX's dual mission: to celebrate horror's heritage while pushing its boundaries.
As MOTELX enters its third decade, it stands as a testament to the enduring appeal of horror in European cinema. With its expanded format and diverse programme, the festival not only honours the past but also charts new directions for the genre. For fans and newcomers alike, Lisbon offers a ten-day immersion into the macabre, the unsettling, and the thrilling.
