The blood of 'Carrie' will run through Sitges

Fifty years have passed since Sissy Spacek was drenched in blood in Carrie (1976) in one of the most iconic scenes in the history of horror cinema. For this reason, the Sitges Festival has decided to pay tribute to Brian De Palma's 1976 film, an adaptation of Stephen King's novel (available in Catalan in a new edition from Males Herbes publishing house). In a dark atmosphere typical of the festival's genre, within the Moritz Factory in Barcelona, the Catalan International Fantastic Film Festival presented this Monday the programming for its 59th edition, which will be held from October 8 to October 18. The festival's leitmotifs will orbit around prom dances and children with psychic powers, coinciding in theme "}with the 50th anniversary of De Palma's film and the Spanish classicWho can kill a child? (1976) by Chicho Ibáñez Serrador. The artistic director of the festival, Àngel Sala, and the director of the foundation, Mònica Garcia, have made a first preview of the program that will recover great restored classics in 4k of the fantastic genre such as Scanners (1981)of David Cronenberg and King Kong (1976) by John Guillermin.Remembering classics

The Sitges Festival 2026 also revives The Devils (1971), by Ken Russell, a film of diabolical possessions and ecclesiastical sex starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave, of which a restored version by Warner Studios can be seen (the original film is available on FiImin). Titles that marked a before and after in Spanish horror cinema will also be revived, such as Tesis (1996), the opera prima by Alejandro Amenábar, to commemorate the thirty years since its premiere. Amenábar himself will participate in a colloquium and explain how the filming went. In addition, the festival will also offer a review of Cannibal Holocaust (1980), by the Italian director Ruggero Deodato, the mockumentary about the limits of Western ambition that was banned in more than fifty countries.Terror and religion

Among the novelties that Sitges 2026 will present, there are films such as Leviticus (2026), by the Australian Adrian Chiarella, which mixes religious fanaticism and repression of homosexual desire; Her private hell (2026), by the Dane Nicolas Winding Refn, a thriller about obsession, desire, and violence that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and the debut of Marion Le Corroller, Sanguine (2026), another episode of body horror. This year's edition will also feature the participation of Finnish director Hanna Bergholm, with Nightborn (2026), which addresses the theme of motherhood and children who generate terror. The North American actor and producer Nicolas Cage will once again have a presence in Sitges, this time with The carpenter's son(2025), by the British Lofty Nathan, a reinterpretation of biblical stories that Àngel Sala defines as "the first temptation of Christ". The new work by French director Léa Mysius, The birthday party (2026), starring Monica Bellucci, which transforms a family celebration into a terrifying nightmare, will also be shown.A commitment to Asian cinema

In addition to European productions, the festival continues its firm commitment to Asian fantastic cinema, with recognized names in the panorama such as South Korean Yeon Sang-ho, who will bring the thriller Colony (2026), and Japanese Takashi Shimizu with The mouths (2026), a supernatural horror proposal that turns the body and word into a space of tension. Even samurai-themed films can be screened, such as Kokurojo: The samurai and the prisoner (2026), by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.This year's edition will not have its venue at El Retiro cinema because it is "still under construction". "The restoration of the facility could coincide next year with the festival's 60th anniversary, let's hope so," wishes Mònica Garcia.