Imagine Fantastic Film Festival 2026 Explores a Century of Technological Fear in Ghost in the Feed

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October 29 – November 8, 2026 | Amsterdam, The Netherlands (LAB111, De FilmHallen & Hal West)

The thematic program of Imagine Fantastic Film Festival 2026 (October 29 – November 8) explores the fears and desires that emerge with every new form of media technology. Under the banner Ghost in the Feed, the program examines five distinct stages of media technology over the past century: the rise of television, the VHS era, the early years of the internet, the age of the constant online feed, and today’s immersive technological landscape.

Through films, talks, immersive experiences, exhibitions, and more, the festival investigates how these technologies have shaped our collective imagination. Audiences can get an early taste of the festival this coming weekend during Club Imagine, taking place June 26–28. Tickets are available here.

Ghost in the Feed dives deep into our media technologies, into the spaces where our greatest fears and uncanny desires are stored. The program demonstrates that our anxiety about technology – and our fascination with it – is nothing new. Instead, it forms a recurring cycle in which every technological revolution revives old concerns while generating new obsessions. The fear of television brainwashing in the 1960s is directly linked to today’s panic surrounding algorithms. David Cronenberg’s vision of “new flesh”, in which television signals literally invade and alter human tissue, finds a contemporary counterpart in the influence of social media.

We are not only afraid of what technology does, but also of how each medium feels. Ghost in the Feed uses cinema as a séance – a way of summoning the ghosts of dead and dying media and exploring how their textures, limitations, and unique characteristics have become embedded in our collective subconscious. By pairing Videodrome (1982) with Red Rooms (2023), Imagine creates a dialogue across decades that reveals a universal fear: the loss of our identity, our truth, and our sense of reality to the glowing screens we have willingly invited into our homes.

The festival also sparks conversations between generations: the Gen X cinephile who remembers the tangible dread of an unlabeled videotape; the Millennial who witnessed the internet transform from a utopian playground into a corporate panopticon; and the Gen Z viewer who discovered horror through deepfakes and disappearing stories. Every generation believes it has a unique relationship with technology, yet all are haunted by the same ghosts – the medium simply changes.

The program consists of five Frequencies of Fear, each centered on the defining characteristics of a particular media technology:

Frequency 1: The Broadcast Possession

This section focuses on the rise of radio and television, exploring fears surrounding voices and images entering our homes unchecked. The key film is History of the Occult (2020).

Frequency 2: The Cursed Cartridge

This program explores the VHS era, when images became tangible, transferable, and seemingly contagious. The iconic cornerstone of this section is David Cronenberg’s Videodrome (1982).

Frequency 3: The Digital Séance

A journey into the early days of the internet, when chat rooms, forums, and slow connections created a mysterious and often alienating digital world. The centerpiece is We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2021).

Frequency 4: The Algorithmic Possession

This section examines the contemporary reality of social media, algorithms, and online identity. The acclaimed thriller Red Rooms (2023) serves as the starting point for this program strand.

Frequency 5: The Embodied Void

Here, Imagine turns its attention to immersive technologies such as virtual, augmented, and mixed reality. As part of Imagine Expanded, this section asks what happens when the boundary between the physical and digital worlds becomes increasingly blurred.

About Imagine Fantastic Film Festival

Imagine is the largest festival dedicated to fantastic cinema in the Netherlands, showcasing the very best in fantasy, horror, and science fiction. At its core, Imagine is about the power of imagination. Each year, the festival challenges audiences to reflect on the future of humanity and society through imaginative storytelling. It harnesses the unique power of fantastic cinema to explore future worlds, develop new perspectives on reality, investigate the unknown, and broaden our horizons.

Imagine regards the fantastic genre as a rich source of thought experiments – one that often anticipates or reflects social and technological developments. Through in-depth programs, the festival provides historical context, critical perspectives, and deeper insight, connecting fantastic cinema to contemporary issues and developments in society.

Club Imagine – June 26, 27 & 28

Can’t wait until October? Don’t miss the Club Imagine Weekender this coming weekend. For three days, Club Imagine at LAB111 will serve up a thrilling mix of new and classic fantastic genre films. Martial arts, supernatural horror, sexy slashers, and deadpan sci-fi – you’ll never have to miss out. View the full schedule here.