55th edition Sitges festival. The central motif of Tron, which opened on Thursday and runs through Sunday the 16th, echoes a summer of 1982 classics. Before those iconic titles like Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Poltergeist, Extraterrestrial ET, Knife Runner, or The Thing, Sitges surprises again. In a casual aside during his podcast with Roger Avary, Quentin Tarantino called those days some of the best sci‑fi writing ever.
With a robust lineup, a flood of marquee guests, and a spirit of creative possibility, this Sitges is poised to fuel a vibrant fantasy season. Even as the industry faces turbulence, genre cinema remains surprisingly buoyant: two horror films have topped the U.S. box office in the past three weeks, The Barbarian and The Smile. Young writers behind these titles bring fresh, original ideas. Many hope The Barbarian will emerge as a breakout hit in the festival’s closing stretch. The Smile has crept into the festival’s program, first shown as a Phenomena appetizer for the broader feast ahead.
57,241 tickets sold
Thursday morning did not yet crowd Sitges with its usual throng, and the mood was louder than the quiet streets seen at the festival’s 2020 opening, though nerves about how to greet the new normal lingered. The scene is different this year, with streaming platforms reshaping appetite; still, Sitges holds its own. Organizers report 57,241 tickets sold on Thursday, nearly ten thousand more than the first day of the 2019 edition, the last pre-pandemic season. The festival’s revenue tallies at €605,029.70.
Some attendees carved out lunchtime to savor the psychological and physical tension of the early program. The Official Fantàstic Competition offered Resurrection, a tense showcase that blends eerie ambiguity with strong performances. Rebecca Hall reprises a challenging lead role as Margaret, a biotech executive and single mother whose sense of control unravels as David, a toxic figure from a distant past, returns in Tim Roth’s sly, unsettling portrayal.
“Is he real?”
Andrew Weeks, the producer who guides the festival’s ambitious storytelling, builds a labyrinthine plot steeped in psychological realism. The narrative deliberately withholds certainty, leaving space for interpretation. A historian in the audience scribbles three capitalized words in the program notes: WHAT’S TRUTH? The film, Resurrection, answers with neither clarity nor certainty, keeping its aura of mystery alive and spawning ongoing debate.
What began as a cautious start at the Meliá Sitges Auditorium quickly expands to a preview slate that includes the first two episodes of new streaming series. Midnight Club, a Netflix project from Mike Flanagan, signals a return to his signature blend of intimate horror and poignant storytelling. Later, the festival opens with a late-afternoon premiere featuring Venus by Jaume Balagueró, a highlight in the festival’s varied program.