MOTELX is back for its 20th edition, and it’s bigger than ever. From September 3 to 13, the horror film festival takes over the Avenida da Liberdade area, between Cinema São Jorge and the Cinemateca Portuguesa, with films, masterclasses, exhibitions, workshops, and much more.
Opening with a film produced by Danny DeVito
The festival kicks off on September 3 at 8:30 p.m. with the opening screening of “Drag, ” directed by Americans Raviv Ullman and Greg Yagolnitzer and produced by Danny DeVito. Over the next ten days, there will be plenty of reasons to return to the theaters: Solveig Nordlund will receive the Noémia Delgado Award, the Master of Horror statuette goes to Sergio Martino, Roger Corman’s centennial is celebrated with Julie Corman in attendance, and the lineup includes titles such as “Colony, ” by South Korean director Yeon Sang-ho (director of “Train to Busan”), and “Pinocchio: Unstrung,” a disturbing reimagining of Carlo Collodi’s classic. The festival closes on September 12 with “Fall 2: Deadpoint,” by brothers Michael and Peter Spierig.
Quizzes, monsters, and a vampire dinner
Outside the movie theaters, MOTELquiz returns to Cinema São Jorge on September 4, with free admission upon pre-registration and teams of up to eight people. The following day, September 5, it’s time for Monster Day, which includes a monster costume contest with a €500 prize for the best creation, followed by a party at the MOTELX Lounge. This year there’s also a Vampires’ Dinner, organized by Imaginauta, marking the 50th anniversary of Anne Rice’s *Interview with the Vampire*, with the challenge of discovering the whereabouts of Prince Lestat de Lioncourt. The MOTELX Lounge will also host daily DJ sets throughout the festival.
Milly Shapiro joins the international guests
Joining the guest list—which already included names such as Sergio Martino, Julie Corman, Jörg Buttgereit, Geoff Barrow (of Portishead), Jason Williamson (of Sleaford Mods), and Rodrigo Teixeira—is American actress Milly Shapiro, known worldwide for her role in Ari Aster’s “Hereditary.” The actress is coming to Lisbon for Ben Sottak’s “Hallowarrior.”
After the festival: “A Useful Ghost” hits theaters
MOTELX’s activities extend beyond the festival: on October 1, in Lisbon and Porto, “A Useful Ghost, ” by Thai director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke—which had its preview at MOTELX 2025 and won the Grand Prize at Critics’ Week in Cannes—will premiere. The film tells the story of March, who loses his wife, Nat, to a respiratory illness linked to pollution in Thailand—until her spirit returns through the vacuum cleaner she used to use at work.
Horror also comes to television
The TVCine channels, longtime sponsors of the festival, are also celebrating MOTELX’s 20th anniversary with special programming on TVCine+, the brand’s streaming service, through September 13—including “MOTELX’s Picks,” a selection of 17 titles curated by the festival’s programmers, featuring names such as John Carpenter, George A. Romero, Takashi Shimizu, and Ari Aster. On opening day, TVCine Action will also air a double feature with two films that have previously screened at the festival: “Family Dinner” and “Beautiful, Dark, and Deep.”
Useful Information
Where: Cinema São Jorge and Cinemateca Portuguesa, Avenida da Liberdade, Lisbon
When: September 3–13 , 2026
Tickets: now available on the official MOTELX website
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