Horror Anthology Series 'Tales from the Woods' US Debut at Fantastic Fest
- spideylover25
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Mattie Do's 'The Sleeping Beauty' and Moorhead and Benson's 'Jacques the Giant Slayer' will make their US debut this week at Fantastic Fest. The shorts are the first two installments in the 'Tales from the Woods' anthology series.
'Tales from the Woods' is a horror anthology series produced by Wayward Entertainment that unearths the true dark origins of the world’s most beloved fairy tales—reimagined by today’s boldest voices in independent film from around the world. Both Doe and Moorhead and Benson are veterans of the festival.
Director Mattie Do says “One of the most incredible moments I have is sharing 'The Sleeping Beauty' with audiences and seeing how horror and fairytales cross all boundaries and cultures, regardless of where we are from. I'm so excited to share my dark and exotic twist on a familiar fairytale.” Mattie continues “I'm delighted to be back at Fantastic Fest with 'The Sleeping Beauty', the first film festival I had ever attended and the fest that made me realize that I was and continue to be a storyteller. Fantastic Fest feels like coming home.”
Directors Moorhead and Benson share, “We’ve had the profound luck of making quite a few films in the last decade, but as time has gone on we don’t always get to run wild with the weird spirit of our indie film work. For us 'Jacques the Giant Slayer' is a return to running wild – vintage Rustic Films, all of us guzzling distilled weirdness from start to finish. The fact that we get to premiere it at Fantastic Fest is not only fitting, but just as much of an honor as it was when we premiered SPRING in those hallowed, movie-postered halls in 2014. We hope everyone enjoys it, but if they don’t we know it’ll still be cool – we’re back home with everyone in Austin, and that’s always special.”
'Tales from the Woods', the latest horror anthology series from Wayward Entertainment partner and producer John Hegeman, reimagines the dark origins of the world’s most beloved fairy tales. Following his earlier projects Holidays (2016) and Hulu’s Into the Dark (2018–2021), Hegeman says “Most of the Fairy Tales we all have come to love were pretty dark and took the concept of “a cautionary tale” to the extreme. We are excited to team up with amazing filmmakers from around the world, and kicking things off with Mattie, Aaron, and Justin in launching the series.”
About the Films:
'Jacques the Giant Slayer'
In this dark interpretation of Jack and the Beanstalk, an early 20th century archeologist makes a profound discovery.
● Directed by: Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead ('Daredevil,' 'Loki,' 'Spring, The Endless')
● Cast: Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead
'The Sleeping Beauty'
The wife of a colonial governor confronts devastation after her aristocratic son removes a slumbering woman from an ancient temple in the jungles of Laos - only to bring home a curse that refuses to die.
● Directed by: Mattie Do ('Dearest Sister', 'The Long Walk')
● Written by: Christopher Sean Larsen
● Cast: Sonedala Sihavong, Phonesavanh "Tata" Phimpha, Gabriel Soutphilabaideng, Sivilay Ouanephongchareune
Following a Fall Festival run, Wayward Entertainment’s 'Tales from the Woods' anthology series is targeting an early 2026 streaming launch.