The 20th Anniversary 4K UHD Restoration of The Birthday will be screening at this year’s Fantastic Fest. Following the festival, The Birthday 4K restoration will open in theaters October 1st with one-night-only theatrical event in over 20 Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas nationwide. The film will open in select cities starting October 11th.

Essentially lost since its World Premiere at the Sitges International Film Festival in 2004, a bootleg version of The Birthday hit YouTube and slowly built a cult following over the last 20 years amongst genre fans and notable champions including Elijah Wood, Jason Blum, and Jordan Peele. Peele, in particular, programmed the film at Film Society of Lincoln Center in 2023 for its New York Premiere, with Feldman and Mira in attendance. Peele described the film as “a cinematic marvel that demands captivation and will never relent to your expectations. A true ‘what-the-f-did-I-just-watch’ experience. Feldman at his best.”

Not everything is as it seems at the old Royal Fulton Hotel. Norman Forrester, played brilliantly in a career-defining performance by the iconic Corey Feldman, is finally going to meet his girlfriend’s family at her father’s lavish birthday party. But what was supposed to be an important step forward in their relationship doesn’t exactly go as planned; he’s not on the guest list, his girlfriend is ignoring him, and her father doesn’t like him at all. Rejected and heartbroken, Norman wanders away from the party, only to find something far more sinister than his girlfriend’s family lurking deep within the churning bowels of the ailing hotel: an ancient evil that threatens to bring about the end of the world. Hailed a “cinematic marvel” by master of comedy and terror Jordan Peele, THE BIRTHDAY is the mischievously thrilling, darkly hilarious, and cult-celebrated first feature from visionary filmmaker Eugenio Mira (GRAND PIANO).

Directed by Eugenio Mira, who co-wrote the film with Mikel Alvariño. The Birthday stars Corey Feldman, Jack Taylor, Erica Pryor, Rick Merrill, Richard Felix, Dale Douma and Robert Long.