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  • A good fantasy film can transport you to breathtaking new worlds and invoke a sense of wonder in

  • even the most jaded person.

  • If you think you've seen all the best films in the genre, try one of these hidden gems.

  • In the realms of fantasy, anything is possible - even finding a brand new favorite.

  • Fantasy is a genre ready-made for surprisingly powerful coming-of-age stories.

  • Stories about the mundane meeting the magical have a natural appeal to adolescent fans.

  • The Spiderwick Chronicles - featuring Freddie HIghmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Andrew McCarthy,

  • and the voices of Seth Rogen and Martin Short - has mostly flown under the radar since hitting

  • the big screen in 2008.

  • But it's a worthy entry in this grand tradition.

  • Based on the children's book series of the same name, The Spiderwick Chronicles is the

  • story of a family that moves into an old mansion, soon discovering that its grounds are home

  • to a host of goblins, ogres, and trolls.

  • Much like Harry Potter and The Hobbit delighted fans of all ages, The Spiderwick Chronicles

  • is an adventure that appeals to both kids and parents.

  • If you like the films of Studio Ghibli, you may find a lot to love about Studio Ponoc,

  • an anime collective founded in 2015.

  • In 2017, they released their first feature film, Mary and the Witch's Flower.

  • Based on a children's book, Mary and the Witch's Flower is a gentle story of nature and magic,

  • brought to life with lush animation in the timeless Ghibli tradition.

  • Mary Smith is a young girl who's struggling to adjust to a new life in the English countryside.

  • Her boredom is broken by the discovery of a magic flower deep in the woods, opening

  • up a world of wonders and dangers she never dreamed was right outside her door.

  • Even if you're a die-hard Tim Burton fan, there's a good chance you missed 9.

  • Burton served as a producer on this imaginative project from director Shane Acker.

  • The movie explores a world in which machines have wiped out humanity.

  • Before he died, an inventor split his soul into nine ragdoll creations he called "stitchpunks,"

  • who now find themselves on a quest to end the mechanical reign and bring life back to

  • the planet.

  • The stitchpunks are brought to quirky life by a cast of wonderful actors like Elijah

  • Wood, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover, and Jennifer Connelly, and Acker's visuals are

  • unlike anything you've ever seen.

  • If you loved the spooky animation of Coraline but you're looking for something a little

  • edgier, dive into the world of 9.

  • Are you a fan of musician, spoken-word artist, and shorts-enthusiast Henry Rollins?

  • Do you enjoy supernatural horror comedies featuring buckets of blood and a healthy dose

  • of cannibalism?

  • Well, good news: He Never Died was made specifically for you.

  • You're welcome.

  • He Never Died follows the exploits of an immortal weirdo named Jack, a bingo-loving hermit who

  • tries keeping to himself to avoid the temptation of eating his friends and neighbors.

  • When he discovers he has an adult daughter, the result of a previous relationship from

  • years ago, he gets sucked into a series of misadventures and fights, all culminating

  • in a crazy revelation about Jack's true identity... and just why he can't die.

  • Starring former Black Flag lead singer Henry Rollins and character actor Steven Ogg, He

  • Never Died will delight and disgust you - as all the best movies should.

  • Among the many challenges faced by child stars who've grown up in the spotlight, typecasting

  • can be hell.

  • There was always a chance that Daniel Radcliffe's post-Harry Potter career would continue to

  • be defined by fantasy, but no one could've quite predicted Horns.

  • This twisted tale stars Radcliffe as Ig.

  • Falsely accused of murdering his girlfriend Merrin, Ig suddenly begins sprouting large,

  • devilish horns from his head.

  • As he tries to get to the bottom of Merrin's death, Ig also realizes his horns come with

  • supernatural powers, magically compelling people to offer up their darkest secrets.

  • Horns is polarizing, to be sure, with reviewers split on the movie's quality when all is said

  • and done.

  • Its unusual blending of tones - part fantasy, part horror, part comedy, part crime drama

  • - will either fascinate you or may turn you off, depending on your tastes.

  • Regardless, it's without a doubt a daring and fascinating experience, headlined by a

  • particularly compelling performance from the man who is no longer the Boy Who Lived.

  • Some fantasy stories capture the transition from youth to adulthood, using magic or dragon

  • quests as metaphors for self-discovery and exploration of a larger world.

  • But if you're feeling truly adventurous, you could check out Errementari: The Blacksmith

  • and the Devil.

  • This dark delicacy has its roots in folklore, but the director has cited '80s movies like

  • The Dark Crystal and Legend as inspiration for Errementari's tone.

  • The tale concerns a blacksmith who just so happens to have captured a demon.

  • Blaming the creature for his own misfortunes, the blacksmith has long been torturing it

  • in secret.

  • But after a little girl unwittingly frees the captive beast, an entire village finds

  • itself in the path of otherworldly vengeance.

  • The girl and the old blacksmith must join forces for a quest that will take them all

  • the way to the gates of hell.

  • The Sydney Morning Herald called this wild ride, quote, "quite entrancing, in a delightfully

  • bonkers way."

  • It may seem like a bit of a stretch to call Pan's Labyrinth a "hidden gem."

  • After all, Guillermo del Toro is a household name, especially after The Shape of Water

  • took home the Oscar for Best Picture in 2018.

  • But if you've never taken a deep dive into the filmography of the man who brought us

  • that fish romance, the monster-on-mech battles of Pacific Rim, and two Hellboys, you're missing

  • out.

  • Del Toro's earlier career was defined by a trio of Spanish-language fables that blend

  • history and fantasy, all about finding light in the darkest of times.

  • Cronos and The Devil's Backbone are excellent in their own right, but the undisputed masterpiece

  • of the three is Pan's Labyrinth.

  • Set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War during the rise of fascism, Pan's Labyrinth

  • is unflinching in its depiction of violence and real-world horrors - it thoroughly earns

  • its R rating.

  • But it's also a delicate fairy tale about a lost princess, some gruesome monsters, and

  • a mysterious faun, played by The Shape of Water's lead actor, Doug Jones.

  • The elements all come together for a one-of-a-kind experience that's guaranteed to break your

  • heart and lift your spirit in equal measure.

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A good fantasy film can transport you to breathtaking new worlds and invoke a sense of wonder in

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