Benedict Cumberbatch, Joe Dante, and Terry Gilliam are among the big names at the Sitges Film Festival.

Body horror, humor within the worlds of horror, the most hellish maternity wards, and the new generation of monsters will be the main protagonists of the 58th edition of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, which will be held from October 9 to 19. Among the films that can be seen will be the latest works by Julia Ducournau, Francis Lawrence, Yorgos Lanthimos, Luc Besson, Guillermo del Toro, and Paul Urkijo , among others.

Among the many guests who will be visiting this small coastal town is Benedict Cumberbatch . The actor, currently in the news for starring in the remake of "The War of the Roses" with Oliva Coleman, will receive the Time Machine Grand Prize for a career that includes roles such as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Strange. He is currently immersed in the filming of "Doomsday," the new Avengers installment, the crown jewel of the Marvel universe.

Other illustrious award winners who will be passing through this small coastal town in Barcelona are actress Carmen Maura , who will receive the Grand Prize of Honor of the contest for her entire career, and directors Terry Gilliam , on the fortieth anniversary of 'Brazil', Joe Dante , the master behind 'The Howling', 'Gremlins' or 'The Prodigious Chip', or the brilliant director and producer Sean S. Cunningham , responsible for 'Friday the 13th'.

Other guests receiving awards include Hong Kong director and producer Peter Chan ; actor William Fichtner , who will premiere the series 'Talamasca,' based on the world of Anne Rice, author of 'Interview with the Vampire.' Also notable is the presence of one of the legends of European cinema, director Enzo G. Castellari , a central figure in the spaghetti western and macaroni combat. Finally, director Ben Wheathley, director of 'Kill List,' will receive another of the Time Machine awards.

The opening film will be 'Alpha', by Julie Ducournau, director of 'Titane'. The film revolves around a woman and her anguish within a dysfunctional family and, despite not strictly being a horror film, is as shocking and disturbing as 'Titane'. This will be the third time in history that a film directed by a woman premieres at the festival. The first time was Mary Harron with 'American Psycho', another of this year's major stars.

In total, the Official Section will have 34 titles. Highlights include 'No Other Choice' by Park Chan-Wook, 'The Ugly Stepsister', a unique take on Cinderella by Emilie Blichfelt; the miniseries 'Silence', another reworking of the vampire trope; 'Life of Chuck', starring another avenger, Tom Hiddleston; ' Dracula (Radu Jude)'; 'Our Lady of the Tosquera', a highly intense Argentinian horror film; 'Mother's Baby', another take on 21st-century motherhood by Johanna Moder; 'The Legend of Ochi', a children's fantasy sure to appeal to all audiences; and 'That Thing with Wings' or 'Redux Redux' by the McManus brothers.

Outside the competition are the main attractions, such as Guillermo del Toro's new version of 'Frankenstein' , Frenchman Luc Besson's personal vision of 'Dracula', the sequel to the Ethan Hawke-starring hit 'Black Phone', Yorgos Lanthimos' new title, which returns with Emma Stone, or the second installment of 'Sisu', the first part of which already received a total of four awards at Sitges in 2022.

Closing this edition is a new adaptation of Stephen King's novels. This time it will be "The Long Walk," directed by Francis Lawrence and featuring Mark Hamill in the cast. The film revolves around a competition that places 100 participants on a long walk, each of whom disappears one by one. This was King's first novel, written when he was a freshman in college, eight years before he published "Carrie."