Fantastic Fest ’26: “Bloody Tennis” Shows the Beautiful Brutality of the Sport
On the heels of the US Open comes the premiere of Bloody Tennis at the 2026 Fantastic Fest. One of the four major Grand Slam events in the sport, the US Open still holds onto an air of prestige in its exhibition. Anyone who dreams of going pro dreams of getting the chance to make it to one of these four Grand Slam tournaments. That chance is what’s at stake in Nikias Chryssos’ Bloody Tennis. When presented with a shot at your dream, you have to be ready to take it, whatever the cost.
Tucked away in a remote part of Europe is an expensive, elite tennis school for young women run by Mary (Elina Löwensohn). It’s a six-week program, and Sophie (Sandra Guldberg Kampp) has just flown in from Detroit for her chance at the clinic because another participant left early. Mary informs Sophie and her fellow players that the chance of a lifetime is on the line. The winner of the clinic tournament will get a wildcard into this year’s Wimbledon. It’s the sort of opportunity that could change everything. At first Sophie is put off by the strange red smoothies the girls are given to drink every morning and the intensity of Mary and coach Stavkos (Zlatko Buric). As she begins to taste her dream coming true, however, Sophie pushes herself beyond what she thought was possible.
Tennis is a contradiction. The outfits, pristine court conditions, and (often) wealthy participants are aspects of the sport that can make many wary of picking up a racquet. There’s an air of snobbery, exclusion, and superiority that goes hand-in-hand with tennis. This restrained nature is a complete 180 from what’s happening on the court. Screams of frustration, anger, joy, triumph. Racquets smashing against concrete. One-hundred-mile-per-hour shots ripped at a person standing a foot away from the net. As a player, tennis can feel gladiatorial. There are far fewer hand-to-hand fights in the sport than something like hockey, but in tennis, it’s you against your opponent as thousands loom over you waiting to be entertained. When a singles player is on the court, it is them and them alone. Their skills and their brain power are in direct competition with the person standing seventy-eight feet away.
Courtesy of Shudder. A Shudder Release.
“Grow, win, transcend” is the phrase Mary repeats and drills into the girls over the course of the clinic. A certain amount of dedication is required to achieve greatness in any field, but it all comes back to the manner in which this dedication is funneled. Sophie begins the film as quiet, but also unwilling to take bullying from anyone. As the film goes on, we begin to see that she’s willing to compete off the court as well. There’s a fine line between obsession and dedication. An immense amount of focus and drive is required of the girls, but should that take the place of common decency? Bloody Tennis asks if risking the lives of individuals is worth the glory that could come a person’s way. That’s the thing about any sort of pursuit, but especially tennis. You can give your all and still come up short. In tennis, the gap between the 100th best player in the world and the top fifteen is huge. Not necessarily in talent, but in financial resources, mental toughness, and international fame. The girl in Bloody Tennis who is able to punch that wildcard to Wimbledon still has an upward battle ahead of her.
The horrors of Bloody Tennis are not otherworldly. There is no demon possessing these girls that forces them to be ruthless, it’s merely the human spirit itself. Some of the bloody moments in the film are exaggerated for squirm-inducing potential, but others, like the scene that shows how “natural gut” string is made, show the elegant brutality of tennis. Bloody Tennis is a bloody blast. Mix together the unsettling bad vibes of Suspiria with the homoerotic undertones of Challengers and you’re about halfway there.
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