World Film Forum 2026 Explores “Global Horror”
Purdue University’s School of Languages and Cultures invites the campus and local community to explore the horror genre from an international perspective through the World Film Forum 2026: Global Horror.
Films will be shown in their original languages with English subtitles. They will be introduced by a faculty member and followed by a discussion, giving audiences an opportunity to examine the films within their cultural and historical contexts.
Snacks and light refreshments will be provided, and free parking is available at University Street Garage after 5 p.m.
This year’s lineup:
Meander
September 22 at 7 p.m. / Stanley Coulter Hall, Room 239
Presented by Emma BenHadj, Lecturer of French
Directed by Mathieu Turi, Meander (2020, France, 90 min.) follows a young woman who wakes up trapped inside a mysterious, seemingly endless tube after hitchhiking on a deserted road. With no way out, she must continue moving forward through a series of deadly obstacles that return her to the beginning each time she fails.
Borrowing from the “die and repeat” mechanics of video games, Meander combines horror, thriller, and science fiction while exploring survival, trauma, and perception. As the protagonist searches for a way out, viewers are drawn into the mystery of the tube and its true purpose.
Marebito
September 29 at 7 p.m. / Stanley Coulter Hall, Room 239
Presented by Pedro Bassoe, Associate Professor of Japanese
Directed by Shimizu Takashi, Marebito (2004, Japan, 92 min.) centers on Masuoka, a freelance camera operator obsessed with discovering the meaning of true fear. His search leads him beneath Tokyo’s subway system and into a mysterious underground world, where he encounters a captive woman who may not be human.
After bringing her back to his apartment, Masuoka begins observing her through cameras connected to his cellphone. His fascination soon consumes him, and his life begins to unravel. Drawing inspiration from H. P. Lovecraft and the “Shaver Mystery,” Marebito uses found-footage-style scenes and multiple types of cameras to create an unsettling story open to a range of interpretations.
La Llorona
October 6 at 7 p.m. / Stanley Coulter Hall, Room 239
Presented by Cara Kinnally, Associate Professor of Spanish
Directed by Jayro Bustamante, La Llorona (2019, Guatemala, 97 min.) follows an aging former Guatemalan general who is tried for directing the massacre of Indigenous Maya communities during the country’s civil war. After his guilty verdict is overturned, he retreats to his heavily guarded mansion with his family as protesters gather outside.
Inside the home, a series of increasingly disturbing events begins following the arrival of Alma, a mysterious new domestic worker. Drawing on the Guatemalan legend of La Llorona, Bustamante reimagines the familiar ghost story as an exploration of historical memory, state repression, gender violence, and the demand for justice.