Rotterdam FF 2026: Surreal Body Horror “Bowels of Hell” Set for World Premiere

Toilets turn lethal in Bowels of Hell, a surreal body-horror nightmare premiering at IFFR 2026.

Rotterdam FF 2026: Surreal Body Horror Bowels of Hell Set for World Premiere

The International Film Festival Rotterdam continues to cement its reputation as a haven for boundary-pushing genre cinema, and one of the wildest titles heading into IFFR 2026 is already sounding alarms in the best way possible.

Bowels of Hell, a surreal horror feature written and directed by Gurcius Gewdner (Pazucus: Island of Vomit and Despair) and Gustavo Vinagre (Three Tidy Tigers Tied a Tie Tighter), is officially set to world premiere at Rotterdam FF 2026, with exact screening details to be announced.

If those names alone don’t tip you off, this is not a polite midnight movie.

Blending visceral body horror, dark absurdism, and deeply personal psychological terror, Bowels of Hell dives headfirst into the grotesque with a premise that’s equal parts nightmare fuel and existential provocation. The film stars Martha Nowill, Otávio Muller, Chandelly Braz, Marco Pigossi, Regina Braga, Olívia Torres, Bruce LaBruce, and Maria Gladys, assembling a cast that feels perfectly calibrated for something this confrontational and strange.

The story centers on Malu, a woman cracking under the pressure of unresolved trauma and the demands of raising a rebellious child. When a bizarre curse transforms toilets into deadly monsters, Malu is pulled into a surreal descent where motherhood, grief, repression, and bodily horror collide. It’s a film that takes the most mundane domestic space imaginable and weaponizes it—turning plumbing into prophecy and flushing away any expectation of comfort.

With a runtime of 111 minutes, Bowels of Hell is crafted by a technical team well-versed in mood and unease, including cinematographer Daniel Venosa, editor Rodrigo Carneiro, production designer Juliana Lobo, sound designers Ruben Valdes and Henrique Chiurciu, and composer Arthur Joly, whose music reportedly leans into the film’s fever-dream tone.

Produced by Rodrigo Teixeira, Berta Marchiori, and Tereza Alvarez, the film feels squarely aimed at Rotterdam’s adventurous audience—one that embraces films operating far outside traditional horror structures. This isn’t about jump scares or clean metaphors. It’s about mess, decay, repression, and the terror of bodies—both physical and emotional—breaking down.

Based on the filmmakers’ past work and the sheer audacity of the concept, Bowels of Hell is already shaping up to be one of IFFR 2026’s most talked-about genre premieres, especially for fans of transgressive horror, body-centric nightmares, and films that dare to be aggressively uncomfortable.

We’ll be tracking screening dates, early reactions, and festival buzz as Rotterdam approaches. But fair warning: this is one you don’t just watch—you endure.

Stay clogged.

Writers/Directors: Gurcius Gewdner and Gustavo Vinagre

Producers: Rodrigo Teixeira, Berta Marchiori, Tereza Alvarez

Cinematography: Daniel Venosa

Editor: Rodrigo Carneiro

Production Designer: Juliana Lobo

Sound Designer: Ruben Valdes, Henrique Chiurciu

Music: Arthur Joly

Cast: Martha Nowill, Otávio Muller, Chandelly Braz, Marco Pigossi, Regina Braga, Olívia Torres, Bruce LaBruce, Maria Gladys

Logline: Malu is cracking due to the weight of past trauma and a rebellious child. When a strange curse turns toilets into deadly monsters, she is hurled into a surreal nightmare where motherhood, grief, and existential terror can't simply be flushed away.