Ben Wheatley has been talked about a lot recently, and it hasn’t all been good. The subversive filmmaker hasn’t received good reviews for his Netflix remake of Rebecca (although I dug it), and his fans have been confused by his recent choices to direct sequels of Tomb Raider and The Meg. But earlier this year we learned he had spent the pandemic to write and direct a brand new horror, and now we not only have the title and plot, but also a first look.
Titled In the Earth, the film has just wrapped production and will be released by NEON in 2021. In what should please his most die-hard fans, the horror is being described as “a return to his genre roots akin to his groundbreaking Kill List.”
Written and shot during the pandemic, the film stars Joel Fry (Yesterday), Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake), Ellora Torchia (Midsommar), and Reece Shearsmith (High-Rise).
Here’s the synopsis: As the world searches for a cure to a disastrous virus, a scientist and park scout venture deep in the forest for a routine equipment run. Through the night, their journey becomes a terrifying voyage through the heart of darkness, the forest coming to life around them.
I could do without more pandemic-themed flicks, whether horrors or romances, but I’m curious to see what Wheatley does with the idea.
