The vampire feature Illomen has completed production in Los Angeles. Directed and co-written by Nathalia Pizarro, the film centres on a young widow whose life begins to come apart following a sudden tragedy, drawing her into a confrontation with a figure whose existence stretches back more than a century. Influenced by giallo cinema, the film uses stylised genre elements to explore grief through a more psychological lens.
Sol Rodríguez (“Peacemaker”) leads the cast alongside Lou Lou Safran (Annabelle franchise), with Booboo Stewart (Twilight, X-Men) also starring. The supporting cast brings together an eclectic mix of both screen and music talent, including Queens of the Stone Age‘s Joshua Homme, Cameron Cowperthwaite (“Fallout”), Bonnie Aarons (The Nun), Dax Campbell (“S.W.A.T.”), Tayler Buck (Annabelle: Creation), Fivel Stewart (“Atypical”), and Eagles of Death Metal‘s Jesse Hughes. The Black Lips appear in a special role as the OldBoys Bar Band.
Pizarro has described Illomen as a film intended to be experienced as much through sensation as story, drawing on saturated colour and a tactile visual language associated with classic Italian genre cinema. Rather than leaning on nostalgia alone, the approach aims to place familiar horror elements in a more exposed emotional register, where moments of visual elegance sit alongside deliberate discomfort.
The film is produced by HasBeen Productions, New American Picture Show, and Intrinsic Value Films. Producers include Brent Mata and Dax Campbell (HasBeen Productions); Pizarro and Alix Brown (New American Picture Show); Megan Freels Johnston, Aimee Schoof, and Isen Robbins (Intrinsic Value Films); alongside Max Neace. The screenplay was written by Alex Baumgardner, Pizarro, and Talar Baker, based on a story by Mata.
Behind the camera, Mata also served as cinematographer, with special makeup effects by Vincent Van Dyke (Halloween, Nope). Costume design comes from Chantal Thomas (Everything Everywhere All At Once), while production design was handled by David Dean Ebert. Music supervision was overseen by Brown.
With filming now complete, Illomen is setting its sights on a 2026 festival run, where its blend of grief, genre, and giallo-inflected style will meet its first audiences.
