With films such as American Mary, Chained, Pontypool and Videodrome, there is no denying that the Canadians love to embrace the darker side of cinema. Many of these films have gone on to enjoy a success on both the festival circuit and with mainstream audiences. Some do great at the box office and others are hailed as instant cult classics.
Knowing this it should come as no surprise that Canadian filmmaker Chad Archibald is no stranger to horror. Having written such genre films as Neverlost, Kill and Antisocial, his latest film The Drownsman explores hydrophobia (an abnormal fear of water) in extreme measures.
After almost drowning in a lake, Madison finds herself bound to a life of fear. In a desperate attempt to help her, Madison’s four friends stage an intervention only to open a floodgate to a dark place where no one is safe. One by one they are hunted down by an evil figure and it’s only a matter of time before Madison must face her worst nightmare and stop The Drownsman before it’s too late.
“We set out to make a film that created a new supernatural villain like the classic horror films of Clive Barker and Wes Craven, something that has become rare in the horror industry over the last decade,” explains writer/director Chad Archibald. “Similar to Freddy Kruger, Michael Myers, Pinhead and Jason Voorhees, we wanted to create a villain with a rich history and a juicy hook that could make an appearance in a few viewers nightmares.”
Co-written by Cody Calahan (Antisocial), The Drownsman stars Michelle Mylett, Caroline Korycki, Gemma Brid Matheson and Ry Barrett stars in the title role of The Drownsman. There’s no official news on a release date yet but the film is set to have its market release at this year’s Cannes Film Market.
Whilst we wait in hope that it gets picked up for one of the UK’s various horror festivals taking place later in the year we urge you to check out the trailer below. We think it looks incredibly creepy and it certainly floats our boat.
