Emilia Clarke Escapes an Underground Cave Network in First Look at Horror Film When Darkness Loves Us
Emilia Clarke claws her way out of a nightmare cave in When Darkness Loves Us, the new subterranean shocker from genre filmmaker James Ashcroft.
James Ashcroft is quietly (okay, loudly) becoming a name to watch in horror, even if you haven't memorized his filmography yet. If you thought this guy was just the 'Coming Home in the Dark' director, there's way more going on behind the scenes—like wrapping up not just one, but two new movies. The latest? A horror project called When Darkness Loves Us, featuring none other than Emilia Clarke in the lead. Yes, that's Daenerys Targaryen herself, but trust me, dragons aren't going to help her here.
Underground Survival—Literally
When Darkness Loves Us pulls its story from Elizabeth Engstrom's cult 1980s novella of the same name. The pitch is brutal: Emilia Clarke plays a woman who survives fifteen years trapped in some kind of underground cave system. When she finally claws her way back to daylight, she sets out to reclaim the family she believes is rightfully hers—and if that means unleashing a little monstrosity, so be it. We're not talking quiet psychological drama; this is going to get grim.
Who's on Board?
- Emilia Clarke – the star, just in case you missed it, trying to readjust to the sun after a decade and a half underground
- Marlon Williams (Sweet Tooth, The Twelve) – character details are under wraps
- Victoria Pedretti (You, Forbidden Fruits) – also mysterious which role
- Natascha McElhone (The Truman Show, The Crown) – your guess is as good as mine who she's playing
No spoilers or character descriptions have leaked (frustrating, but it does build the suspense).
Who's Making This Thing?
Ashcroft co-wrote the script with Hayley Sproull and Eli Kent. Desray Armstrong leads production, with a small army of executive producers: Ant Timpson, Ashcroft himself, Emilia Clarke (gotta love when stars really buy in), Katherine Bridle, plus Bleecker Street's Kent Sanderson and Tyler DiNapoli. Associate producers include Ari Harrison, Jasmin McSweeney, Nicola Smith, and Miranda King.
Financing came in from the New Zealand Film Commission, Images & Sound, and the NZ Screen Production Rebate, with banks (Hinterland and Natixis Coficiné) helping with the cashflow stuff nobody but line producers care about.
Who's Actually Putting This in Theaters?
Bleecker Street was in on this early, and they control global distribution rights. The only exceptions: Australia gets the film through Umbrella Entertainment, and in New Zealand, it's handled locally. Everyone else—Bleecker Street. Translation: expect a real push for this one outside of the usual indie festival circuit.
Big Talk from Behind the Curtain
Bleecker Street CEO Kent Sanderson is all-in:
'The term "world-building" is wildly overused, but the degree to which James and team have built a subterranean universe cannot be understated. This film is a true journey into the darkness, literally and figuratively, and we can't wait to shock audiences worldwide with James' singular vision.'
Ashcroft, for his part, is pretty passionate about this story:
'My passion for Elizabeth Engstrom's story remains boundless; what an absolute gift it has been bringing this work to the screen. With When Darkness Loves Us, Liz never lets us forget that the actions of her characters are by turns both tragic and monstrous—no matter how sympathetic they may be. But it's their indelible humanity that can't be so easily shaken off afterwards, and that's when we find ourselves at home in the darkness with them.'
Wait—What Happened to Ashcroft's Third Movie?
If you're keeping score at home and notice the numbering, here's a curveball: The Whisper Man, Ashcroft's third feature (another serial killer thriller), still hasn't been released. That one will go straight to Netflix later this year and stars a surprisingly stacked cast—Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott, and Michael Keaton. So yes, this guy is supremely busy.
Bottom line: we're now just waiting on release dates for both The Whisper Man and When Darkness Loves Us. Emilia Clarke fans have reason to get hyped, horror fans have reason to get suspiciously optimistic, and everyone else can start speculating what kind of family drama you end up with after a decade and a half below ground.