PREVIEW: The Nice Ones (2026 Film) - Ayvianna Snow Makes Her Producing Debut With New Psychological Horror

 

Preview by Jon Donnis

The Nice Ones is shaping up to be an intriguing new addition to the psychological horror and sci-fi thriller landscape, with Joelle Rae and Emrhys Cooper leading a story that takes a seemingly relaxing countryside getaway and turns it into something much more disturbing.

Coming to UK cinemas on 19th November, the film follows a group of friends whose Airbnb escape takes a terrifying turn when Kate witnesses strange lights moving across the night sky. As tensions within the group begin to rise, an unsettling force starts to seep into the house, leaving Kate facing both an otherworldly threat and the darkest parts of her own past.

The combination of psychological horror and science fiction immediately makes The Nice Ones an appealing prospect, particularly with the filmmakers drawing inspiration from genre classics such as The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Written and directed by Peter Stylianou, whose 2024 vampire film Drained marked him as an intriguing new voice in independent filmmaking, the film looks set to take those familiar genre ingredients somewhere suitably sinister.

There is also a particularly exciting story behind the camera, as The Nice Ones marks the producing debut of actor Ayvianna Snow. Having appeared in projects including How to Kill Monsters, Snow has now launched her own production company, Snow Pictures, with The Nice Ones serving as its first feature.

Snow produces alongside Peter Stylianou and Nick Lavelle, making the film an important first step for Snow Pictures while also bringing together several members of the cast and creative team in different roles.

Stylianou has offered an intriguing insight into the ideas behind the film, explaining:

"Instead of making darkness the source of fear, as so many horror films do, I wanted to explore light, and the darker, more disturbing, cult-like side of worshipping it. The Nice Ones is a mix of the Manson Family and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, exploring what happens when something that appears beautiful, pure and inviting becomes deeply sinister."

That idea of turning something normally associated with beauty and safety into a source of fear certainly gives The Nice Ones an interesting hook. Rather than simply relying on darkness to create an atmosphere of dread, the film appears to be playing with the idea that something bright and inviting can be every bit as unsettling.

Alongside Rae and Cooper, the cast includes Donna Preston, known for The Sandman and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Ian Whyte from Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Daniela Norman from Tiny Pretty Things, James Akka from The Sandman, Nick Lavelle from Red XII, Tom Kelsey from National Theatre Live: Dr. Strangelove and Andrew Lyle-Pinnock from The Little Mermaid.

With its countryside setting, mysterious lights, increasingly strained friendships and an apparently sinister force closing in, The Nice Ones has plenty of ingredients to make this one worth keeping an eye on. The involvement of Snow Pictures also gives the project an added layer of interest, with Snow stepping behind the scenes for her first feature as a producer.

The Nice Ones arrives in UK cinemas on 19th November, while streaming releases in North America and other territories begin from 29th September.

Apple TV - https://apple.co/4AsNDSB

PREVIEW: BABYBACKS (2026 Film) - Starring Viridiana Márquez, Melissa Chambers and Ryan Rathbun

 

Preview by Jon Donnis

BABYBACKS looks set to deliver a bleak and unsettling survival horror experience, taking a desperate journey across the Sonoran Desert and turning it into something far more sinister. Directed by Geno Marx, the film follows two people who believe they have finally found safety, only to discover that their troubles are far from over.

Zoe and Mateo are young lovers attempting to escape ruthless cartel hitmen as they cross the scorching Sonoran Desert in search of a new life in America. Their journey is already pushing them to their limits, but things become even more dangerous when Mateo is badly injured. Exhausted and vulnerable, the pair appear to have little choice but to accept help when an older couple offers them shelter.

That apparent act of kindness soon takes a disturbing turn. Once inside the isolated rural home, Zoe and Mateo begin to realise that their hosts may have motives far removed from simple generosity. The refuge they desperately needed becomes a place of captivity, leaving the couple facing a new and increasingly terrifying fight for survival.

BABYBACKS appears to build much of its tension around that shift in environment. The unforgiving openness of the Sonoran Desert gives way to the claustrophobic confines of the house, creating a very different kind of threat. Instead of simply trying to survive the elements and evade those pursuing them, Zoe and Mateo must now contend with people who have seemingly turned their desperation against them.

The film draws on familiar survival horror territory while placing its story against a backdrop of social tension and vulnerability. Its premise has the potential to make the audience question where the real danger lies, particularly as the people offering protection gradually become a greater threat than the dangers Zoe and Mateo were originally fleeing.

The cast includes Viridiana Márquez, known for Chicago P.D. and Chicago Fire, Melissa Chambers, who has appeared in Dark Winds and Mayfair Witches, Ryan Rathbun, whose credits include Oppenheimer and Babylon, and Ray Acevedo, known for American Sicario.

With its combination of psychological menace, captivity horror and survival thriller elements, BABYBACKS looks poised to take its protagonists from one nightmare directly into another. The central idea is an unsettling one. Sometimes reaching safety does not mean the danger is over. It can simply mean that the real nightmare is about to begin.

BABYBACKS is represented internationally by Black Mandala.

PREVIEW: The Vord (2026 Film) - From Writer-director M.T. Maliha

 

The Vord stakes its claim on a misguided soul in a dark and disturbing supernatural thriller steeped in mystery and mythology. Writer-director M.T. Maliha’s feature debut is set to arrive on UK digital 4 May 2026, courtesy of Miracle Media. 

An ancient Nordic being binds its fate to a corrupt priest, commanding him to claim the soul of a woman, Maria, and deliver her as an offering to ‘The Old One’, securing the creatures long-sought redemption.  

Torn between her pagan roots and the Church, Maria struggles to resist the insidious darkness of those she once trusted, while her spiritual guardian known as The Vord, wrestles with its own burdens, caught between guiding Maria to salvation and its own desperate hope for atonement. 

Blending suspense and spirituality, The Vord blurs the line between saviour and sinner to tell a centuries old tale of redemption.

On digital 4 May from Miracle Media

REVIEW: Space / Time (2026 Film) - Starring Ashlee Lollback and Hugh Parker

 

Space / Time is a sharp and engaging science fiction thriller set in the near future of 2033. The story opens with an ambitious scientific experiment intended to bend space itself. What begins as a promising breakthrough soon turns into disaster, leaving those involved disgraced and the entire project quietly shut down. Holt, played with steady intensity by Hugh Parker, refuses to abandon the work. Convinced the experiment can still succeed, he pushes ahead with plans to rebuild the device. Alongside him is his capable assistant Liv, portrayed by Ashlee Lollback with calm intelligence and confidence. Together they step into the criminal underworld in search of the resources needed to continue the project, creating an atmosphere of tension and risk that carries through the film.

One of the film’s greatest strengths is its pace. With a running time just under ninety minutes, the story moves quickly and rarely lingers. The early scenes establish the premise efficiently before the narrative gathers momentum. When the time travel element properly comes into play, roughly an hour into the film, the plot becomes more intricate and demands careful attention. The twists that follow bring both clever ideas and moral complications. Director Michael O'Halloran makes strong use of a limited Australian budget, delivering visual effects that feel surprisingly polished while never overwhelming the story. Hugh Parker anchors the film with a performance that captures both intelligence and growing obsession, while Ashlee Lollback provides an effective counterbalance through Liv’s composure and clarity. Pacharo Mzembe adds further depth to the supporting cast, helping to round out a group of characters that hold the narrative together. The film also stands out by presenting a slightly different take on time travel, an area where genuine originality is often difficult to find.

The main weakness lies in how the film presents the threat the characters are attempting to prevent. The story suggests the possibility of a large scale disaster, perhaps connected to climate change, yet the danger itself remains somewhat vague. A clearer picture of what might happen if the experiment fails again would have strengthened the urgency of their mission and raised the dramatic stakes. Even so, the tension created by the characters and their decisions is enough to keep the story moving forward.

In the end, Space / Time proves to be a confident and well made science fiction thriller. The performances are strong, the direction keeps the narrative focused, and the visual work is impressive considering the film’s modest scale. Its approach to time travel feels inventive without becoming unnecessarily complicated, making it both an exciting and thoughtful watch. I give Space / Time a solid 8 out of 10.

Out on Digital

Apple TV - https://apple.co/4oRY4rD