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.
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