THE NICE ONES to Arrive On Demand From Level 33 Entertainment
Joelle Rae stars alongside Emrhys Cooper and Donna Preston in the sci-fi horror film blending paranoia with supernatural dread.
THE NICE ONES, a new psychological horror-thriller from British writer-director Peter Stylianou, arrives On Demand September 29 from Level 33 Entertainment.
The film follows Kate, who joins her boyfriend and his friends for a remote countryside retreat. When strange lights begin appearing in the sky, the group's dynamic starts to shift. One by one, they become eerily calm, agreeable and almost unnaturally kind. As Kate grows increasingly convinced that something has happened to them, she finds herself dismissed as unstable—leaving her to question whether she is losing her grip on reality or is the only person seeing the truth.
Blending psychological paranoia with sci-fi and supernatural horror, THE NICE ONES plays with a particularly disturbing idea: what if evil didn't look threatening at all, but instead presented itself as benevolent, enlightened and good?
Stylianou cites THE THING and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS as inspirations, while taking the familiar 'something has taken over the people around me' premise in a different direction. His concept of 'false light'—beings who appear righteous and benevolent while committing disturbing acts in the name of something they believe is good—gives the film a contemporary edge.
At the center is Joelle Rae ('The Witcher,' 'The Larkins') as Kate, surrounded by an ensemble that includes Emrhys Cooper (Nosferatu), Ayvianna Snow (Black Lake, How to Kill Monsters), Daniela Norman ('Tiny Pretty Things'), James Akka (The Sandman), Donna Preston (Good Omens) and Ian Whyte ('Game of Thrones,' The Northman, Alien vs. Predator).
The film was shot in Kent over 19 days, primarily inside a single large house—using a contained setting to create a world that feels considerably larger and more unsettling than its physical footprint.
Film Details
89 min | Horror | Sci-Fi Fantasy | Psychological Thriller | Drama | Independent
Directed & Written by Peter Stylianou (Drained)
Produced by Andreas Olavarria (A Unicorn for Christmas), Taryn Procsal (Death Wish), Peter Stylianou (Drained), Tony Currier (Who Needs Enemies)
Starring
Joelle Rae (Christmas in Notting Hill, 'The Witcher')
Emrhys Cooper (Nosferatu, 'Coronation Street')
Ayvianna Snow (Bogieville, How to Kill Monsters)
Nick Lavelle ('Never Let Me Go', Red XII)
Daniela Norman ('Tiny Pretty Things', Cats)
Andrew Lyle-Pinnock (Drained, Endless Summer)
Tom Kelsey (My Bloody Galentine, 'Dr. Strangelove')
James Akka ('The Sandman')
Ian Whyte (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, 'Game of Thrones')
Donna Preston ('The Sandman', Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald)
When Kate joins her boyfriend's friends at a remote countryside retreat, old wounds resurface as strange lights appear in the sky. As unease grows, members of the group begin to change—becoming unnervingly calm, kind, and 'nice.' Dismissed as unstable, Kate struggles to convince the others something is wrong before the force behind it spreads.
Running time: 89 Minutes
https://vimeo.com/1195431114
