After it initially premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival last year, the horror film Thriller has now been released on Netflix, in a surprise move by Blumhouse Productions.
The official description of the film calls it “an old school slasher in the family of Prom Night and Halloween,” but re-envisioned under “an urban slasher lens.” Thriller centers on “a crew of teenaged students counting down the days to prom when a killer linked to their past begins to wreak havoc on their already chaotic lives. Thriller reevaluates and translates the traditional slasher film story from its roots in 1970s white suburbia to the lives of African-American teenagers experiencing racism, violence and an unforgiving cityscape in modern-day Compton.”
It is the debut from director/writer/producer Dallas Jackson. The film was scored and exec produced by RZA, who is also featured in the film. The ensemble cast includes Jessica Allain, Boomerang star and S&A Rising Award honoree Tequan Richmond, veteran actor Mykelti Williamson, Luke Tennie, Mitchell Edwards, Paige Hurd, Pepi Sonuga and more.
In a time when Black horror is becoming more prominent, the film’s star, Jessica Allain believes Thriller can stick out. “I think Thriller stands out because it is a slasher horror movie and the film follows that formula,” she told Shadow And Act. “I am a big fan of 80’s slasher movies, so as soon as I read the script I was hooked! The cast is also an ensemble one, so the audience gets an insight into each character’s life and their personal experience with the killer.”
Allain also hopes the surprise Netflix release creates buzz for the film. “I think it will create a great buzz around the film, particularly because of Blumhouse’s success with Get Out and Us. People are itching to see what they come up with next! The movie is set in Compton and touches on real-life issues of mental illness, gang violence, alcoholism, and bullying, which I think brings the movie into its own and allows the audience to relate to the characters and the plot.”
View a clip from the film below, and you can watch the full thing on Netflix now.
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Photo: Bluhmouse
