The upcoming horror will make its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival.

The Big Picture

Starve Acre, a supernatural horror film starring Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark, will make its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. The movie, based on a novel by Andrew Michael Hurley, follows a couple who experience tragedy and begin to deal with sinister forces in their home and lives. Fans can expect a thrilling mystery, strong performances, and a grounded vision from critically acclaimed director Daniel Kokotajlo.

The Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark-starring supernatural horror film Starve Acre will make its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. The feature is helmed by BAFTA-nominated writer-director Daniel Kokotajlo and is based on the 2019 novel of the same name by author Andrew Michael Hurley. The movie has now unveiled its first look, and horror fans are in for a treat.

The first image sees Smith standing in a pit looking at someone (or something) in horror, while his titular home is seen in the background. Another image sees Clark, staring intently at a flame while whoever is beside her is cut from the frame. The images do not give away any plot points but make the tone and the mood of the upcoming movie very clear. Fans can expect a thrilling mystery, strong performances, and a grounded vision by the critically acclaimed director.

What Is ‘Starve Acre’ About?
The upcoming movie is set in 1970s England and follows a couple, Richard (Smith) and Juliette (Clark), whose seemingly perfect life is interrupted when their son unexpectedly dies. The once “happy couple” starts growing distant from each other as they try to cope with the tragedy in their own ways. As the images allude, to distract himself, Richard obsesses over a local myth about a supernatural tree on their estate, Starve Acre, while Juliette turns to the local community for support. However, the couple soon find themselves dealing with sinister forces they led into their life and home.

The feature is among 11 movies entering this year’s Official Competition at the BFI, standing tall among features like Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor-helmed Baltimore, director Christos Nikou’s Fingernails, and I Am Sirat which is directed by Deepa Mehta and Sirat Taneja, among others. The winner will be picked by the LFF Awards Juries and announced on the final day of the festival.

BFI London Film Festival will run from October 4 to 15. A theatrical release date for Starve Acre is yet to be confirmed, stay tuned to Collider for further developments and check out Collider’s interview with Clark below: