A new horror movie, “Sting,” is set to scare audiences with practical spider effects created by WETA, the team behind the special effects for “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. The film, directed by Kiah Roache-Turner and produced by Jamie Hilton and Michael Pontin, stars Ryan Corr, Alyla Browne, Penelope Mitchell, Robyn Nevin, Noni Hazlehurst, and Jermaine Fowler.
The film is set in New York City and follows a 12-year-old girl named Charlotte who discovers a mysterious egg that falls from the sky and hatches into a strange little spider. Charlotte becomes obsessed with the spider and keeps it as a secret pet, naming it Sting. However, as the spider grows at a monstrous rate and develops an insatiable appetite for blood, the residents of the apartment building where Charlotte lives find themselves hunted by a ravenous supersized arachnid with a taste for human flesh. Charlotte is the only one who knows how to stop it.
The film’s physical effects were created by WETA Workshop in New Zealand, known for their work on “Blade Runner 2049” and “King Kong.” The film’s producers secured financing from Create NSW, Cumulous VFX, and Spectrum Entertainment, with Cornerstone handling worldwide sales and distribution. STUDIOCANAL will release the film in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Benelux, while Lucky Red will handle distribution in Italy, and Diamond Films will distribute the film in Latin America, Spain, and Portugal.
Alison Meese, SVP of UK Acquisitions & Production at STUDIOCANAL, praised the film’s “wildly effective script” and “inventive direction,” along with WETA’s “unbeatable creature FX work” and the universal fear of spiders, calling the movie “a treat on our hands for horror audiences across the STUDIOCANAL territories.”
Graeme Mason, CEO of Screen Australia, also praised the film’s “bold vision and impressive script,” noting that it is more than just a creature feature but also a “powerful emotional drama.” He expressed confidence that the film will engage and thrill audiences around the world.
Roache-Turner previously directed “Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead” and “Nekrotronic,” while “Wyrmwood: Apocalypse” won the Audience Award at the 2021 Sydney Film Festival. “Sting” promises to be another exciting entry in the horror genre, sure to scare audiences with its practical spider effects and thrilling storyline.
