Feminist horror filmmaker Jennifer Reeder is diving deeper into the terrifying depths of teenagehood with the upcoming slasher “Perpetrator.” Watch the trailer, an IndieWire exclusive below, for the Shudder release that brings Alicia Silverstone back to the screen.
The film, which screened at Berlinale and Tribeca and will play the Hudson Film Festival, is written and directed by the “Night’s End” helmer. “Perpetrator” follows Jonny (Kiah McKirnan), a reckless teen sent to live with her estranged Aunt Hildie (Alicia Silverstone). On her 18th birthday, she experiences a radical metamorphosis: a family spell that redefines her called Forevering. When several teen girls go missing at her new school, a mythically feral Jonny goes after the Perpetrator. To note, Reeder also helmed short film titled “Forevering” which ties into the premise of “Perpetrator.”
Melanie Liburd and “How I Met Your Father” and “Promising Young Woman” star Christopher Lowell also appear in the high school-set film. Yet breakout McKirnan and career-best Silverstone prove “Perpetrator” is more of a two-hander about the dissection of generationally bestowed supernatural gifts.
Director Reeder told IndieWire that she had been trying to work with Silverstone for years, including breakout feature “Knives and Skin.” Since Reeder and Silverstone have collaborated on “Perpetrator,” Reeder said, “I’m not done with her, now that I’ve got her close. I keep promising to make more films with her, which we will absolutely do. Maybe ‘Batgirl.’”
The IndieWire review for “Perpetrator” pointed to the “ambitious” nature of the film, citing how “blood takes on a kind of mystical element; rarely is there a scene without a splash of it.”
“Perpetrator” is produced by Derek Bishé and Gregory Chambet, featuring cinematography by Sevdije Kastrati.
“Perpetrator” premieres September 1 in select theaters and on Shudder.
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