Dark Star Pictures Acquires Surreal Horror Film Lucid
- Horror Movies Uncut
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Dark Star Pictures Acquires Surreal Genre Feature Lucid Ahead of U.S. Release
A visually driven indie genre title is preparing for a wider rollout as Dark Star Pictures boards Lucid for U.S. distribution ahead of its North American release.
The film, written and directed by Deanna Milligan and Ramsey Fendall, first premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival in 2025, followed by a U.S. debut at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival and a European premiere at Sitges Film Festival. The film is scheduled to open theatrically in Canada on May 29, 2026, with U.S. theatrical and digital release plans now in motion.
Lucid follows Mia, an art student facing expulsion who turns to a lucid dreaming elixir to break through a creative block. The solution works—but with consequences. As her imagination opens up, so does a series of manifestations from her subconscious, including a distorted version of her mother, reimagined as a physical, monstrous presence.
The film leans into surreal, dream-based storytelling, using 35mm and Super 8 formats to build a stylized visual identity. The narrative operates between waking life and internal projection, with horror elements tied directly to memory, identity, and creative pressure.
The cast includes Caitlin Acken Taylor, Georgia Acken, Amber Dandelion, John Luna, and Vivian Vanderpuss, who also designed and performed the film’s central creature effect.
Production is led by Emanuel Foucault, with cinematography handled by Fendall and music composed by Marta Jaciubek-McKeever. The project also features contributions from guitarist Ayla Tesler-Mabe and James Wollam.
Lucid was developed from a short film of the same name and was shot in Victoria, British Columbia, with support from Telefilm Canada and Creative BC. Peter Phok joined the project as executive producer earlier this year.
Dark Star Pictures will oversee U.S. distribution, adding the film to its catalog of independent genre releases. Release timing for the U.S. has not yet been finalized.
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