Victorian Supernatural Thriller Snapshot Secures Worldwide Sales Ahead of Festival Premieres

Snapshot blends Victorian ghost hunting, Jack the Ripper, and supernatural horror ahead of its Edinburgh world premiere.

Victorian Supernatural Thriller Snapshot Lands Worldwide Sales Deal Ahead of Edinburgh and FrightFest Premieres

Victorian horror, ghost hunters, Jack the Ripper, and found footage all collide in Joseph Archer’s supernatural thriller Snapshot, which has secured a worldwide sales deal with UK-French sales company Alief ahead of its festival debut this month.

The film will celebrate its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 15, where it is competing for the Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence, before heading to FrightFest London on August 31.

Set in 1888, during the height of the Jack the Ripper murders, Snapshot follows an amateur inventor who creates the world’s first moving image machine to document the work of an all-female ghost-hunting society. As grisly murders spread across East London, the investigators become convinced the killings are not being committed by a man at all, but by something far more monstrous. The story also explores how fabricated stories and sensational journalism influenced public opinion during the Victorian era, drawing parallels between misinformation then and now.

One of the film’s most distinctive creative choices is its presentation. Archer shot the entire feature in a 1:1 circular aspect ratio, recreating the look of an early pinhole camera and giving the supernatural thriller a unique visual identity that reflects its historical setting.

The cast includes Tom Stourton, Cathy Wippell, Hazel Rogers, Lydia Helen, Nadia Lamin, Rosie-Bella Johnson, Ishtar Currie-Wilson, and Freya Parks. The film was produced by Archer and Cathy Wippell through Silicon Gothic, with co-production support from Germany’s Fieber Film, India’s TrainTripper, and Canada’s Serge Cedrick Films.

Alief President Brett Walker described Snapshot as “a fun ride” that blends ghost hunting, Victorian intrigue, and fake news, while festival director Paul Rudd previously called it “a scary and distinctive film guaranteed to provoke, disturb and thrill in equal measure.”

Archer, who previously worked as a newspaper journalist, said the inspiration for the film came from the similarities between today’s internet misinformation and the sensationalized reporting that surrounded Victorian society. He wanted to create an entertaining genre film that also highlights the dangers of manipulated truth and fabricated narratives.

Alief partner Miguel Govea added that the company was excited to represent the film worldwide, describing Snapshot as an inventive mix of gothic noir, horror documentary, and found-footage storytelling that stretches genre conventions in unexpected ways.

With its unusual visual presentation, supernatural take on the Jack the Ripper legend, and themes centered on misinformation, Snapshot is shaping up to be one of the more distinctive horror titles arriving on this year’s festival circuit.

Snapshot makes its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 15 before screening at FrightFest London on August 31. Let us know your thoughts on the film in the comments below.