Sundance’s 2025 lineup, the penultimate before it switches to another location in 2027, has some divine genre films for it’s Midnight Slate. More genre Dev Patel? Yes, please! More countryside horror, mos def! Narcissistic aliens? You betcha! Away we go….

Dead Lover (2024)

A lonely gravedigger who stinks of corpses finally meets her dream man, but their whirlwind affair is cut short when he tragically drowns at sea. Grief-stricken, she goes to morbid lengths to resurrect him through madcap scientific experiments, resulting in grave consequences and unlikely love.

After winning a 2016 Sundance Short Film Special Jury Award for Outstanding Performance (Her Friend Adam), Grace Glowicki returns to Park City as the director, co-writer, and star of this darkly comedic Midnight feature. She electrifies the film with a wildly energetic lead performance, perfectly complemented by co-stars Leah Doz, Lowen Morrow, and Ben Petrie, who each bring increasingly eccentric characters to life. Drawing from a diverse range of influences—disco, German Expressionism, sketch comedy, and even Bugs Bunny—Dead Lover weaves together a century’s worth of creative inspiration to create a thrilling, surreal cinematic experience.

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Writer/Director – Grace Glowicki

Didn’t Die (2024)

A podcast host desperately clings to an ever-shrinking audience in the zombie apocalypse.

Vinita (Kiran Deol) hosts a cynical post-apocalyptic podcast, using ironic detachment to mask her underlying fear. As rabid “biters” ravage the Earth and her shrinking audience—along with her traumatized siblings—remain in quarantine, her emotional walls start to crack when her unfaithful ex, Vincent (George Basil), unexpectedly shows up with a baby.

Writer-director Meera Menon’s low-budget thriller pays homage to zombie pioneer George Romero while offering a poignant exploration of the emotional toll of surviving a collapsing society. Much like Romero, Menon uses the genre to confront contemporary fears, channeling pandemic-era anxieties through a uniquely millennial lens.

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Writer/Director – Meera Menon

Opus (2024)

A young writer is invited to the remote compound of a legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago. Surrounded by the star’s cult of sycophants and intoxicated journalists, she finds herself in the middle of his twisted plan.

Mark Anthony Green’s feature debut is a bold, entertaining, and visually striking pop-horror film. Ayo Edebiri shines as Ariel, a shy yet ambitious journalist, bringing a unique charm and a distinct final-girl quality to her performance. John Malkovich is captivating as Moretti, a revered global figure making a darkly dramatic return.

Set against a backdrop of eye-catching synth-heavy musical numbers and a mysterious desert compound, the veneer of civility slowly dissolves between the two characters, exposing the tense, psychological cat-and-mouse game beneath.

Writer/Director – Mark Anthony Green

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Rabbit Trap (2024)

When a musician and her husband move to a remote house in Wales, the music they make disturbs local ancient folk magic, bringing a nameless child to their door who is intent on infiltrating their lives.

Set in 1973, Bryn Chainey’s remarkable directorial debut channels the eerie essence of British folk horror, invoking a sense of supernatural dread in a lush Welsh forest. Obsessive avant-garde musician Daphne (Rosy McEwen) immerses herself in reel-to-reel tape machines and oscillators in their cottage, while her reclusive husband, Darcy (Dev Patel), gathers field recordings in the surrounding woods. Their routines attract the attention of a mysterious young rabbit trapper (a chilling Jade Croot), whose presence disrupts their delicate tranquility.

Rabbit Trap weaves a haunting atmosphere of sensuality and buried trauma, brought to life through Andreas Johannessen’s tactile 35mm cinematography and Lucrecia Dalt’s immersive soundscape.

Writer/Director – Bryn Chainey

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The Ugly Stepsister (2024)

In a fairy-tale kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira battles to compete with her incredibly beautiful stepsister, and she will go to any length to catch the prince’s eye.

A dark and twisted retelling of Cinderella, The Ugly Stepsister takes a gruesome approach, staying true to the darkest elements of the Grimm version. The film centers on stepsister Elvira’s obsessive quest for beauty, no matter the cost. Where traditional Cinderellas have silkworms, this one has tapeworms. Norwegian director Emilie Blichfeldt adds decomposing corpses, tongue-in-cheek body horror, and a 19th-century surgical makeover, creating a debut feature that is both darkly comedic and grotesque. The film cleverly satirizes the beauty industry, critiquing how body image is sold as the key to desirability, success, and social status. We can’t help but sympathize with Elvira, who, driven by insecurity, becomes entangled in her mother’s savage beauty regimen as a desperate attempt to find acceptance and happiness.

Writer/Director – Emilie Blichfeldt

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Together (2025)

With a move to the countryside already testing the limits of a couple’s relationship, a supernatural encounter begins an extreme transformation of their love, their lives, and their flesh.
Writer-director Michael Shanks brings a mischievous energy to horror, delighting in crafting wildly expressive, nightmarish moments. His feature-length debut skillfully escalates into body horror madness as it follows a dysfunctional couple moving away from the city to a more isolated life. As they disconnect from home, friends, and their identities beyond their troubled relationship, Shanks’ sharp script anchors their emotional chaos in a chilling exploration of the horrors of codependency. For this couple, things will only spiral further—much further—before they can even begin to improve.

Writer/Director – Michael Shanks

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Touch Me (2024)

Two codependent best friends become addicted to the heroin-like touch of an alien narcissist who may or may not be trying to take over the world.

Writer and director Addison Heimann’s second feature is a provocative, wildly inventive, and gloriously insane ride. A bold tribute to the daring visual flair of Japanese cinema from the ’60s and ’70s, Touch Me fearlessly dives into themes of mental health, desire, and Hentai-fueled sexual liberation. Olivia Taylor Dudley embodies a fractured, searching soul desperate for a life-affirming touch, while Lou Taylor-Pucci’s tracksuit-wearing alien persona is played with perfect, delightful oddity. Jordan Gavaris and Marlene Forte add to the ensemble, bringing a vibrant mix of abrasive yet oddly relatable characters. The result is a bizarre, frenzied fever dream—unpredictable and packed with layers begging to be unraveled.

Writer/Director – Addison Heimann

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From the absurd and nightmarish to the deeply emotional and surreal, these creators skillfully blend dark humor, psychological tension, and visual artistry. Whether confronting societal issues, exploring the complexities of human relationships, or diving into strange, fantastical realms, they captivate with their unapologetic approach to both character and theme. These films challenge expectations, offering visceral, unforgettable experiences that linger long after the screen goes dark.

IMPORTANT SUNDANCE INFO

*Dates may vary for Sundance Industry Office and Sundance Press Office members.