South African streamers are in for a treat this Halloween as the home-grown sci-fi horror, “The Fix”, is set to premiere on October 31.
It features a star-studded cast which includes Grace van Dien, who featured on “Stranger Things” in the leading role, Daniel Sharman from “Fear The Walking Dead”, Saftas nominee Keenan Arrison, Clancy Brown, who starred in “The Penguin”, and Nicole Fortuin.
They are joined by Fleur du Cap winner Tafara Nyatsanza, Young Artist Award winner Caleb Payne, Robyn Rossouw from “Summertide” and Tina Redman, who featured on “Savage Beauty.”
Set in a dystopian future with toxic air, the movie follows a model (Van Dien), who takes a new designer drug at a party and suffers a shocking transformation.
“Pursued by forces with competing interests in the drug’s effects, Ella discovers that her mutations could save the human race,” a statement explained.
“The Fix” is written and directed by American-born Kelsey Egan, who has lived in South Africa since 2007 and recently received a UK Global Talent visa to work there as well.
Her debut feature, the Showmax Original “Glasshouse”, earned rave reviews globally after its debut at the 25th Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal.
It was also the most-awarded film at the 2022 South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs).
Meanwhile, the movie was the opening night film at MIPAfrica in Cape Town last month.
It was also the closing night film at the Chattanooga Film Festival in the US, where it won the Dangerous Visions Award.
“When you lay your eyes on South African film-maker Kelsey Egan’s thrilling sci-fi/action/body horror concoction, ‘The Fix’, you’ll immediately understand why we knew this had to be our 2024 Closing Night Selection,” Chattanooga’s organisers said.
“We love this movie, from its killer lead performance by the wonderful Grace van Dien to its wild dystopian world and fantastic mutation effects.”
Egan explained that this project was over a decade in the making.
“I wrote the first draft of ‘The Fix’ in 2013,” she added in the statement.
“I was interested in how much our perception of the world is impacted by how we are treated and how much this is informed by appearances.”
“I wanted to explore these ideas through the transformation story of a girl who feels that her appearance is the only thing she’s ever received validation for, but when she experiences this traumatic physical transformation, she has to figure out who she is outside of that … and learn what matters to her more than how she is perceived.”
In addition, Gravitas Ventures, an Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company, will be releasing the South African film in the US, Canada and select international territories on November 22.
Watch the trailer here: