New horror movie starring Lord of the Rings and Doctor Who actors gets creepy first look

Morfydd Clark as Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episode 9
(Image credit: Prime Video)

New horror movie Starve Acre has a creepy first look, featuring Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power actor Morfydd Clark and former Doctor Who Matt Smith. 

Directed by Daniel Kokotajlo, the film will screen in competition at this year's London Film Festival. 

In the first look, which you can see below, Clark's character looks directly into an open flame, while Smith's is seen in a large, muddy hole. 

Per its official synopsis (H/T Cornerstone Film), the film is set in the '70s in the English countryside, focusing on Richard (Smith) and Juliette (Clark). Their apparently perfect life is seriously disrupted when their son Ewan begins to act strangely. 

That begins to drive the couple apart, with Richard obsessively diving into a folkloric tale that says an oak tree on their property of Starve Acre possesses great powers. Juliette, meanwhile, seeks solace in the local community. 

Sinister powers, accidentally allowed into Starve Acre, then present a worrying chance of reconciliation as a surprise discovery is made. 

That all sounds suitably creepy, and, judging by the first look's muted color palette, we can expect one unnerving film. 

At the moment, there's no release date for The Rings of Power season 2, though it was able to wrap filming ahead of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors' strike and amid the WGA writers' strike. Clark stars as Galadriel, memorably played by Cate Blanchett in the Peter Jackson movies. 

As for Smith, he's got House of the Dragon season 2 in the works, which is currently filming in the UK amid the dual strikes. 

While you wait for Starve Acre, check out our guide to the best horror movies to fill out your watchlist. 

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.