I'd not heard of this new horror until they released its chilling first trailer, now it's one of my most anticipated movies of 2024

New horror Stopmotion's first trailer is so scary, it's now one of my most anticipated movies of the year. 

I'll be completely honest, up until this morning, the film wasn't really on my radar at all. But when its teaser found its way onto my social media feeds, my genre-loving self hit play the first chance it got. Boy, I'm glad I did, for what greeted me was a grim-looking bloody nightmare.

Starring Caoilinn Springall, Stella Gonet, Tom York, and The Nightingale's Aisling Franciosi, Stopmotion centers on animator Ella Blake, as she channels her complicated feelings over her overbearing mother's recent death into her next project. Things take a turn, though, when her kid neighbor suggests she introduce a monster, the Ashman, into her film, and as Ella starts to lose her grip on reality, her grotesque characters take on a life of their own. 

Robert Morgan, who previously helmed titles such as Bobby Yeah, The Cat With Hands, and The Separation directs, working with a script by Robin King. IFC Films, Stopmotion's distributor, previously handled the release of outings such as Birth/Rebirth, Skinamarink, and When Evil Lurks.

"This looks incredible! Loved Aisling Franciosi's performance in The Nightingale and looking forward to seeing her in a creepy horror film," a fan wrote in the comments section on the trailer's YouTube post.

"Robert Morgan is a genius animator, I can't wait to see his style and directing at work. I would love to see him gain much more [traction] from this, as he deserves," said another, while a third added: "Not since Nope and Talk to Me have I been this excited for a horror."

It looks like we're right to be excited, too. At time of writing, the freaky flick has a 100% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, with glowing reviews from nine different publications.

Stopmotion releases on February 23. While we wait for more news on the new flick, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming horror movies heading our way. 

Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

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