From director Paul Hyett and writer Dan Schaffer comes the new psychological thriller/horror ‘Peripheral‘. The film had it’s UK premiere as part of the FrightFest halloween event in 2018 and stars Hannah Arterton, Elliot James Langridge, Rosie Day & Jenny Seagrove. The film is now set to be released digitally in the UK on August 3, 2020; courtesy of Blue Finch Films.

“Bobbi Johnson (Arterton), a young literary sensation, is struggling with her
difficult second novel. While dealing with a crazed stalker and a junkie ex-boyfriend, Bobbi’s
publisher convinces her to use new smart editing software. But soon the A.I. programme starts
manipulating her work to suit its nefarious ends leaving Bobbi to suspect she’s being controlled
by sinister forces. Fighting possible hallucinations as her deadline looms, is she just a hapless
cog in a monstrous machine?”

There seems to be a recent renaissance in ‘retro’ yet forward-thinking and technology-filled thrillers such Leigh Whannel’s ‘Upgrade’ and Netflix series ‘Altered Carbon’ and this film is very much in that domain stylistically and in theme.  It plays well as a psychological thriller and a single-room horror. Building on the premise of a writer struggling to complete the followup to their debut novel it also acts as a meditation on the writers process, fame and the interference of technology and corporations on our lives. This plays out metaphorically and subliminally on several levels as the film continues building to it’s apparent climax. 4/5 See our Full Review here.

The film will be available on iTunes, Amazon, Google, Sky and Virgin on on August 3, 2020.

Review: Peripheral (2018)

Arrow Video FrightFest going virtual in August for digital edition