Euphoria, Cuckoo and (forthcoming) Blade Runner 2099 actress Hunter Schafer says a mysterious new horror film may be her favorite project yet, with a cast that includes Emma Corrin, Josh Hutcherson and Caleb Landry Jones. As it turns out, for nearly a year, A24 has been keeping the details of an upcoming horror film from The First Omen director Arkasha Stevenson under wraps. The studio assembled a cast that includes Schafer, Emma Corrin, Sophie Wilde, Josh Hutcherson and Caleb Landry Jones, but offered little explanation of what would bring them together beyond a mysterious premise involving a bachelor party that goes terribly wrong. Now Schafer has revealed something that hadn’t previously been disclosed: it’s a vampire movie.
The actress, best known for HBO’s Euphoria and the 2024 horror film Cuckoo, made the revelation while attending the Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles on October 17, 2026. Asked during a red-carpet interview whether there was a horror franchise she’d like to join, Schafer instead volunteered information about a movie she had already completed.
“Earlier this year, I just did a vampire movie,” she said. “I’m so excited about it. It might be my favorite thing I’ve ever filmed.” When asked what made the experience so memorable, Schafer replied, “Because it is batshit crazy.”
She added that she and her fellow actresses had been able to approach their performances with the same uninhibited energy, but when the interviewer asked whether she actually plays a vampire, Schafer suddenly became more cautious. “I wonder if I’m allowed to say that,” she admitted, explaining that the movie was still listed publicly as an untitled A24 project. “I don’t know if I can give anything more.”
The exchange, shared by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, provided the first direct indication from a cast member that Stevenson’s mysterious film involves vampires.
A Bachelor Party Takes a Horrifying Turn
Although Schafer’s comments have clarified the film’s supernatural subject, much of its storyline remains secret. The premise disclosed when the project was announced in November 2025 involves a bachelor party that spirals into terror, but neither the studio nor the filmmakers have explained how vampires figure into the events.
The film is directed by Arkasha Stevenson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Tim Smith, her collaborator on The First Omen. That 2024 film served as a prequel to the 1976 horror classic The Omen, following an American woman working at a Roman orphanage who becomes involved in a conspiracy surrounding the birth of the Antichrist. Stevenson’s film marked a significant feature-directing debut, drawing attention for its disturbing imagery, religious horror and willingness to revisit a familiar franchise from an unexpected perspective.
For her second feature, she has moved away from an established property and into an original story. Filming reportedly wrapped in spring 2026, meaning Schafer’s comments concern a completed production rather than a project still awaiting cameras to roll.
A Cast With Some Familiar Vampire Connections
The cast brings together performers from several prominent recent horror films. Alongside Schafer are Emma Corrin, who played Ellen Hutter in Robert Eggers’ 2024 remake of Nosferatu, and Caleb Landry Jones, who portrayed Dracula in Luc Besson’s Dracula: A Love Tale. Their participation gives the untitled production two actors who have already played major roles in modern interpretations of the Dracula legend.
Sophie Wilde starred in the Australian supernatural hit Talk to Me, while Josh Hutcherson is familiar to horror audiences from Five Nights at Freddy’s. Havana Rose Liu appeared in the thriller No Exit, and Fabien Frankel is known for House of the Dragon. The ensemble also includes Whitmer Thomas, Katelyn Rose Downey, Suzanna Son and Emory Cohen. Earlier casting reports included Frank Dillane, although subsequent reporting indicated that he was no longer involved.
What none of the announcements have established is which actors will portray vampires, which will play their intended victims or whether the film’s bloodsuckers will resemble traditional creatures of the night at all. Schafer herself has declined to reveal the nature of her character.
Another notable name attached to the film is Ari Aster, the writer-director of Hereditary and Midsommar, who serves as an executive producer through his Square Peg production company. Aster’s involvement places the project within a filmmaking circle associated with psychologically intense horror, although the precise tone of Stevenson’s movie remains unknown. Schafer’s description suggests an unusually wild production, but it doesn’t establish whether audiences should expect dark comedy, graphic horror or some combination of the two.
Stevenson and Smith’s screenplay also marks a reunion following The First Omen. Their previous collaboration combined supernatural horror with a story about institutional control and a woman gradually discovering the conspiracy surrounding her. Whether their vampire film will explore similar concerns is something the filmmakers have yet to discuss publicly.
Hunter Schafer’s Return to Horror
For Schafer, the project continues a developing relationship with the horror genre. In Cuckoo, directed by Tilman Singer, she played Gretchen, a teenager whose relocation to a resort in the German Alps leads to a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries. The film gave Schafer her first major starring role in a feature, following her breakthrough as Jules Vaughn in Euphoria. She subsequently appeared in Mother Mary, the A24 psychological drama starring Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel.
Her latest horror production appears to have made an especially strong impression. At the Academy Museum Gala, Schafer’s enthusiasm was unmistakable, even as she struggled to determine how much she was permitted to reveal. Asked about her character’s possible vampire identity, she ultimately stopped short of answering, adding that she would happily share more if she could.
For now, the actress has supplied the most revealing detail about a film that has been surrounded by secrecy since its announcement. A24 has not announced an official title, trailer or release date for Stevenson’s vampire movie. With filming reportedly completed earlier this year, the production is awaiting its next public unveiling—and an explanation of exactly what happens when a bachelor party encounters the undead.
Sources for the Article
- Dread Central — Hunter Schafer Calls A24’s Secret Vampire Movie “Batshit Crazy” (October 18, 2026)
- Deadline — Original A24 casting announcement (November 2025)
- Bloody Disgusting — Early cast and production details
- Fangoria — Original bachelor-party premise and cast
- Phantasmag — October 18 revelation and expanded cast details