DREAD has officially wrapped production on its forthcoming creature feature, Gator Face, a visceral new horror thriller shot deep in the unforgiving swamps of remote Florida. Featuring real alligators, practical gore, and absolutely zero CGI or AI, the film is set to make its global sales debut at the American Film Market this November.
Old-school horror fans can expect a swampy Southern Gothic bloodbath, asGator Face slithers back to the roots of raw, wild, and practical-effects-driven genre mayhem. Every thrash, hiss, and snap of sharp teeth was captured live on set under expert supervision — merging handcrafted in-camera effects with some killer live-animal performances for a terrifyingly tangible result. Good Boy, watch your back — audiences can expect some rival awards-worthy performances from these bad puppies upon release.
“We wanted the audience to feel the danger,” says Executive Producer and Epic CEO Patrick Ewald. “There’s an intense authenticity in seeing real alligators on screen, something you simply can’t replicate with computers. This film delivers that primal edge in every frame.”
Gods and Monsters
The film follows a group of friends whose sun-drenched Florida vacation curdles into a nightmare after they stumble upon a remote cult devoted to an ancient alligator deity. What begins as a carefree getaway mutates into a swamp-soaked fight for survival — a fever dream of sacrifice, madness, and reptilian terror.
Gator Face stars Tabitha Brownstone (CSI, Domino) as Claire, Amariah Dionne (Dead Souls) as Jess, and Scot Scurlock (Homestead, Death Ranch) as Father Eli, the cult’s menacing leader. Ella Mosca appears as Samara, while Nikolas Kolasinski (Lake Fear 2) embodies the film’s scaly namesake.
Real-Deal Old-School Horror
Written and directed by Padraig Reynolds (Open 24 Hours, Dark Light), the project is produced by Patrick Ewald, Jason Scott Goldberg (Glorious, Stay Out of the Attic), and Wes Thomas.
“All I ever wanted was to make a real-deal alligator drive-in movie,” says Reynolds. “The kind that plays best under the hum of a projector and the buzz of mosquitoes. It’s a love letter to the grit and guts of ’70s horror, dragged kicking and screaming into the modern day.”
