Jason Isaacs and Nell Verlaque Team Up for a Vampire Horror With Real Bite

Jason Isaacs is sinking his teeth into Crave, a new vampire horror movie that just firmed up its cast and quietly started shooting in Spain. It is also heading to Berlin this week to find an international home, so expect deal chatter.

The setup

The story centers on a grieving girl who gets pulled toward a shadowy traveling carnival rolling into her small town. The draw turns dangerous as she slips into a maze of illusions and discovers something uglier lurking beneath the tents. The official line puts it this way:

"Haunted by her past, a grieving girl is drawn to a mysterious traveling carnival that arrives in her small town. Caught in its alluring spell, she falls deeper into a web of illusions – only to discover an underground world that feeds on despair and demands a costly price for escape."

Vampires and carnivals is a combo I will absolutely show up for.

Who is in it

• Jason Isaacs
• Nell Verlaque
• Paulina Chávez
• Kieron Moore
• Eoin Macken
• Alicia Sanz
• Cedrick Cooper
• Corrado Martini
• Alvise Rigo
• Elisabeth Sanjuán

Behind the camera

Directors David Charbonier and Justin Powell are steering this one, reuniting after their tense indie chillers The Djinn and The Boy Behind The Door. The script comes from Jason Filardi and Peter Filardi. Producing are Roger Corbi, Dominic Rustam, and Christian Mercuri, with Jason Filardi, Peter Filardi, and Roman Viaris executive producing.

Where it stands

Crave is in production in Spain right now. The film is being introduced to buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin this week, so distribution news could land fast if the pitch hits.

Why this cast pops

Isaacs brings that sharp, coiled energy he has carried through Armageddon, The Patriot, Black Hawk Down, and, yes, the Harry Potter films. He most recently turned up in the latest season of The White Lotus. Nell Verlaque broke out on the Disney+ series Big Shot and the holiday-slasher gem Thanksgiving, and she is expected back for that sequel, which makes her doubling down on horror here a smart play.