Scurry Trailer Drops: One-Shot Apocalypse Horror Arrives This October

Luke Sparke is apparently trying to own October 3. Not only is his dinosaurs-in-Vietnam sci-fi horror Primitive War dropping on digital and VOD that day via Samuel Goldwyn Films, but his new one-shot apocalypse horror Scurry is rolling out the very same day on digital and in a limited theatrical run through Signature Entertainment. Trailer is out now.

So what is Scurry exactly?

Two strangers come to after an attack completely wrecks their city and discover they are stuck under the streets, banged up and barely oriented. They squeeze through a narrowing underground tunnel while everything around them collapses. Their injuries get worse, the exit options get fewer, and something else down there keeps stalking them. Think monstrous, genetically engineered creatures in the dark, and they are persistent.

It is shot in real time as a single continuous take, so the tension never resets. No cutaways, no time jumps, just claustrophobic, minute-by-minute survival until the bitter end. Jamie Costa (The Activated Man) and Emalia (Paper Dolls) star.

Sparke background, for context

Sparke first showed up with Red Billabong in 2016, then broke wider with Occupation (2018) and Occupation: Rainfall (2020), his alien-invasion-in-Australia duology. His style pulls a lot from 80s and 90s American sci-fi, but he likes to ground it in Australian locations and sensibilities. He switched gears for the crime-noir Bring Him to Me with Barry Pepper, Rachel Griffiths, and Sam Neill. And yes, he just unleashed the dinosaur war epic Primitive War, which also lands on digital/VOD October 3 via Samuel Goldwyn Films.

"Most importantly, I want Scurry to be an experience, one that sticks with you long after the credits roll. It is a love letter to the great monster movies of the past, but it also carves its own terrifying path forward. Buckle up, because this one is going to be a wild ride."

- Luke Sparke, on the North American release of Scurry

Quick hits

• Release date: October 3
• Distribution: Signature Entertainment (digital and limited theatrical for Scurry); Samuel Goldwyn Films (digital/VOD for Primitive War)
• Format twist: Scurry is a one-shot, real-time survival horror set in a collapsing tunnel
• The threat: monstrous, genetically altered creatures lurking underground
• Cast: Jamie Costa and Emalia
• Bonus Sparke double-feature: Scurry and Primitive War launch the same day

My take

Dropping a one-take creature feature and a dinosaur war movie on the same day is a strong swing. The single-shot approach can be a gimmick, but set in a shrinking tunnel with something hungry closing in, it actually makes a lot of sense here. The trailer sells that sweaty, boxed-in panic pretty well.

Planning to slot Scurry into your Halloween season watchlist? I want to hear it. And if you check out the trailer, tell me if the one-shot angle amps it up for you or feels like a dare.