Kiah Roache-Turner is taking the wheel on “Don’t Look,” an Australian outback horror project that reunites the filmmaker with Alyla Browne.
Previously titled “From Below,” the film was originally planned as writer Sean Loch’s directing debut. Roache-Turner has now assumed directing duties because of scheduling issues, while Cornerstone is handling sales at the American Film Market.
The filmmaker, whose credits include “Sting” and “Beast of War,” is currently in post-production on the World War I action-horror movie “Lady Death.” Browne previously starred in his spider horror “Sting,” and the pair also collaborated on “Chiquita,” a family film about endurance riding.
An unseen threat in the Australian outback
“Don’t Look” centers on Riley, a 15-year-old played by Browne, as she travels across the Australian outback with her father. Their journey takes a terrifying turn when they encounter two apparently abandoned vehicles at a remote desert crossing.
After an invisible force drags Riley’s father away, the teenager is left fighting for her life against a creature that can only be seen by its next victim.
The project is being positioned as a fresh variation on road-movie horror, with its underlying source of fear remaining unseen and difficult to identify. Roache-Turner described the screenplay as “one of the best scripts I’ve ever read,” saying he was immediately attracted to its desert setting and creature-feature premise.
Speaking to Variety, the director said the story’s character development and emotional foundations distinguished it from other entries in the genre. He also singled out the final act’s payoffs and a central monster he considers unlike anything he has previously seen portrayed in a creature movie.
Roache-Turner cited “Wolf Creek,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “The Hitcher” and “Jeepers Creepers” while discussing his enthusiasm for road horror. However, he said the creature in “Don’t Look” was unusual enough to prompt him to rethink his visual approach for the film.
While keeping the monster’s full nature under wraps, the director offered an emphatic preview of the intended impact, calling the movie “scary as all hell” and saying some scenes are “going to traumatise people very deeply.”
Browne takes on a darker role
For Browne, whose credits also include “Furiosa,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” and “Nine Perfect Strangers,” the role of Riley marks another collaboration with Roache-Turner — but one that the filmmaker says will push their work into more unsettling territory.
Roache-Turner recalled that Browne was 12 when filming began on “Sting.” He said she turned 17 midway through production on “Chiquita,” their most recent collaboration, and praised her as one of the most naturally talented and professional actors he has worked with.
Although the two have stayed in contact, “Don’t Look” will give them a different kind of material. According to Roache-Turner, Riley is “a lot darker and deeper” than the characters Browne has played in their previous projects.
The cast also includes George Pullar, whose credit is listed as “Evil Dead Burn”; Masha Basman of “Bay of Fires”; and Stephen Peacocke of “Me Before You.”
Loch’s original screenplay previously appeared on The Black List and trended in its “Top Horror Scripts” category for six weeks. The movie was developed with filmmaker Joel Anderson, whose credits include “Late Night with the Devil” and “Lake Mungo.”
Blake Northfield, credited on “Lady Death” and “Beast of War,” is producing alongside Sam Price, whose credits include “Rear View Mirror” and “Leech.”
ShowBiz Take
“Don’t Look” arrives with several clear points of interest: a screenplay that gained sustained attention in a horror category, a monster whose visibility is tied directly to its next victim, and a director-star pairing already familiar with working together.
The change behind the camera is also significant. Rather than making his planned directing debut, Loch will see Roache-Turner interpret his screenplay with a visual style the director says he intends to alter specifically for the story. That combination keeps Loch’s unusual creature concept at the center while adding the perspective of a filmmaker already associated with “Sting,” “Beast of War” and the forthcoming “Lady Death.”
Most importantly, the premise gives Browne a role built around isolation and escalating danger. With Riley forced into a life-or-death encounter against something only its intended victim can see, the film’s horror depends as much on her experience as it does on revealing the creature itself.
What Happens Next?
Cornerstone is presenting “Don’t Look” to buyers at the American Film Market, with Roache-Turner set to direct and Browne leading the cast. For now, the filmmaker is keeping the exact nature of the monster concealed — preserving the unseen threat at the heart of the movie’s premise.