Stephen King has a pitch for Jordan Downey’s The Cycle. Take The Thing and cross it with The Silence of the Lambs.
That comparison appears in the new official trailer for the Shudder Original. King also calls the film “a terrific fright flick.” A quote like that doesn’t get attached to every streaming release.
A Cold Case That Won’t Stay Cold
The trailer starts with the mystery. The body of a man who went missing 36 years ago turns up at a gruesome crime scene. His estranged daughter starts digging into his past and ends up somewhere much stranger than a cold case file.
Deborah Ann Woll plays the daughter, Meg. Jeffrey Donovan co-stars, and Will Hochman and Jeb Berrier round out the cast. Downey directed and co-wrote the script with Kevin Stewart. You may know Downey from The Head Hunter, which made a lot out of very little.
I like that the setup isn’t hiding much. It’s a procedural on the surface. The trouble is whatever sits under it.
Mick Garris Is Here for the Goop
Mick Garris also shows up in the trailer. He calls The Cycle “an over-the-top celebration of practical effects.” That fits what came out of the festival circuit. Bloody Disgusting’s Fantastic Fest review pointed to Patrick Magee’s creature work as a highlight, especially in the second half.
Neither King nor Garris worked on the film. They’re fans endorsing it, and they happen to be two very loud ones.
We spoke with Downey, Woll and Donovan at Fantastic Fest last week. Downey called the film “a love letter to Stephen King,” which makes this trailer feel a little like a letter getting answered. You can read our full interview with the director and his stars for more on the morgue scene that kept him up at night.
When to Watch
The Cycle streams exclusively on Shudder starting Friday, October 23.
