Mali Elfman has been in the world of showbiz since she was a kid. The child of legendary composer Danny Elfman (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), cinematic projects seem to come naturally to her. While she’s held credits for a slew of productions—27 to be exact—she hasn’t come out with her own piece—until now. In just a few days, on June 10, Elfman will debut her first feature film for the world, a supernatural thriller titled, Next Exit. The first screening of the movie will happen at the Tribeca Film Festival, which isn’t a shabby place to drop your first full-length picture. Along with standing at the helm, Elfman also penned the project and served as one of its producers.
In a trailer released today, viewers can catch a glimpse into the afterlife-centered supernatural flick. While the opening sequence is filled with jump-scares, from the looks of it, the movie will center moreso on the journey of two strangers, both of whom are looking for answers. At the head of the first look, it’s revealed that a scientist named Dr. Stevenson (Karen Gillan) has found a way to follow the deceased into the afterlife. To bolster her theory, she’s asking for willing participants to come forward for evaluation to reveal if they’re a good fit for her research. This is where we meet our two leading characters, Rose (Katie Parker) and Teddy (Rahul Kohli). For Rose, she’s seeking the doctor’s help to face down a ghostly entity that won’t leave her alone and for Teddy, he’s hoping to make more of his life by giving his body to science. As they race across the country to make it to their appointments, the unlikely duo unravel more than they bargained for with each learning more about their reason for wanting to participate in the study.
Along with Parker, Kohli, and Gillan, the film will also feature Rose Mciver, Tongayi Chirisa, Tim Griffin, Diva Zappa, and Nico Evers-Swindell. No strangers to the supernatural horror genre, fans of the Mike Flanagan helmed Netflix shows, The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor will recognize Parker from her credits in both. She also previously worked with Flanagan on his film Absentia. Like Parker, Kohli is also an alum of Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House and another of the director’s horror miniseries, Midnight Mass. The Flanagan-related castings aren’t much of a coincidence as Elfman previously worked with the acclaimed director on his 2016 supernatural horror fantasy film, Before I Wake. Next Exit also acts as a reunion for Elfman and Gillan who teamed up on Gillan’s directorial breakthrough feature, The Party’s Just Beginning.
With the star power and intriguing storyline that haunt Next Exit, Elfman’s directorial debut promises to bring well-acted twists and turns. You can check out the official trailer below.