The Bikeriders director Jeff Nichols has turned his hand to supernatural horror with King Snake, starring Margaret Qualley and Michael Shannon. Neon is distributing. 2024’s gritty period drama The Bikeriders wasn’t exactly a hit, but it was another superbly made movie from director Jeff Nichols. The versatile director of Take Shelter, Mud and Loving is ... King Snake | Director Jeff Nichols returns with starry horror, Neon to distribute
The Bikeriders director Jeff Nichols has turned his hand to supernatural horror with King Snake, starring Margaret Qualley and Michael Shannon. Neon is distributing.
2024’s gritty period drama The Bikeriders wasn’t exactly a hit, but it was another superbly made movie from director Jeff Nichols.
The versatile director of Take Shelter, Mud and Loving is now turning his hand to supernatural horror; his latest piece, King Snake, is currently being filmed in Arkansas according to Variety.
It stars regular collaborator Michael Shannon (pictured), the seemingly ubiquitous Margaret Qualley and Drew Starkey, and appears to be about a haunted farm house. Qualley and Starkey will star as a young couple who (deep breath) “inherit an Arkansas farm where they face real-world problems and supernatural forces, battling physical and metaphysical demons while confronting the property’s dark legacy.”
Read more: The Bikeriders | A powerful drama about the making of a monster
That’s according to the official plot description; there’s no word yet on who Shannon will play.
Variety also reports that King Snake has been picked up by indie distributor Neon, which has a proven track record of marketing unsettling genre films – its handling of Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs turned it into one of 2024’s biggest horror hits.
Nichols is best known for his dramas, but he also made a terrific sci-fi road trip movie in 2016. Also starring Michael Shannon, Midnight Special was atmospheric, sharply acted – and annoyingly overlooked when it came out just over a decade ago. Do track it down if you haven’t seen it yet. Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver and Sam Shepard are all additional reasons to give it a watch.
What will Nichols bring to the horror genre? If his previous films are any yardstick: precise direction, a measured pace, occasional jabs of unsettling violence – and terrific performances.
We spoke to Jeff Nichols about the making of The Bikeriders and his approach to filmmaking for the Film Stories podcast in 2024. It’s well worth a listen.
