Made-in-Manitoba Movies: Spooky Season

Orphan: First kill

Spooky season is upon us. While getting lost in a corn maze or braving a haunted house is a wonderful way to spend October, sometimes a night in with a movie or a show and a big bowl of freshly popped popcorn is the comfiest fall activity.

If you are looking for a spine-chilling supernatural ghost story or a mind-bending psychological thriller to get your adrenaline running, you’ll want to check out these Made-in-Manitoba Films.


Time Cut (2024)

Synopsis: Lucy, a modern high school senior and amateur inventor, accidentally finds a time machine and travels back to 2003, the year her sister was murdered by an unknown serial killer. Now torn between solving the mystery that has undone her parents and her hometown, saving the sister that she never knew, and irreparably altering the future – and her own existence – Lucy must decide how to stop the slasher, save her family, and blend into 2003.

Filming Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: Madison Bailey, Antonia Gentry, Michael Shanks, Griffon Gluck, Sydney Sabiston

Director: Hannah Macpherson,

Writers: Michael Kennedy, Hannah Macpherson

Cinematographers: Tony Mirza, Halyna Hutchins


Don’t Fxxk With Ghosts (2024)

Synopsis: Convinced they’ve found the next paranormal phenomenon, Adam and Stu embark on a journey to document a real haunted house and the alleged ghosts that live within it.

Filming Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: Stu Stone, Adam Rodness

Directors: Stu Stone, Adam Rodness

Writers: Stu Stone, Adam Rodness

Cinematographer: Quan Luong


Haunted Wedding (2024)

Synopsis: The wedding between ghost hunters Jane and Brian at a haunted inn is disrupted by Angelique – a ghost who mistakes Brian for her own dead fiancé.

Trailer:

Starring: Janel Parrish, Dominic Sherwood, Cassandra Potenza, Lauren Cochrane, Eric Athavale, Linda Ko, John B. Lowe

Director: Jeff Beesley

Writers: Rod Spence, Nina Weinman

Cinematographer: Paul Suderman


All Fun and Games (2023)

Synopsis: A group of Salem teens discover a cursed knife that unleashes a demon that forces them to play gruesome, deadly versions of childhood games where there can be no winners, only survivors.

Filming Locations: Select Locations in Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: Natalia Dyer, Asa Butterfield, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Matthew Lupu, Summer H. Howell, Keishon Joseph. Also starring FTM’s own Sydney Sabiston.

Directors: Ari Costa & Eren Celeboglu

Writers: J.J. Braider, Eren Celeboglu & Ari Costa

Cinematographer: Ricardo Diaz


Dark Harvest (2023)

Synopsis: In a small Midwestern town, a deadly annual ritual unfolds when the mythical nightmare, Sawtooth Jack, rises from the cornfields and challenges the town’s teenage boys in a bloody battle of survival.

Filming Locations: Select Locations in Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: Casey Likes, Emyri Crutchfield, Dustin Ceithamer, Nazariy Demkowicz, Maclean Fish.

Director: David Slade

Writers: Michael Gilio & Norman Partridge

Cinematographer: Larry Smith


Wintertide (2023)

Synopsis: Beth, a volunteer watchperson of an isolated northern city, battles a plague of depression that transforms the few remaining residents into empty, zombie-like automatons.

Filming Locations: Select Locations in Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: Niamh Carolan, Jeremy Walmsley, Solange Sookram, John B. Lowe, Darcy Fehr, Onalee Ames

Director: John Barnard

Writers: John Barnard, Carrie-May Siggins

Cinematographer: Markus Henkel


Blood (2023)

Synopsis: Jess, a separated mother and nurse, moves with her daughter and young son Owen back into her old farmhouse. Shortly after settling in, Owen is bitten by the dog, resulting in a mysterious infection from the bite.

Filming Locations: Select Locations in Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: Michelle Monaghan, Skeet Ulrich, Finlay Wojtak-Hissong, Danika Frederick, Skylar Morgan Jones.

Director: Brad Anderson

Writer: Will Honley

Cinematographer: Björn Charpentier


Elevator Game (2023)

Synopsis: Supernatural horror, based on the eponymous online phenomenon, a ritual conducted in an elevator, in which players attempt to travel to another dimension using a set of rules that can be found online.

Filming Locations: Select Locations in Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: Gino Anania, Megan Best, Alec Carlos, Madison MacIsaac, Nazariy Demkowicz, Liam Stewart-Kanigan, Verity Marks.

Director: Rebekah McKendry

Writers: David Ian McKendry & Travis Seppala

Cinematographer: Brad Crawford


Violent Night (2022)

Synopsis: When an elite team of mercenaries breaks into a family compound on Christmas Eve, a disgruntled Santa Claus must take them out to save both the hostages and his Holiday.

Filming Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: David Harbour, John Leguizmo, Beverly D’Angelo

Director: Tommy Wirkola

Writers: Pat Casey, Josh Miller

Cinematographer: Matthew Weston


Bed Rest (2022)

Synopsis: A pregnant woman on bed rest begins to wonder if her house is haunted or if it’s all in her head.

Filming Locations: Select Locations in Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: Melissa Barrera, Guy Burnet, Edie Inksetter, Erik Athavale, Kristen Sawatzky, Paul Essiembre, Marina Stephenson Kerr.

Director: Lori Evans Taylor

Writer: Lori Evans Taylor

Cinematographer: Jean-Philippe Bernier


Orphan: First Kill (2022)

Synopsis: After orchestrating a brilliant escape from an Estonian psychiatric facility, Esther travels to America by impersonating the missing daughter of a wealthy family.

Filming Locations: Select Locations in Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: Isabelle Fuhrman, Julia Stiles, Rossif Sutherland, Lauren Cochrane, Dave Brown, Kristen Sawatzky, Gwendolyn Collins.

Director: William Brent Bell

Writers: David Coggeshall, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Alex Mace

Cinematographer: Karim Hussain


Bring It On: Cheer or Die (2022)

Synopsis: When a cheer squad practices their routines on Halloween weekend in an abandoned school, they are picked off one by one by an unknown killer.

Filming Locations: Select Locations in Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: Kerri Medders, Alten Wilmot, Sierra Holder, Madison MacIsaac, Alec Carlos, Gino Anania.

Director: Karen Lam

Writers: Alyson Fouse, Rebekah McKendry, Dana Schwartz

Cinematographer: Adam Swica


Seance (2021)

Synopsis: At the prestigious Fairfield Academy, an elite boarding school for girls, six friends jokingly engage in a late-night ritual, calling forth the spirit of a dead former student who reportedly haunts their halls. Before morning, one of the girls is dead, leaving the others wondering what they may have awakened.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Winnipeg

Starring: Suki Waterhouse, Madisen Beaty, Inanna Sarkis, Stephanie Sy

Director: Simon Barrett

Writer(s): Simon Barrett

Cinematographer: Karim Hussain

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Add it to your Letterboxd!

Watch it on Amazon Prime


Toys of Terror (2020)

Synopsis: Just before Christmas, young Zoe, her brother Franklin and their family move into a secluded mansion with a dark past. While the adults focus on renovating the place, the bored kids find a toy chest hidden in the attic and are delighted when the toys inside magically come to life. But bizarre events soon begin to take place – events that threaten the family’s lives. As the special day dawns with gifts piled under the tree, the body count rises, and the blood starts to flow.

Filming Locations: Select Locations in Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: Kyana Teresa, Zoe Fish, Verity Marks, Georgia Waters, Ernie Pitts.

Director: Nicholas Verso

Writer: Dana Gould

Cinematographer: Paul Suderman


Run (2020)

Synopsis: A homeschooled teenager begins to suspect her mother is keeping a dark secret from her.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Winnipeg, Selkirk

Starring: Sarah Paulson, Kiera Allen

Director: Aneesh Chaganty

Writer(s): Aneesh Chaganty, Sev Ohanian

Cinematographer: Hillary Fyffe Spera

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Add it to your Letterboxd!

Watch it on Netflix


Tales from the Hood 3 (2020)

Synopsis: Following the franchise’s cult classic roots, this new anthology featuring Tony Todd and Lynn Whitfield will scare and thrill with its horrifying twists and social commentary.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Winnipeg

Starring: Tony Todd, London Brown, Cooper Huckabee

Directors: Rusty Cundieff, Darin Scott

Writer(s): Rusty Cundieff, Darin Scott

Cinematographer: Thomas L. Callaway

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Add it to your Letterboxd!

Watch it on Google Play


The Grudge (2020)

Synopsis: After a young mother murders her family in her own house, a detective attempts to investigate the mysterious case, only to discover that the house is cursed by a vengeful ghost. Now targeted by the demonic spirits, the detective must do anything to protect herself and her family from harm.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Winnipeg

Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Demián Bichir, John Cho

Director: Nicolas Pesce

Writer(s): Nicolas Pesce

Cinematographer: Zachary Galler

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Add it to your Letterboxd!

Watch it on Amazon


Hunter Hunter (2020)

Synopsis: A fur trapper leaves his wife and daughter behind to kill a rogue wolf in the remote wilderness, but they soon become increasingly worried when a severely injured man shows up to disrupt their peaceful existence.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Libau, Seven Sisters, Nopiming, Birds Hill

Starring: Devon Sawa, Camille Sullivan, Summer H. Howell

Director: Shawn Linden

Writer(s):Shawn Linden

Cinematographer: Greg Nicod

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Add it to your Letterboxd!

Watch it on Netflix


Fractured (2019)

Synopsis: Driving cross-country, Ray and his wife and daughter stop at a highway rest area where his daughter falls and breaks her arm. After a frantic rush to the hospital and a clash with the check-in nurse, Ray is finally able to get her to a doctor. While the wife and daughter go downstairs for an MRI, Ray, exhausted, passes out in a chair in the lobby. Upon waking up, they have no record or knowledge of Ray’s family ever being checked in.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Winnipeg, Selkirk, Matlock

Starring: Sam Worthington, Lily rabe, Stephen Tobolowsky

Director: Brad Anderson

Writer(s): Alan B. McElroy

Cinematographer: Björn Charpentier

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Add it to your Letterboxd!

Watch it on Netflix


We Summon the Darkness (2019)

Synopsis: Three best friends attending a heavy-metal show cross paths with sadistic killers after they travel to a secluded country home for an afterparty.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Winnipeg

Starring: Alexandra Daddario, Amy Forsyth, Johnny Knoxville

Director: Marc Meyers

Writer(s): Alan Trezza

Cinematographer: Tarin Anderson

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Add it to your Letterboxd!

Watch it on Netflix


Look Away (2018)

Synopsis: A timid and socially alienated 17-year-old high school student’s life is turned upside down when she switches places with her sinister mirror image.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Winnipeg

Starring: India Eisley, Mira Sorvino, Jason Isaacs

Director: Assaf Bernstein

Writer(s): Assaf Bernstein

Cinematographer: Pedro Luque

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Add it to your Letterboxd!

Watch it on Google Play


I Still See You (2018)

Synopsis: Ten years after an apocalyptic event left the world haunted by ghosts, Roni receives a threatening message from beyond the grave. Joining forces with a mysterious classmate, Kirk, Roni descends into a shadow world that blurs the bounds of the living and the dead-and begins a desperate race against time to stop a cunning killer.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Winnipeg

Starring: Bella Thorne, Richard Harmon, Dermot Mulroney

Director: Scott Speer

Writer(s): Jason Fuchs

Cinematographer: Simon Dennis

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Add it to your Letterboxd!

Watch it on Amazon


Devil’s Gate (2017)

Synopsis: Set in the small town of Devil’s Gate, North Dakota, the film examines the disappearance of a local woman and her young son. Schull plays an FBI agent who helps the local sheriff search for answers. Partnering with a deputy, they track down the missing woman’s husband and find that nothing is as it seems.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Winnipeg, Sanford

Starring: Amanda Schull, Shawn Ashmore, Milo Ventimiglia

Director: Clay Staub

Writer(s): Peter Aperlo, Clay Staub

Cinematographer: Miroslaw Baszak

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Add it to your Letterboxd!

Watch it on Amazon


Cult of Chucky (2017)

Synopsis: Chucky returns to terrorize his human victim, Nica. Meanwhile, the killer doll has some scores to settle with his old enemies, with the help of his former wife.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Winnipeg

Starring: Fiona Dourif, Michael Therriault, Jennifer Tilly

Director: Don Mancini

Writer(s): Don Mancini

Cinematographer: Michael Marshall

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Add it to your Letterboxd!

Watch it on Google Play


Wait Till Helen Comes (2016)

Synopsis: When a reconstructed family moves to a converted church in the country, 14-year-old Molly must save her new troubled step-sister from a dangerous relationship with the desperate ghost of a young girl.

Filming Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: Maria Bello, Sophie Nélisse, Callum Keith Rennie

Director: Dominic James

Writers: Mary Downing Hahn, Victoria Sanchez

Cinematographer: Rene Ohashi


Channel Zero (2016-2018)

Synopsis: An anthology series based on popular Internet Creepypastas Candle Cove, The No-End House, Butcher’s Block, and The Dream Door.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Winnipeg, Selkirk, Oakbank

Starring: Paul Schneider, Fiona Shaw, Brandon Scott, Holland Roden, Aisha Dee

Creator: Nick Antosca

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Watch it on Amazon Prime


ATM (2012)

Synopsis: On a late night visit to an ATM, three co-workers end up in a desperate fight for their lives when they become trapped by an unknown man.

Filming Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: Josh Peck, Alice Eve, Brian Geraghty

Director: David Brooks

Writers: Chris Sparling, Ron Tippe

Cinematographer: Bengt Jonsson


Bad Meat (2011)

Synopsis: Ordered to a delinquent camp by their exasperated parents, a group of wayward teens fall foul of a deadly virus that infects the guards and turns them into flesh-eating monsters! Gristle and gore are on the menu-as are the kids in this Brat Camp slaughterhouse massacre.

Filming Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: Mark Pellegrino, Elisabeth Harnois, Dave Franco

Director: Lulu Jarmen

Writer: Paul Gerstenberger


Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings (2011)

Synopsis: A group of college students gets lost in a storm during their snowmobiling trip and takes shelter in an abandoned sanitarium which, unbeknown to them, is home to deformed cannibals.

Filming Locations: Select Locations in Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: Sean Skene, Jenny Pudavick, Dan Skene, Blane Cypurda.

Director: Declan O’Brien

Writers: Declan O’Brien & Alan B. McElroy

Cinematographer: Michael Marshall


The Divide (2011)

Synopsis: Survivors of a nuclear attack are grouped together for days in the basement of their apartment building, where fear and dwindling supplies wear away at their dynamic.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Winnipeg

Starring: Lauren German, Michael Biehn, Milo Ventimiglia

Director: Xavier Gens

Writer(s): Karl Mueller, Eron Sheean

Cinematographer: Laurent Barés

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Add it to your Letterboxd!

Watch it on Amazon


Faces in the crowd (2011)

Synopsis: A horror-thriller centered on a woman living with “face-blindness” after surviving a serial killer’s attack. As she lives with her condition, one in which facial features change each time she loses sight of them, the killer closes in.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Winnipeg

Starring: Milla Jovovich, Julian McMahon, Sarah Wayne Callies

Director: Julien Magnat

Writer(s): Julien Magnat, Kelly Smith, Agnés Caffin

Cinematographer: Rene Ohashi

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Add it to your Letterboxd!

Watch it on Google Play


Mother’s Day (2010)

Synopsis: The sadistic members of a villainous family return to their childhood home to terrorize the new home owners and their guests.

Filming Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Trailer:

Starring: Rebecca De Mornay, Jaime King, Shawn Ashmore

Director: Darren Lynn Bousman

Writer: Scott Milam, Charles Kaufman, Warren Leight

Cinematographer: Joseph White


Todd and the Book of Pure Evil (2010-2012)

Synopsis: A stoner metalhead named Todd Smith, his crushee Jenny, his best friend Curtis, and the geeky Hannah, search their high school for a mayhem-causing Satanic spell book while being opposed by Atticus, the evil guidance counselor.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Winnipeg

Starring: Alex house, Billy Turnbull, Maggie Castle

Creators: Craig David Wallace, Charles Picco, Anthony Leo

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis: When the Campbell family moves to upstate Connecticut, they soon learn that their charming Victorian home has a disturbing history: not only was the house a transformed funeral parlor where inconceivable acts occurred, but the owner’s clairvoyant son Jonah served as a demonic messenger, providing a gateway for spiritual entities to crossover.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Teulon, Winnipeg


The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)

Starring: Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Martin Donovan

Director: Peter Cornwell

Writer(s): Adam Simon, Tim Metcalfe

Cinematographer: Adam Swica

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Add it to your Letterboxd!

Watch it on Amazon


Population 436 (2006)

Synopsis: A census-taker is sent to investigate why a certain small town has had the same population – 436 residents – for the last 100 years.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Roseisle, Winnipeg

Starring: Jeremy Sisto, Fred Durst, Charlotte Sullivan

Director: Michelle MacLaren

Writer(s): Michael Kingston

Cinematographer: Thomas Burstyn

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Add it to your Letterboxd!

Watch it on Amazon


Fear X (2003)

Synopsis: When his wife is killed in a seemingly random incident Harry, prompted by mysterious visions, journeys to discover the true circumstances surrounding her murder.

Filming Locations in Manitoba: Winnipeg

Starring: John Turturro, James Remar, Deborah Kara Unger

Director: Nicholas Winding

Writer(s): Michael Kingston

Cinematographer: Larry Smith

Add it to your IMDB watchlist!

Add it to your Letterboxd!

Watch it on Mubi


FTM is a member of the Province of Manitoba’s sector council program funded through the Department of Economic Development and Training. FTM builds a highly skilled and adaptable film industry workforce to support the activities of Manitoba production companies. FTM collaborates and partners with members of the film and television industry to identify training needs to support workforce development output.

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