The directing combination of Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson is back for another supernatural horror film with the ominous title, Something in the Dirt. Their debut collaboration, the film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2022. Even though the film’s premiere to the public is still a ways off, XYZ Films has debuted a sneak peek trailer. A voiceover introduces and concludes the teaser, giving the impression that the speaker is about to describe the events of the film.
The remainder of the teaser is completely silent, focusing instead on a creepy soundtrack and brief visuals to provide an idea of what to anticipate. It raises a lot of questions and hints at the rising mystery the protagonists will face to pique the audience’s interest in watching. While the trailer doesn’t give much away plot-wise, we do know that film centres on two friends who experience something supernatural and try to cash in on it. Expect Moorhead and Benson to return to their approach with Something in the Dirt, a forthcoming science fiction thriller, if you’ve seen their previous work, which includes movies like Synchronic and Resolution. Benson and Moorhead talked about how their picture combines stoner humour with “an obsessive, rabbit-holeish dark mystery” after its premiere at Sundance.
The process of making the film is discussed in length, from developing the mythology of the plot to shooting in a single site to expanding the production to other locations in Los Angeles. Moorhead says that “[their] favourite thing to speak about in the whole film” is the music (which was written by Jimmy LaValle), demonstrating his excitement for the subject. Moorhead and Benson worked together as editors and directors on the film Something in the Dirt; Benson wrote the screenplay, and Moorhead shot the footage. Starring Sarah Adina Smith, Wanjiru M. Njendu, Vinny Curran, Gille Klabin, and Megan Rosati, among others. At this time, there is no confirmed release date for Something in the Dirt.
Synopsis
“While finishing off his business in Los Angeles, Levi has secured a no-lease flat in the Hollywood Hills to use as a temporary residence. He and his new neighbour John hit it up right away, talking shop under the hazy city lights like they’ve known each other forever. Right after they start hanging out, Levi and John are witnesses to an impossibility in one of their apartments. At first, they are terrified, but then they realise this may actually improve their lives and give them meaning. The two oddball strangers are motivated by money as they set out to establish the existence of the supernatural.”