By Phil Hewitt
The hope is that they will buy it. The near future for the film will also see a limited theatrical run and its screening at a number of festivals.
Coming from Drop Dead Films, Charlie Shaw’s Revenge came with a budget of just under £1,000,000 and was filmed mostly in the Hailsham area, specifically at Knockhatch Adventure Park and East Sussex School of Circus Arts.
Written and directed by John Langridge and produced by Renato Pires and Justin Hayward, the film follows a group of workers tasked with preparing a struggling adventure park for reopening. What begins as routine maintenance and rehearsal quickly escalates into a fight for survival when they realise they are being stalked by a silent killer, with no clear means of escape.
Renato said: “Rather than leaning into overt spectacle, Charlie Shaw’s Revenge builds suspense through character psychology, fractured group dynamics and escalating moral pressure, drawing on classic survival horror structures while grounding the story in contemporary emotional realism.”
John added: “This was always a film about people before it was about horror. We were
interested in how fear changes behaviour – how quickly trust breaks down, how people react when they realise they’re trapped and how survival forces difficult choices. The horror comes from watching those pressures play out.
“At the centre of the story is Marion, played by Cerys Knighton (Charlotte: The Movie), the newly-appointed manager. As tensions rise, Marion is forced into an unexpected leadership role, navigating fear, doubt, resistance and responsibility as the situation spirals out of control.
“The film’s antagonist, Otto the Clown, is portrayed by James Payton (Wednesday) in a largely silent performance that relies on physicality and restraint rather than dialogue. Otto functions less as a conventional slasher figure and more as an omnipresent threat, shaping the psychological atmosphere of the film as much as its body count.”
The ensemble cast includes Bill Fellows (Ted Lasso), Mark Benton (Anna and the Apocalypse), John Locke (Poor Things), alongside Shahla Ayamah, Amelie Leroy, Billy Cashin, Molly Cattanach, Keri Martin and Aaliyah-Monroe Pires. As alliances shift and secrets surface, the film places equal weight on interpersonal conflict and external danger.
Producer Renato, who also appears in the film, describes the project as “a pressure-cooker survival story.”
“The killer is only part of the threat,” says Pires. “The real tension comes from being trapped with people you don’t fully trust, when every decision has consequences. That’s where the drama and the fear really live.”
Charlie Shaw’s Revenge was shot on location at the East Sussex School of Circus Arts and
Knockhatch Adventure Park, a 65-acre site that had not previously been used for a feature film.
While the production took advantage of the scale and isolation of the setting, John says the location was always in service of story and character: “The environment amplifies what the characters are going through. It mirrors their isolation and disorientation, but it never overshadows them. The film lives or dies on the emotional journey of the people trapped inside it.
“The film blends traditional genre appeal with a contemporary indie sensibility, favouring
atmosphere, sound design and performance-led tension over excessive gore. This approach
positions Charlie Shaw’s Revenge for both core horror audiences and broader thriller markets.”
The film is set to have its industry screening in London on Friday, February 13, ahead of a planned roll-out on major streaming platforms. Drop Dead Films has also confirmed a book
adaptation is in development for 2026.