If you’ve ever felt like the woods were watching you, Dark Sky Films is about to confirm your worst fears. Their upcoming horror-thriller, The Arborist, is set to drop in just a couple of weeks. And we’ve got the trailer.
Rooted in Grief
The story follows Ellie (played by Lucy Walters), a professional arborist who is still reeling from a devastating personal loss. In an attempt to find some steady ground, she takes her son, Wyatt (Hudson West), on a high-paying job for a mysterious recluse named Arthur Randolph (Will Lyman).
The gig seems simple enough on paper: fell a specific section of trees on Arthur’s massive, isolated estate. However, the deeper they get into the woods, the weirder things get.
What starts to go wrong
The young boy begins exhibiting erratic, frightening behavior. Wyatt claims to be seeing “creatures” in the shadows—hallucinations that feel all too real. As a haunting awakens within the forest, Ellie realizes that their own past tragedy is inextricably linked to this land. Arthur finally reveals the real reason he hired an arborist, and spoiler alert: it wasn’t for the timber.
Why This One Is On Our Radar
Directed and written by Andrew Mudge, The Arborist leans into the “elevated horror” space, where the scares are as much about psychological collapse as about things that go bump in the night. By combining the niche, physical world of tree surgery with supernatural folklore, it promises a unique visual texture that we don’t often see in the genre.
About the Filmmakers
The project is a collaborative effort from a powerhouse indie team, including Andrew Mudge, Krista Minto, Don Schechter, Nick Santos, Ross Saxon, and Mike Bowes. Dark Sky Films, known for cult hits and boundary-pushing horror, is handling distribution, which is usually a “seal of quality” for fans of the genre.
Speaking of quality, HorrorFuel’s Joseph Perry recommended the film for ” scare-fare fanatics of all stripes, and especially those who appreciate dread and creepiness over loud jump scares,” in his review.
“Sometimes, the things we bury in the earth don’t stay there—and the things we cut down have a way of fighting back.”
Watch The Arborist now on Digital or VOD!
