They say you can’t go home again, and after seeing Smother, you probably won’t want to.
Directed by Achmed Abdel-Salam, this supernatural nightmare takes “mommy issues” to a whole new, terrifying level. Forget a relaxing countryside retreat—this is a masterclass in generational trauma wrapped in a chilling ghost story.
A House Full of Holes
Michi (Cornelia Ivancan) is a recovering alcoholic just trying to keep it together. After a drunk-driving accident shatters her world, she takes her eight-year-old daughter, Hanna (Lola Herbst), to her estranged father’s isolated house to heal. The problem? This is the same house where Michi’s mother took her own life. And apparently, she never really checked out.
The “quiet” countryside quickly gets loud with things that go bump in the night. Hana starts wandering the halls in a trance. Soon, creepy drawings of a mysterious figure begin appearing (never a good sign in a horror movie). But things get worse as the haunting intensifies, Michi’s grip on sobriety—and reality—starts to slip. Paranoia turns to rage, and the ghost of her mother seems less like a memory and more like a predatory force. It all leads to a visually stunning (and deeply stressful) showdown in a massive sunflower field.
Coming Soon
Smother, which might think twice about sleeping, arrives on April 7, 2026. In fact, our Festival Editor, Joseph Perry, described it as having “solid drama along with the chills” in his review.
