Samuel Van Grinsven’s psychological thriller Went Up the Hill picks up with main character Jack (Dacre Montgomery) as he ventures to remote New Zealand to attend the funeral of his estranged birth mother and meets her grieving widow, Jill (Vicky Krieps). However, his search for answers becomes dangerous when his mother’s ghost returns to inhabit both her son and widow, instigating a life-threatening nocturnal dance between the three of them.
Van Grinsven wrote the script with Jory Anast, with Samantha Jennings and Kristina Ceyton producing for Causeway Films, alongside Vicky Pope for POP Film. The film finished its New Zealand shoot in October 2023, receiving major production investment from the New Zealand Film Commission and Screen Australia, along with financial support from Screen CanterburyNZ, Fulcrum Media Finance, the New Zealand Government’s Screen Production Rebate, and Head Gear Films.
Went Up the Hill will be released August 28 via Vendetta Films.