'Red Rooms' - Murders in The Dark Web Haunts in Pascal Plante's Psychological Thriller

Laurie Babin and Juliette Gariépy in ‘Red Rooms’ (Courtesy of Utopia)

Laurie Babin and Juliette Gariépy in Red Rooms official trailer and release date — Laurie Babin and Juliette Gariépy in ‘Red Rooms’ (Courtesy of Utopia)

Utopia revealed a new theatrical trailer for the Canadian psychological thriller film by director Pascal Plante (Nadia, Butterfly; Fake Tattoos), ‘Red Rooms’. The chilling film tells the story of a woman who becomes obsessed with the trial of a serial killer connected to a series of murder from the dark web.

The film had its world premiere at the 2024 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. It was also screened at the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival, winning a number of the festival’s awards including Best Film.

Starring the film are Juliette Gariépy, Laurie Babin, Elisabeth Locas, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Natalie Tannous, Pierre Chagnon, and Guy Thauvette.

Release Date

Directed by Pascal Plante, ‘Red Rooms’ opens in select US theaters starting at the IFC Center in New York on September 6, 2024.

Synopsis

Kelly-Anne wakes up every morning by the courthouse to secure a seat at the high-profile trial of Ludovic Chevalier, a serial killer she is obsessed with. As days go by, the young woman bonds with another friendly groupie, which momentarily breaks her out of her loneliness. But as the proceedings drag on and she spends more and more time in the courtroom with the victims’ families, Kelly-Anne finds it increasingly difficult to maintain her psychological balance and assume her morbid fixation with the killer. She will then do whatever it takes to get her hands on the final piece of the puzzle: the missing video of a murdered 13-year-old girl, to whom Kelly-Anne bears a disturbing resemblance.

Director Pascal Plante commented on his approach on the film in an interview with Screen Daily, stating “The film starts really ‘cold’ – with realism in mind – but spirals more and more into fantasy territory. Kelly-Anne is a real geek: She’s into medieval art, cosplay, hacking… she’s most probably into horror films as well. It felt right to be more visually and sonically expressionistic as the film develops and as Kelly-Anne’s state of mind becomes more unstable.”

Reviews

Damon Wise in a Deadline Hollywood review praised the film, writing “(Red Rooms) takes an overused genre — the serial killer movie — and an often-misused technique — dark Lynchian surrealism — and somehow alchemizes the two into something new and original.”

Martin Kudlac in a ScreenAnarchy review praised Plante’s approach on the story, writing “Plante’s film serves as a riveting fusion of arthouse thriller that resonates in an era marked by morbid voyeurism and surveillance capitalism. The narrative begins with a dissection of the serial killer trope, evolving into a women-centric psychodrama. It challenges gender norms while adeptly channeling the essence of chamber social horror, all executed with a distinct flair.”