The filmmaking trio known as RKSS (which stands for Roadkill Superstars and consists of François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell) has previously brought us the films Turbo Kid and Summer of 84. Their latest is the slasher Wake Up, which had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas yesterday – and we not only have some reactions to the film that came out of that screening, we also have a clip from the film, courtesy of Deadline! You can watch the clip in the embed at the bottom of this article.
Written by Alberto Marini and based on an original idea by Martin Soudan, Wake Up centers on a group of hot-headed Gen Z activists who find themselves brutally hunted after they become trapped in a furniture superstore during an act of environmental protest gone wrong.
The furniture store setting reminds me of an ’80s slasher that deserves to be more popular, Hide and Go Shriek.
Wake Up stars Benny O.Arthur (the Django series), Jacqueline Moré (The Anarchists’s Dream), Charlotte Stoiber (Downfall), Kyle Scudder (In Love All Over Again), Turlough Convery (Black Mirror), Aidan O’Hare (My Sailor, My Love), and newcomers Alessia Yoko Fontana and Tom Gould.
The film was produced by Gaël Nouaille and Laurent Baudens, with Adrià Monés, Gaël Nouaille, and Maud Petit serving as executive producers and Yann Degay and Barnaby Wass co-producing.
RKSS had this to say about Wake Up: “As soon as we read the script, the core concept and the timely subject were so compelling to us, that we immediately could visualize the film and we knew we had to direct it and bring our own signature into the project. A slasher in a closed furniture store and warehouse makes an exciting playground for sure.” We’re so excited to world premiere this movie at Fantastic Fest. It’s going to be a first for us, and we cannot wait to meet with the crowd and team!“
Here are some of the reactions that came out of Fantastic Fest:
And here’s the Wake Up clip:
Does this look (and sound) like a movie you would want to watch? Let us know what you think of Wake Up by leaving a comment below.