Nick Lyon’s supernatural horror film Do You Want to Play? has been selected for FrightFest London 2026, where it will make its world premiere on Sunday, August 30 at 3:45 PM. The film marks Lyon’s most character-driven genre work to date, centering a contemporary possession story on the relationships between three teenagers before — and after — something ancient finds its way into their lives through a very modern door.
The story begins at the launch party for a consumer app called D3MON, where Emily and her friends decide to play the physical D3MON BOARD — the original occult spirit board that inspired the software. As the group works the board, the app begins communicating with them in tandem. What starts as a party novelty becomes something neither the teenagers nor their technology can explain or contain. An ancient presence takes root in Emily, and her boyfriend Tommy and programmer Owen are left trying to shut a door they don’t fully understand.
At the center of the film is Quinn Aune as Emily, whose performance carries the weight of the film’s emotional stakes. Aune is currently building an impressive résumé: she plays the young Anya Taylor-Joy in Apple TV+’s Lucky and the young Nicole Kidman in Amazon’s Scarpetta (2026). The supporting cast includes Max Mushallo as Owen, Leo Larson as Tommy, Atlas Von Poncet, and veteran actor Ricco Ross (Aliens, Netflix’s Beauty in Black) as Gary, a former Jesuit and paranormal broadcaster who connects the film’s digital mythology to something far older.
“Quinn had to do a lot in this movie, but the most important thing was that Emily always felt like a real person,” says director Nick Lyon. “She played a teenager who is scared, angry and slowly realizing that she may not be in control of her own life anymore. That made everything around her much more frightening.”
Lyon — a prolific genre filmmaker with more than 40 directorial credits — produced the film alongside Glenn Kendrick Ackermann and David Marsh of Scary Content, who handle international sales. Michael Von Poncet and Atlas Von Poncet executive produce; Michelle “Mini” Ng co-produces.
