Dark Star Pictures has boarded the surreal Canadian horror feature LUCID ahead of its North American theatrical release, with U.S. distribution confirmed following the film’s Canadian theatrical bow on May 29, 2026. Filmoption International, which handles Canadian distribution, made the announcement today.
LUCID follows Mia, an art student on the verge of academic expulsion who discovers a magical lucid dreaming elixir as a last-ditch answer to her creative block. The potion does unlock her imagination — but it also unleashes a menagerie of dark monsters from the depths of her subconscious, including her own mother, transformed into a towering hair creature that Mia must confront. Shot in 35mm and Super 8, the film is a heady, 90s art-punk fever dream that straddles body horror, surrealism, and monster cinema in equal measure.
Written and directed by Deanna Milligan and Ramsey Fendall, the film stars Caitlin Acken Taylor (Pistol), Georgia Acken (The Sacrifice Game, Under the Bridge), Amber Dandelion, John Luna, and Vivian Vanderpuss (RuPaul’s Drag Race) — who also designed and physically wears the hair monster costume. Cinematography is by Ramsey Fendall, with a score composed by Marta Jaciubek-McKeever and original music from James Wollam (Tears for Fears) and guitarist Ayla Tesler Mabe. Acclaimed genre producer Peter Phok (Pearl) boards as executive producer.
LUCID world premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival in 2025, followed by its U.S. debut at Brooklyn Horror and European premieres at Sitges and Noam Faenza.
“LUCID is exactly the kind of daring, genre-bending filmmaking we love championing at Dark Star — it’s visually hypnotic, emotionally raw, and unapologetically weird in all the right ways,” said Dark Star President Michael Repsch. “We’re excited to help introduce this unforgettable film to U.S. audiences.”
LUCID opens theatrically in Canada on May 29, 2026.
