Terror Films Releasing has announced the upcoming digital release of Saturnalia, a thriller influenced by the style of classic Italian giallo cinema. The film will debut across digital platforms in North America beginning April 24, 2026.
Directed by Daniel Lerch and produced by Max Fischer and Vivian Owen, Saturnalia is set in 1979 and follows Miriam Basconi, played by Sophia Anthony. After the unexplained deaths of her parents, Miriam is sent to the prestigious Alstroemerias Academy, where she soon realizes that the school may conceal unsettling secrets.
Students reportedly disappear during the night, and unfamiliar figures appear in the shadows of the campus. At the center of the academy’s strict authority is Headmistress Hemlock, a figure feared by students and rumored to maintain control over the institution through intimidation and secrecy.
As Miriam investigates the strange events surrounding the school, she discovers a hidden layer beneath its polished halls. What she uncovers suggests the academy may be connected to a mysterious realm where the boundaries between reality and nightmare begin to dissolve.
Lerch has described the project as a tribute to the Italian exploitation and giallo films of the 1970s, drawing inspiration from the era’s visual style and narrative structure. The film’s score is composed by Claudio Simonetti, known for his work with the progressive rock band Goblin and for scoring several influential horror films of that period.
Saturnalia will roll out across Terror Films Releasing’s network of digital platform partners starting April 24, 2026.
