Tense Thriller ‘In Vitro’ to Premiere at Glasgow Film Festival

A chilling and atmospheric sci-fi thriller is set to make its UK premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival on 27th February, with In Vitro promising to deliver a tense, slow-burning mystery against the backdrop of Australia’s vast and isolated farmland. Co-directed by Will Howarth and Tom McKeith, and featuring a script co-written by Lake Mungo star Talia Zucker, the film blends psychological horror with unsettling sci-fi elements, weaving a haunting tale of control, isolation, and the unseen consequences of scientific ambition.

Set in the near future, In Vitro follows Layla (Zucker) and her husband Jack (Ashley Zukerman), a struggling cattle breeder who has developed a groundbreaking method for improving livestock genetics. Their life on a remote farm, already strained by financial and emotional pressures, takes a sinister turn when a storm exposes the unforeseen consequences of Jack’s experiments. As unsettling events begin to unfold, Layla’s growing unease turns to full-blown paranoia, and she begins to question whether something unnatural has taken root in their home.

Filmed in regional New South Wales, the project marks Howarth’s feature-length directorial debut, while McKeith reunites with his former university collaborator after their 2016 Sydney Film Festival success Beast. Zucker, who co-wrote the script, has been an integral force in shaping the film’s eerie psychological landscape, crafting a story that taps into themes of isolation, control, and the dangers of pushing scientific progress too far.

Ashley Zukerman, known for his roles in Succession, The Lost Symbol, and The Code, was the filmmakers’ first choice for Jack, a character that oscillates between genius and menace. His performance, combined with Zucker’s, creates a dynamic fraught with tension, further intensified by the film’s bleak and haunting cinematography. Shot on a decommissioned fish farm in Goulburn and around Cooma, In Vitro leans into the stark, desolate beauty of the Australian outback, offering a visual style distinct from traditional desert-based thrillers.

With Screen Australia and Screen NSW backing the production, and cinematographer Shelley Farthing-Dawe (Boy Swallows Universe) bringing a uniquely unearthly visual quality to the film, In Vitro is poised to be a standout in this year’s sci-fi thriller slate. The Glasgow Film Festival will be the first opportunity for UK audiences to experience its unsettling vision, before its digital release later this year via Plaion Pictures.

In Vitro trailer