Love Island Star Rachel Christie Faces Terror in ‘Season 13’

Reality television and hardcore horror collide in Season 13, the upcoming feature currently in post-production, which has announced former Love Island contestant Rachel Christie as its latest cast addition.

Christie, who first found fame on ITV’s dating juggernaut, now steps into far darker territory in a film that pits romance against brutality. Billed as a high-concept thriller in which a sadistic mastermind forces kidnapped couples to compete in lethal games for the entertainment of a shadowy online audience, Season 13 is positioning itself as a provocative fusion of reality TV spectacle and extreme genre filmmaking.

The production has also unveiled its first glimpse of on-screen carnage through a behind-the-scenes image captured directly from the director’s monitor. The still shows filmmaker Jack Hoy guiding actor Katie Klicic through one of the film’s more intense practical effects sequences. It marks the first official reveal of the film’s gore and signals the tone audiences can expect when the project lands later this year.

Hoy directs, executive produces and co-writes the feature, building on his previous genre credentials following his appearance as Jake in The Haunting at Jack the Ripper’s House. He is joined by Lewis Santer, who plays the central antagonist known as The Host. Santer also co-writes and co-produces the film, bringing with him recognition from his role as Tigger in Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2.

The supporting cast includes Alex Butler, known for portraying Piglet in Piglet, and Shayli Reagan, who takes on the female lead role of Scarlett. Production took place in Cumbria last year, utilising the same camera system employed on Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead, an unusual technical footnote that underscores the project’s ambition despite its independent roots.

A full practical effects team was enlisted to deliver visceral sequences designed to compete with long-running franchises such as Saw and Terrifier. Senior supervisor Meg Hankin, whose credits include Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, oversaw the physical effects work, aiming to keep the film grounded in tactile horror rather than digital artifice.

According to Hoy, the cast and crew have committed themselves to crafting a film that aims to stand confidently among contemporary horror heavyweights. With mounting social media engagement and coverage from national outlets already building momentum, Season 13 is shaping up as one of the more curious crossovers of 2026.

The film is slated for global release later this year.