Matthew Ninaber | Love Horror film reviews and news

A violent crash, a trail of murders and a relationship built on shifting identities provide the entry point for Hy3na, Matthew Ninaber’s latest genre feature. The Canadian filmmaker’s hyper-stylised thriller will receive its World Premiere at Tubi FrightFest on 31 August, with Black Fawn Distribution unveiling a new poster and first-look images ahead of the London screening. Written and directed by Ninaber, Hy3na follows Nicole and the mysterious Rachel after a car accident draws the attention of two detectives investigating a series of brutal killings. As Nicole begins recounting how she became entangled with Rachel, the investigation opens onto a world of online sex work, manipulation and obsession, with the relationship between victim, protector and predator becoming increasingly difficult to define. Storm Steenson and Kristen Kaster lead the film, with Jeremy Ninaber and Matthew Ninaber also appearing. Jacqueline Ninaber produces. The project marks another feature for Matthew Ninaber following Death Valley, released as a Shudder Original, and A Knight’s War. He is also familiar to genre audiences in front of the camera, having played the title character in Steven Kostanski’s Psycho Goreman and appeared in the recent Deathstalker reboot. Visually, Hy3na is being positioned as a deliberately heightened piece of filmmaking, with neon colour, urban decay and confined interiors forming part of its look. That aesthetic is prominent in the newly released materials, although the film’s central concern appears to be less about surface style than the pressure to reshape oneself for acceptance. Ninaber said the starting point was his interest in ‘how much we are willing to change ourselves to fit into our society’, drawing partly on documentary work he has done with survivors of abuse and people who have been exploited. ‘In many situations it starts the same: trading a small part of ourselves or crossing a line because we want to be loved or accepted, to be something that we think the world wants,’ he said. The director added that the production required careful judgement over what to show and what to leave off-screen, particularly given the subject matter. ‘Making sure we weren’t being exploitative’ was, he said, part of finding the right balance while still retaining the elements necessary for the story. Black Fawn Distribution, which is handling the film, has previously released genre titles including It Feeds, Vicious Fun, The Last Video Store, A Knight’s War and The Oak Room. Hy3na will receive its World Premiere at Tubi FrightFest on Monday 31 August 2026 at 6.30pm, screening at ODEON Leicester Square in London. For tickets, visit: Frightfest.co.uk/

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