Young Activists vs. a Hunting-Crazed Psycho in a Superstore from Hell
The directors behind cult hits Turbo Kid and Summer of ‘84 are back—and this time, they’ve set their sights on a blood-soaked horror showdown in an unlikely location: a big-box retail store.
Wake Up, the latest film from directing trio RKSS (Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell, and François Simard), is coming to theaters nationwide on April 4th, and the newly released trailer gives us a taste of the carnage to come.
The premise is simple, savage, and totally RKSS: A group of young environmental activists break into a massive home improvement store after hours to stage a protest. But things take a deadly turn when they realize they’re not alone—and the night shift security guard has some… primitive hobbies.
The movie made its world premiere at Fantastic Fest and quickly gained a reputation as one of the festival’s must-see horrors, also screening at Sitges and Fantasia. Early reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with a Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score backing it up.
Bloody Disgusting’s Meagan Navarro called it “a lean, mean—emphasis on mean—horror effort that scratches that slasher itch,” praising its “visceral surprises” and “unflinching brutality.”
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas of AWFJ wrote, “No one can doubt the dedication to their craft and the undisguised glee this team takes in their approach to making genre movies that demand to be experienced in a cinema.”
And Film Inquiry dubbed it “an instant camp classic,” citing the film’s “simple but excellent premise.”
The cast includes Turlough Convery (Black Mirror), Benny O. Arthur (Django), Alessia Yoko Fontana (Iris), and more. The screenplay was written by Alberto Marini (Retribution), and the film was produced by Laurent Baudens (We Are Zombies) and Gaël Nouaille (Spoiled Brats).
Get ready to punch your ticket to retail horror when Wake Up opens April 4th.
