What is Water Horse?
Water Horse is a found-footage Australian paranormal thriller film that claims to be in the tradition of Lake Mungo and The Blair Witch Project.
The story centres on a woman who lost her mother in mysterious circumstances at a young age, and has since dedicated her life to finding out what happened, becoming a leading YouTuber investigating the paranormal. When she meets an aspiring actor, she ends up being taken down a bizarre and terrifying rabbit hole, and pieces of the puzzle slowly start to fall into place.
Who’s the director?
Water Horse is written and directed by Jennifer Van Gessel, an emerging Australian horror director whose previous credits include producing Beast No More (2019) and the short film Mongrel (2022). Van Gessel is currently working on a new project, Find My Bones, to be shot in the Snowy Mountains.
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Who stars in it?
The lead actors are Lauren Grimson (Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, The Legend of Ben Hall) and Dean Kyrwood (The Flood). Water Horse also features Jessica Tovey (TV’s Bad Mothers, Home and Away) and Socratis Otto (I, Frankenstein, TV’s Wentworth).
Where was Water Horse shot?
Sydney, Canberra, Newcastle, Hill End, Nowra and Kangaroo Valley.
Who are the producers?
Nita Naris, Janine Sheehan, Janine Van Gessel, and Rachele Wiggins. The creative team also included composer Paul William Dawkins, cinematographer Goldie Soetianto, editor Dan Berghofer, and production designer Kelly Joy McNamara.
What’s the story behind the making of the film?
Water Horse took more than four years to be made and included location bushfires and COVID-based delays on its journey to the screen.
Why are we intrigued?
Australia has a tradition of fresh, independent horror-thriller films made outside official funding systems. To be honest, the mention of Lake Mungo had us looking, as well as the fact that The Blair Witch Project just turned 25. This one looks intriguing and well shot, from the trailer, and lead actor Lauren Grimson is a genuine talent who is making her name in the genre. (She’ll also appear in Corey Pearson’s upcoming Cry Baby.)
What else have we read about it?
According to The Golden Age Cinema’s screening notes: ‘In Water Horse director Jennifer Van Gessel is working here in an updated mode of found footage hauntological thriller, blending mixed media and true crime with folkloric elements tied to the winding waterways of rural New South Wales.’
Show me the trailer
Where can I watch it?
Water Horse, a Far From Everything Films production, is being released on VOD and disc via Bounty Entertainment, following a sold-out premiere at Sydney’s Golden Age Cinema and Bar on August 20. It’s now available on on DVD and Blu-ray via Amazon and to rent or purchase on VOD from YouTube, Google Play and Vimeo.
