SNAPSHOT: Dark Star Pictures Picks up Unique Victorian Era Found-Footage Horror
Dark Star Pictures just picked up North American rights for Snapshot, a unique Victorian found-footage horror movie from British director Joseph Archer that lands in theatres spring 2027 before hitting digital.
Set during the 1888 Jack the Ripper murders, the story follows an inventor tracking an all-female ghost-hunting crew who believe the killer is a monster, using a distinct 1:1 aspect ratio and pinhole camera style to mirror the era's sensationalized news.
Starring Tom Stourton, the film is already building momentum from spots at Edinburgh and Frightfest alongside a BIFA longlist nomination. The full announcement follows, along with a clip and some stills and the poster.
Word is, Snapshot flips the found-footage script by ditching modern cameras for 1888 London and a tight, claustrophobic 1:1 pinhole aesthetic. Instead of the usual GoPros or VHS camcorders, it follows an amateur inventor tracking an all-female ghost-hunting group who think Jack the Ripper is a monster. For horror fans who usually roll their eyes at the "why are they still filming?" trope, Snapshot apparently answers the question, turning early optical tech and scratched frames into the source of the dread.
Reportedly, it links today's fake news culture back to the tabloid media of the Victorian era (the relationship between Brits and tabloids has stood the test of time), delivering a mix of gothic noir and analog horror where the camera setup feels like a part of the story rather than a cheap gimmick.
Watch that clip below.
AFM: DARK STAR SNATCHES SNAPSHOT FOR NORTH AMERICABritish Director Joseph Archer’s Debut Will Open Theatrically in Spring 2027, Followed by a Digital ReleasePARIS 19/10/2026 Ahead of the American Film market Alief announces that Dark Star Pictures has acquired North American distribution rights to SNAPSHOT, the novel found-footage horror film from director Joseph Archer, starring Tom Stourton, who co-wrote and starred in the 2021 feature “All My Friends Hate Me.” Cathy Wippell co-stars with Hazel Rogers, Lydia Helen, Nadia Lamin, Rosie-Bella Johnson, Ishtar Currie-Wilson and Freya Parks. Dark Star is planning an early 2027 theatrical release, followed by a digital release.The film made its world premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival 2026, had its English premiere at Frightfest London in August, and will have its International premiere competing for the Golden Alexander Film Forward – Best Feature Film Award, at Thessaloniki International film festival in November. SNAPSHOT is one of the fifteen-film longlist for the Raindance Maverick Award at the 2026 British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).The film has been earning acclaim for its innovative, scary and subversive take on the Victorian supernatural thriller. Michael Repsch negotiated the deal on behalf of Dark Star Pictures with Miguel Govea, Partner and Brett Walker President of alief."A dynamic debut film from director Joseph Archer, Snapshot reimagines the found-footage genre through 1880s London during the height of the Jack the Ripper murders with a stunning conceit. Shot in a unique pinhole camera style, 1:1 aspect ratio, creating a disturbing Victorian-era whodunit following a female ghost-hunting community searching for answers to an otherworldly mystery.” said Jim Brunzell, Director of Festivals & Theatrical of Dark Star Pictures. “Dark Star Pictures is thrilled to share Snapshot, a truly original film, which is sure to entertain and scare the hell out of audiences in North America".SNAPSHOT is set in 1888, the year Jack the Ripper killings begin. An amateur inventor played by Tom Stourton creates the first moving image machine to follow the work of an all-ladies ghost-hunting society who believe the gruesome murders across East London are not being carried out by a man, but a monster. Welcome to the Victorian world of misinformation, fake news and the sensationalist journalism of the era when fabricated stories helped to sell more papers. A mixture of ‘horror documentary’ and ‘gothic noir’, in which we witness a fragmented, manipulated 'reality' that makes this found-footage film the first of its kind with aunique pinhole camera aesthetic.SNAPSHOT stars Tom Stourton, Cathy Wippell, Hazel Rogers, Lydia Helen, Nadia Lamin, Rosie-Bella Johnson, Ishtar Currie-Wilson and Freya Parks.The producers are Archer and Cathy Wippell’s UK company Silicon Gothic. Minority co-producers and financiers are Germany’s Fieber Film, India’s TrainTripper and Canada’s Serge Cedrick Films.
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