Australian Supernatural Horror 'Effigy' Wraps Production, Unveils First-Look Images
The Australian supernatural horror film Effigy has completed production and unveiled its first-look images, with a premiere set for a major festival still to be named. Variety reported the wrap on 28 August 2026.
Directed by Myles McEwen and Ripley Stevens, Effigy is set in 1989 England and follows the Marsh family, who endure a violent haunting triggered by the unearthing of a mysterious effigy doll. The entity behind the haunting grows fixated on the family's daughter, drawing two paranormal investigators into what is described as a traumatic case.
The film carries a psychosexual undertone and touches on depression, identity and faith, according to Variety. Two frames from the production were released alongside the wrap announcement.
McEwen and Stevens are not first-timers to the paranormal genre. Their previous feature, Nightfall: A Paranormal Investigation, is set for a worldwide release in the coming months.
The cast draws from across Australia and New Zealand. Adelaide actor David Daradan and New Zealand actress Saya Kraetzer play Daniel and Ashleigh Marsh, the parents at the centre of the haunting. South Australian actor Chris Gun, who played Noel Gallagher in Michael Gracey's Better Man, co-stars. Gun also appeared as Benny in Kelly Schilling's With or Without You.
Lauren Koopowitz plays an exorcist in the film. She is known for voice work in Hollow Knight: Silksong and a viral role in Michael and Danny Philippou's YouTube series Ash Vlogs — the Philippou brothers having transitioned from YouTube to horror cinema with their 2023 hit Talk to Me, a path that has drawn attention to similar talent pipelines in Australian genre filmmaking.
Effigy is a Black Mandala Films production, with Michael Kraetzer and Nicolás Onetti serving as executive producers. Black Mandala has been active in the international genre market, with Onetti a known figure on the festival and sales circuit for horror titles.
McEwen offered a cryptic tease about the film: "Let's just say … she's already here."
No release date has been set beyond the festival premiere plan.
