Sydney Sweeney Joins Surprising New Horror Movie From A24

Sydney Sweeney has been cast to star in A24’s The Masque of the Red Death, written and directed by Charlie Polinger. According to Deadline, the film is a “wildly revisionist and darkly comedic take” on Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, which chronicles Prince Prospero’s attempt to avoid the Red Death plague by hosting an extravagant ball in his abbey. The plan is for the film to begin production at some point this year, though an exact window has yet to be confirmed. The Masque of the Red Death does not have a release date as of this writing.

Over the course of her career, Sweeney has appeared in several horror movies, most notably last year’s Immaculate, in which she plays a nun who discovers the unsettling truth behind the Italian convent she joins. The Masque of the Red Death is the latest addition to Sweeney’s busy schedule, as she’s set to return for Euphoria Season 3 (which is slated to begin production this month) and will headline Edgar Wright’s Barbarella remake.

Poe’s short story has previously been adapted numerous times across various mediums, including film, theater, and comics. Arguably the most notable of these was a 1964 movie directed by Roger Corman, which starred Vincent Price as Prospero. After all this time, Poe’s works continue to influence contemporary creatives; Netflix’s The Fall of the House of Usher contains several references to the writer’s works.

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A24 seems like the ideal studio for this version of The Masque of the Red Death. Thanks to critically acclaimed works such as The Lighthouse, Midsommar, and Heredity (among many others), the studio has cemented itself as a home for creative horror films that resonate with cinephiles. Masque of the Red Death sounds like it will be a worthwhile addition to A24’s ever-expanding library. Based on the description, it could be a satirical piece that provides some biting social commentary on the class system, balancing the horror elements with some intriguing food for thought. It will be interesting to see how the film puts its own spin on Poe’s original text, which is a gothic horror staple.

Similar to Opus (which recently received a trailer), The Masque of the Red Death represents A24 taking a shot on an up-and-coming director. After directing several shorts, Polinger helmed his feature-length debut, The Plague, which is now in post-production. Starring Joel Edgerton, The Plague follows a young social outcast who faces the “ruthless hierarchy” of his water polo camp. Thematically, The Plague could have some common ground with The Masque of the Red Death, as both deal with class structures of “haves” and “have nots.” Hopefully, The Masque of the Red Death proves to be an entertaining and compelling adaptation, helping Polinger rise the ranks of horror auteurs.