What if the only person who can see a monster is the one it has already chosen to kill? That unsettling idea drives Don’t Look, an upcoming Australian outback horror movie that will reunite director Kiah Roache-Turner with young actress Alyla Browne. Their new collaboration takes a familiar road-trip nightmare and adds a dangerous rule: spotting the creature means becoming its next target.
Rather than relying on a monster everyone can see, the film places its teenage protagonist in a situation where danger becomes personal and difficult to explain. The isolated desert setting also removes the usual comforts of a survival story, leaving its characters exposed to a threat they may not recognize until it is too late.
Don’t Look turns a desert road trip into a deadly game of visibility
At the center of the story is Riley, a 15-year-old girl played by Alyla Browne. She is traveling through the Australian outback with her father when they discover two apparently abandoned vehicles at a remote desert crossing. What initially looks like an unusual roadside encounter quickly becomes a fight for survival.
An invisible force suddenly drags Riley’s father away. The teenager must then confront a terrifying creature with an extraordinary characteristic: only its next victim can see it. This creates an unusual problem for anyone trying to understand or escape the danger. Visibility is no longer an advantage. Instead, it signals that the creature has selected someone.
That distinction gives the movie its central horror concept. Traditional creature features often build suspense by hiding a monster until its eventual appearance. Here, the frightening possibility is that seeing the enemy may be worse than remaining unaware of it. Meanwhile, the empty Australian landscape provides a setting where isolation can become as threatening as the creature itself.
Don’t Look brings Alyla Browne back to Kiah Roache-Turner’s horror world
The project also marks another collaboration between Browne and Roache-Turner, who previously worked together on Sting. The director recalled that Browne was just 12 when production began on that film. They subsequently reunited for Chiquita, a family movie centered on endurance riding.
Their next project moves into considerably darker territory. Browne, whose credits also include Furiosa, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Nine Perfect Strangers, will now portray a teenager facing an extreme survival situation. Roache-Turner has expressed enthusiasm about continuing their working relationship, even joking that he hopes to make more films with her before Steven Spielberg recruits her.
A scheduling change put Roache-Turner in the director’s chair
According to Variety’s exclusive report published on November 10, 2026, the movie was originally titled From Below. Writer Sean Loch was initially expected to make his feature directing debut with the project. However, scheduling complications led to Roache-Turner assuming directing duties.
The screenplay had already attracted attention before this change. It appeared on The Black List and spent six weeks trending among its Top Horror Scripts. In addition, the project was developed with filmmaker Joel Anderson, known for Lake Mungo.
The confirmed cast, creative team and current project details are as follows:
- Film: Don’t Look, previously known as From Below.
- Director: Kiah Roache-Turner (Sting, Beast of War).
- Screenwriter: Sean Loch, originally attached to direct.
- Lead actress: Alyla Browne (Furiosa, Sting), playing 15-year-old Riley.
- Additional cast: George Pullar (Evil Dead Burn), Masha Basman (Bay of Fires) and Stephen Peacocke (Me Before You).
- Development: The project was developed with filmmaker Joel Anderson (Lake Mungo).
- Producers: Blake Northfield (Lady Death, Beast of War) and Sam Price (Rear View Mirror, Leech).
- Sales: Cornerstone is handling sales at the American Film Market (AFM).
- Project status: The new directing arrangement and sales activity have been announced. No release date or filming schedule has been confirmed in the reported details.
Classic road horror influences shape the director’s ambitions
Roache-Turner has identified several films that inform his enthusiasm for this kind of horror. However, his interest in Don’t Look extends beyond its desert setting or the prospect of another frightening monster. He has particularly emphasized the screenplay’s character development and the way its narrative elements come together in the final act.
The director considers Loch’s screenplay among the strongest he has encountered. He was also attracted to its concentrated desert setting and the opportunity to build a creature feature around a distinctive threat. His comments suggest that the film’s suspense will depend on both the central monster and the consequences of Riley’s decisions.
His stated influences and ambitions help clarify the kind of experience he wants to create:
- Wolf Creek: An Australian outback horror reference that connects with the new film’s remote setting.
- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: Another example of the road-related horror cinema the director admires.
- The Hitcher: A further influence from the tradition of dangerous journeys and roadside encounters.
- Jeepers Creepers: A creature-centered road horror reference named by Roache-Turner.
- Intense scares: The director promises an extremely frightening experience and believes certain sequences could leave a lasting impression on viewers.
- An unusual monster: He describes the creature as an original and deeply disturbing creation unlike others he has encountered.
- Character-driven storytelling: The screenplay’s character work is a major attraction, alongside the way its narrative details pay off during the final act.
- A focused environment: The largely contained desert setting is intended to support the film’s concentrated creature-feature premise.
Seeing the creature becomes part of the danger in Don’t Look
These references establish a recognizable horror tradition, although Don’t Look introduces a different source of tension. Its monster is not simply something waiting at the end of an isolated road. Instead, the creature’s visibility rule makes the act of seeing itself part of the danger.
For viewers following upcoming genre productions, the announcement arrives alongside other horror projects taking different creative approaches. For example, Boutique has added Simon Pegg to its cast alongside Paul Giamatti, providing another recent example of a horror movie assembling its talent.
The film’s next milestone is still to be announced
Although the director and principal cast are now identified, several practical details remain undisclosed. Cornerstone is presenting Don’t Look for sales at the American Film Market, but that activity should not be confused with a confirmed theatrical release or distribution agreement.
Roache-Turner is also currently working on post-production for Lady Death, a World War I action-horror film. His involvement in that project provides context for his current workload, although no specific production timetable for Don’t Look has been announced.
Elsewhere in the genre, upcoming productions continue to attract attention for reasons beyond their premises. The AI controversy surrounding Return of the Living Dead: Aftermath illustrates another topic generating discussion around a recent horror project. In contrast, the central news surrounding Don’t Look concerns its directing change, returning lead actress and unusual creature concept.
For now, Don’t Look is a newly announced directing assignment with an established cast, a previously recognized screenplay and a clear survival-horror premise. Its most distinctive element remains the relationship between visibility and victimhood: Riley may need to understand a monster that can only be seen by the person it intends to attack next. Further announcements will be needed to establish when audiences can actually see that idea on screen.
Creator of the website, Pokemon trainer by nature. Trying to report on everything related to the world of video games, series and movies. Yu-Gi-Oh is my weakness, collecting cards since the dawn of time.
