Kryptic
| Kryptic | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Kourtney Roy |
| Written by | Paul Bromley |
| Produced by | Josh Huculiak Amber Ripley Sophie Venner |
| Starring | Chloe Pirrie Jeff Gladstone Jason Deline |
| Cinematography | David Bird |
| Edited by | Tommasso Gallone |
| Music by | Cayne McKenzie |
Production companies | Garden Productions Goodbye Productions Z56film |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Kryptic is a Canadian horror thriller film, directed by Kourtney Roy and released in 2024.[1] The film stars Chloe Pirrie in a dual role as Barb Valentine, a cryptid hunter who has disappeared while hunting for the Sooka, a mysterious forest creature, and Kay, a woman who herself encounters the Sooka while searching for Barb, and abandons her life to embark on a new quest for meaning and identity after the encounter eliminates all her memories of who she used to be.[2]
The cast also includes Jeff Gladstone, Jason Deline, Ali Rusu-Tahir, Kamantha Naidoo, Jenna Hill, Pam Kearns, Jane Stanton, Sara J. Southey, Jennifer Copping, Moses Wamukoya, Sarah Hayward, Patti Allan, Christina Lewall and Ardy Ramezani.
Distribution
[edit]The film premiered at the 2024 SXSW festival,[2] and had its Canadian premiere at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival.[1] It is slated to screen in the Borsos Competition program at the 2024 Whistler Film Festival.[3]
Following its premiere at SXSW, the film landed a number of distribution deals for European territories.[4]
Critical response
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 18 critics' reviews are positive.[5]
Josh Korngut of Exclaim! rated the film 6 out of 10, writing that "Pirrie as Kay helps the film avoid stumbling under the pressure of its confusing plot. Her wide-eyed, hushed energy brings to mind Rebecca Hall in dark indies like Christine and Resurrection."[1]
For the Austin Chronicle, Alejandra Martinez called the film a flawed but promising debut, writing that "Pirrie brings a roiling, internal force that keeps the movie’s momentum going, and keeps the audience on its toes."[2] Mary Beth McAndrews of Dread Central wrote that "Kryptic becomes a road movie fairy tale about a woman searching for the truth but she doesn’t really know what that truth is, exactly."[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Josh Korngut, "Fantasia 2024: 'Kryptic' Lurks in a Uniquely Canadian Wilderness". Exclaim!, July 25, 2024.
- ^ a b c Alejandra Martinez, "SXSW Film Review: Kryptic — Goopy creature feature is a muddled take on self-discovery". The Austin Chronicle, March 11, 2024.
- ^ Janet Smith, "Hunting Matthew Nichols and Kryptic among B.C. contingent as Whistler Film Festival unveils Canadian entries". Stir, October 28, 2024.
- ^ Andreas Wiseman, "XYZ Strikes Raft Of International Deals On SXSW Thriller ‘Kryptic’ Starring Chloe Pirrie". Deadline Hollywood, June 4, 2024.
- ^ "Kryptic". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
- ^ Mary Beth McAndrews, "Beautifully Goopy ‘Kryptic’ Is A Fascinating Look At Being Human (Fantasia 2024 Review)". Dread Central, July 31, 2024.