Trailer for PENNY LANE IS DEAD Brings Blood-Soaked Summer Terror and Carnage in 1986
Australia’s indie horror scene is about to unleash something savage. The first official trailer for Penny Lane Is Dead has landed, giving us a taste of a sun-scorched nightmare soaked in blood, chaos, and pure Ozploitation energy.
The film marks the feature debut of Mia'Kate Russell, a make-up artist turned filmmaker who’s been carving her path through short films and anthology work, and now she’s stepping up in a big way.
Set against the blazing heat of a 1986 Australian summer, the story centers on 17-year-old Penny and her friends celebrating their high school graduation at a family beach house.
It starts like any reckless teen getaway, but things spiral fast when Penny’s troubled cousin Kat crashes the party. What follows isn’t just a bad night, it turns into a full-on fight for survival after a prank goes horribly wrong.
The trailer leans hard into that gritty, unfiltered Ozploitation vibe. It’s sweaty, tense, and doesn’t hold back when it comes to violence. There’s a rawness here that feels intentional, like Russell is pulling from classic exploitation roots while injecting her own modern edge. The setup may sound familiar, but the execution looks anything but safe.
The official description reads: "Mia'Kate infuses Penny Lane Is Dead with her unmistakable storytelling style, crafting a film that crackles with razor-sharp tension, raw emotion & unflinching violence. This is a bold, relentless ride that will leave audiences breathless."
There’s a sense that this film isn’t interested in playing nice or following predictable beats. It wants to drag its characters and the audience through something messy and brutal.
The cast is packed with rising talent and familiar faces, including Sophia Wright-Mendelsohn, Tahlee Fereday, Alexandra Jensen, Ben O'Toole, Bailey Spalding, Steve Le Marquand, and Fletcher Humphrys.
Russell not only directs but also wrote the film, building on her previous work including the “Maggie May” episode of the Beyond the Dark anthology series.
The film premiered at the 2025 Adelaide Film Festival and is now gearing up for a wider release. Thanks to Umbrella Entertainment, Australian audiences will get to experience Penny Lane Is Dead in theaters starting July 23, 2026.