Lucy Lovegrove as Alice in The Latcher.

A new trailer has dropped for James Hunter’s debut feature film, The Latcher.

The new horror thriller follows overworked midwife Alice (Lucy Lovegrove). Hollowed by an unspoken personal tragedy, Alice is haunted by waking nightmares of an eerie presence that creeps from the shadowy bushland into the home where she lost everything.

“The Latcher is a story about what waits in the silence of grief, what clings to us when sorrow is left untended, and what answers when our pain calls out for too long,” Hunter tells Cinema Australia.

The Latcher is said to be less of a traditional horror film and more of a psychological chiller, inspired by films like Don’t Look Now, Rosemary’s Baby, Hour of the Wolf, and the works of the late, great David Lynch.

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“I wanted to make something that felt both haunting and moving. I wanted to capture a feeling — like when you stare into the dark too long and something terrifying starts staring back. That’s what I wanted to evoke.”

The Latcher is directed and produced by Hunter, who also co-wrote the film with Brodie Merchant. The film stars Monique Fisher and Darcy Kent alongside Lovegrove.

Completely independent, The Latcher is a film that Hunter has lived with for years.

“It has been a huge labour of love by my whole team of dedicated cast and crew on a micro-budget. I’m very proud of everyone’s work on it and very grateful for their investment in getting this film made. It couldn’t have existed without them.”

The Latcher aims to hit the festival circuit in 2026.

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