‘Penny Lane Is Dead’ Trailer Previews a Gory Fight for Survival in ’80s Australia

In the Ozploitation tradition, Penny Lane Is Dead is a blood-soaked, ’80s-set horror thriller laced with dark comedy and feminine rage. Watch our exclusive trailer below.

Set on a hot summer’s night in 1986 Australia, 17-year old Penny Lane is celebrating getting into college with her longtime girlfriends. After Penny’s jealous and troubled cousin decides a cruel prank is in order, what begins as a thoughtless spiked cupcake game spirals into a night of bloodshed and revenge.

Sophia Wright-Mendelsohn, Tahlee Fereday, Alexandra Jensen (Talk to Me), Bailey Spalding, Steve Le Marquand (Vertical Limit), Fletcher Humphrys (“Wolf Creek”), and Ben O’Toole (Hacksaw Ridge) star.

Writer-director Mia’Kate Russell makes her feature debut on the project, which premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival last October and will screen at next week’s Fantastic Film Festival Australia.

The film is the first outing from Sanctuary Pictures, the newly-launched production arm of Umbrella Entertainment, who produces alongside Buffalo Media and in association with Cyan Films. Julie Ryan (Late Night with the Devil), Ari Harrison (Talk to Me), Andre Lima, and Carly Maple produce.

Penny Lane Is Dead opens in Australia on July 23 via Umbrella. A North American release will be announced in the near future.