The first trailer for new vampire thriller The Radleys, starring Line of Duty‘s Kelly Macdonald, has been released.
Adapted from Matt Haig’s novel of the same name, the film centres around a married couple who are hiding a dark secret from their children: they’re vampires.
The film will receive its world premiere at the upcoming Edinburgh International Film Festival on Tuesday, August 20.
It’s one of 18 world premieres at the relaunched festival, which opens with Saoirse Ronan and Paapa Essiedu‘s new movie The Outrun.
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“The Radleys are an ordinary family who hold a dark secret… they are abstaining vampires,” reads the official synopsis for the film.
“As if being a teenager wasn’t bad enough, bloodthirsty instincts take over the teens of the family, revealing the terrifying truth and opening the door for an extended family member to re-enter and upend The Radleys’ once perfect slice of suburbia.”
The spine-tingling trailer sees Macdonald’s character Helen and her husband Peter (Damien Lewis) trying to seem “normal” in their day-to-day life.
As their children begin to experience unusual symptoms, Helen and Peter sit them down to reveal that they are vampires.
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“Is this a metaphor?” asks their son Rowan (Harry Baxendale), to which Peter explicitly replies: “It’s a plain biological truth.”
“It makes you vulnerable to certain cravings,” adds Helen as she stares hungrily at a red milkshake that was spilled on the floor.
As the family attempt to suppress their blood cravings, Peter’s brother Will, a practising vampire, arrives to clean up their daughter Clara’s (Bo Bragason) recent killing.
“Drinking blood is pure bliss,” he admits, before the family’s life is upended by their increased blood thirst.
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Directed by Euros Lyn, the film also stars Sophia Di Martino, Shaun Parkes, Jay Lycurgo and Siân Phillips. Haig’s novel was adapted for the screen by Jo Brand and Talitha Stevenson.
When filming started in June 2023, it was reported that The Radleys would be released on Sky Cinema in 2024 in the UK and Ireland. A release date has yet to be confirmed.
As for Macdonald, the actor has also landed a role in the new Netflix crime series Department Q, alongside Downton Abbey‘s Matthew Goode and The Queen’s Gambit star Chloe Pirrie.
The Radleys receives its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 20.
Sara is an entertainment journalist who specialises in TV and film. After studying journalism at the University of Roehampton, Sara joined Digital Spy in 2023, writing news (and the occasional feature) on all things entertainment. She has also written for the culture desk at The Evening Standard. A lover of all things TV and film, Sara can wax lyrical about everything from Bridgerton to The Witcher. She can also recite entire episodes of New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Parks and Recreation. In her spare time, Sara loves to knit, crochet and cross-stitch. Also a musical theatre aficionado, Sara counts Samantha Barks as one of her heroes and is a loyal fan of Jodie Comer.
