2025 has been a remarkable year for horror, fromoriginal titles likeSinnersto legacy sequels like28 Years Laterand, most recently,the body horrorTogether. If you askSaban Films, however, the most terrifying feature has yet to make its entrance. Premiering in theaters on September 12,Traumatikapromises a chilling new spin on possession horror that goes to dark and deeply disturbing places, creating trauma for its characters that spans generations and maintains a curse that claims countless lives over time. As part ofCollider’s Exclusive Previewevent for fall movies, we can exclusively share a new image from the film that shows a young boy locked in terror as he stares into the shadows. His life will be forever changed by the horror he’ll witness when a malevolent entity worms its way into his family.
Traumatikafollows Mikey, played byRanen Navat, who looks to add to theincredible lineup of child horror performanceson the big screen this year. Mikey suffers from night terrors that slowly become reality after his mother becomespossessed by a demonand begins displaying worrying signs. Under her care, he’ll not only live through horrors that will haunt him for the rest of his days, but, using an experimental first-person perspective, audiences will also get toexperience the trauma firsthandthrough the eyes of the child. Mikey’s tale of survival then lives on in the people around him, spreading like a disease and taking more lives as the film evolves into a genre-bending nightmare that embraces elements of slashers, body horror, and more.
In short,Traumatikaisnot meant for the faint of heart, especially considering who’s behind the camera. The film is directed and co-written byPierre Tsigaridis, with Maxime Rançon also helping pen the script. Together, the duo has proved they’re willing to push boundaries and create horror that viewers survive, rather than watch, as seen in Tsigaridis’s feature debut,Two Witches. Released in 2021,the occult horror filmfollowed two women whose lives were both disrupted in sinister ways by an ancient witch.
One of them is an expectant mother descending into paranoia after receiving an evil eye from a mysterious blank-eyed woman and witnessing evil incarnate unleashed into her and her insensitive partner’s lives. The other faces rising tensions with her roommate following a violent, ominous encounter with a man she brought home. The film’s performances, gory effects, and suffocating atmosphere earned it high praise from critics and, following its appearances at Sitges and FrightFest,Traumatikaappears to be on its way to similar levels of success, earning an 82% onRotten Tomatoesas of writing.
Who Are the Stars of ‘Traumatika’?
Rebekah Kennedyreunited with Tsigaridis forTraumatikaafter also starring inTwo Witches. Outside of the horror space, she’s notably appeared in Netflix’sThe Lincoln Lawyeras Deborah Glass and previously enjoyed minor roles inCriminal MindsandLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit. A familiar co-star will be joining her inOlympus Has FallenalumSean O’Bryan, who previously shared the screen with Kennedy in 2023’sThe Veil. Rounding out the cast areSusan Gayle Watts, Emily Goss, AJ Bowen, andSean Whalen.
Traumatikahits theaters on September 12. Check out our new image above and stay tuned here at Collider for more from our exclusive preview series in the coming weeks.
