Emilia Clarke is heading to New Zealand to star in a horror film that’s been kept under wraps—and now we finally know what it is. The Game of Thrones actress has been cast to play a pregnant woman trapped in a cave in When Darkness Loves Us, a psychological horror adaptation directed by James Ashcroft (Coming Home in the Dark, The Rule of Jenny Pen).
The novella by Elizabeth Engstrom is getting the big-screen treatment, and Clarke bringing her star power to this dark, claustrophobic nightmare is exactly the kind of unexpected casting that horror fans live for.
Quick read:
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Emilia Clarke cast in horror film When Darkness Loves Us
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Actress plays pregnant woman trapped in cave for Ashcroft film
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New Zealand-based production adapts Elizabeth Engstrom novella
From sci-fi to survival horror
Clarke has been having an interesting run with film lately. Her last major project was the sci-fi romance The Pod Generation, where she played a woman navigating artificial pregnancy technology in a dystopian future. That film had plenty of dark undertones, but When Darkness Loves Us takes things in a completely different direction—this is genuine psychological horror, not speculative fiction with romantic elements.
Going from The Pod Generation’s high-tech world to being trapped underground in a cave is a dramatic shift in tone, and it speaks to Clarke’s willingness to explore different sides of the genre. The actress has always been drawn to complex, challenging roles, and a pregnant woman in survival mode against the darkness sounds exactly like the kind of material she’d gravitate toward.
Credits: Scope Pictures
Why Ashcroft’s vision makes this casting brilliant
Director James Ashcroft has built a reputation for psychological horror that unsettles audiences without relying on cheap scares. His films Coming Home in the Dark and The Rule of Jenny Pen both earned critical acclaim for their raw, uncomfortable storytelling. When Darkness Loves Us adapts a novella that’s fundamentally about vulnerability, desperation, and the primal fight for survival.
Clarke’s ability to convey emotional depth while navigating physically and mentally demanding scenes makes her the perfect fit for this material. Filming is taking place in New Zealand, where Ashcroft has been building his body of work, so this production stays true to the filmmaker’s home base while bringing international star power to an intimate, confined narrative.
Read next: Why Emilia Clarke said yes to PONIES: Inside her first lead TV role since Game of Thrones
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