EDITORS NOTE
We were fortunate to hear about Nathan Shepka’s new project, The Baby in the Basket. We a chance to check out the teaser trailer and loved the darkness of its black and white presentation. By design the trailer feels dark, old and foreboding. The concept for the film looks solid as it presumably involves a monster child wrapped in religious overtones. The project is current crowd-funding on HERE on Kickstarter. The project shot out of the cannon by raising about a 1/3 of their goal in the first days. Make sure to check it out and give them a hand.
The Baby in the Basket – Dark, brooding and forebodingOFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Shepka Productions is delighted to announce that we’re teaming up with writer and producer Tom Jolliffe (Renegades, War of the Worlds: The Attack) and legendary movie site Flickering Myth for our next film, a Gothic horror tale set in the 1940’s entitled THE BABY IN THE BASKET.
The film is set to star up and coming British scream queens Amber Doig-Thorne (Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, Return of Krampus, Override), Michaela Longden (Jack in the Box: Awakening, The Ghost Within, Eating Miss Campbell), Elle O’Hara (When Darkness Falls, Memories of Another, Tommy’s Honour) and Chrissie Wunna (Dirty Games, Bambi: The Reckoning, Dinosaur Hotel). More names to be announced in due course!
Nathan Shepka will direct, from a script by Tom Jolliffe, based on a story conceived by Shepka and Jolliffe, who previously worked together on the critically acclaimed thriller, When Darkness Falls.
SYNOPSIS
The year is 1942. A baby in a basket is left on the step of an isolated monastery on a remote island off the Scottish coast. The mysterious woman who left the child disappears into the stormy night without a trace, never to be seen again.
Discovering the little boy, the nuns take him in and agree to look after him until the storm passes and they can take the child to the mainland. However after a night in their care, unsettling things begin to happen and one of the nuns, Sister Agnes begins to suspect the child is the son of the devil.
Locked away by the other nuns, who believe Sister Agnes has been driven mad by the isolation, she is haunted by the presence of the child. Has Sister Agnes fallen victim to the desolation of the remote island setting, or is there weight in her suspicion?
Shooting will take place in Scotland in the Autumn of 2023 with a release expected sometime in late 2024.
“I’m super excited to be involved in this film. Agnes is a really interesting character. She’s innocent and naive and feels like she’s destined for something greater, but really needs guidance and clarity from God. I think it’s going to be an incredible story which people will really enjoy watching,” – Amber Doig-Thorne (lead actress)
“We’re really excited to be teaming up with up-and-coming writer/producer Tom Jolliffe and legendary movie website Flickering Myth for this project. We’ve got some great talent attached and I know Amber, Elle and Michaela will all give powerhouse performances. It’ll be a challenge bringing the concept to life, especially with the period setting but the team are looking forward to getting stuck in and I’m looking forward to creating an eerie, atmospheric horror throwback.” – Nathan Shepka (Producer, Shepka Productions)
“The horror genre has always been a huge favourite of ours at Flickering Myth, and so we are delighted to be working with Shepka Productions on this project. We’re incredibly excited by what Nathan and Tom are cooking up with The Baby in the Basket, and can’t wait to share more with our readers, and the wider horror community.” – Gary Collinson (Flickering Myth)
“This is a project that really harks back to a golden age of Gothic horror from the 1940’s to 1970’s. It’s a passion project that’s been exciting to write and a step away from the creature horrors I’ve done previously. Now as a co-producer I’m looking to have more creative control in what I can turn from script to screen,” – Tom Jolliffe (Producer)
THE BABY IN THE BASKET will be produced by Shepka Productions, in collaboration with Tom Jolliffe and in association with Flickering Myth.
UPDATE – 5/2/2023
The Full Monty and Legend stars join the cast of British gothic horror film The Baby in the Basket
Shepka Productions and Flickering Myth have announced that veteran British actors Paul Barber (Only Fools and Horses, The Full Monty) and Annabelle Lanyon (Legend, Dream Demon) have joined the cast of the upcoming gothic horror feature The Baby in the Basket.
Paul Barber is best known for portraying Denzil in the iconic sitcom Only Fools and Horses and Horse in the classic British film The Full Monty – a role he reprises this June for Disney+'s The Full Monty sequel series. Among his other extensive film and TV credits are The Long Good Friday, The Brothers McGregor, Chancer, The 51st State, One Night in Instanbul and Renegades.
Annabelle Lanyon starred alongside Tom Cruise in the role of Oona in Ridley Scott's 1985 cult classic fantasy Legend and also featured in the British horror Dream Demon and ITV series Quatermass. Recent credits include the horror films Werewolves of the Third Reich and Bite.
The Baby in the Basket stars Amber Doig-Thorne (Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, Return of Krampus), Michaela Longden (Jack in the Box: Awakening, The Ghost Within), Elle O’Hara (When Darkness Falls, Memories of Another), Alexandra Fay Sadeghian (Guns of Eden, Notice Me), Annabelle Lanyon (Legend, Dream Demon) and Paul Barber (Only Fools and Horses, The Full Monty).
Filming on The Baby in the Basket is slated to take place in Scotland in September. Nathan Shepka (When Darkness Falls) from a script by Tom Jolliffe (Renegades), while the pair also executive produce alongside Gary Collinson of Flickering Myth, as well as Joseph Redensek and Andrew Hawkes MVO.