Ancestral Beasts

Ancestral Beasts (2026)

In the haunting landscape of rural Canada explores the terrifying idea: what if a severe mental health disorder took on a physical form—a creature lurking in the shadows? After cutting ties with her toxic sister, Elyse retreats to her ancestral home to rebuild her mental health. But her journey toward healing is derailed when a grotesque creature begins to stalk her. It feeds on her emotional turmoil, forcing her to confront the past she tried to escape or lose herself and those she loves.

Date of release
2026-07-22
Runtime
1h 44m
Genres
Horror, Thriller
Director
Tim Riedel

Casting

Interesting facts

Ancestral Beasts is a Canadian horror film, written and directed by Tim Riedel and released in 2026. Riedel's full-length directorial debut, the film stars Morgan Holmstrom as Elyse, a Métis woman who returns to her family home after struggling with her mental health, but is forced to battle a supernatural demon to protect her family.

Production

The film was inspired in part by Riedel's own upbringing as the son of a mother who was a survivor of the Sixties Scoop, and who was later diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

Riedel toured a five-minute short film version to various film markets and festivals in 2025 as proof of concept, prior to shooting the full-length version in the fall. The film was produced by Michif Koonteur, Buffalo Gal and Kistikan Pictures, with Tina Keeper, Phyllis Laing and Edmon Rotea as executive producers.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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