Leigh Whannell’s latest is a futuristic sci-fi action-horror-revenge thriller, and it looks like a wild ride.
Leigh Whannell is no stranger to creating uniquely entertaining horror films. He and his buddy James Wan created the wildly successful Saw franchise (Whannell wrote the screenplay and starred in the film while Wan directed), which revolves around a maniacal killer who subjects his victims to psychologically and physically torturous tests to see if they can survive. Whannell and Wan would collaborate again on 2007’s haunted-puppet film Dead Silence and 2010’s franchise-spawning, Blumhouse-produced Insidious, which introduced the concept of astral dimensions via its depiction of a spook-filled plane known as “The Further”.
In 2015, Whannell would step behind the camera to direct Insidious: Chapter 3 (which he also wrote, starred in and produced).
Now, his latest creation, Upgrade, is a “sci-fi action body-horror” he both wrote and directed. Upgrade explores the idea of a futuristic chip implant called “STEM” that turns its recipient (Logan Marshall-Green) into a killing machine — and from the looks of the trailer, it seems a wild and pulse-poundingly fun ride.
Upgrade premiered in March during SXSW’s Midnighters lineup, where it won the Audience Award. In addition to Marshall-Green, the film also stars Get Out‘s Betty Gabriel and is produced by Blumhouse.
Upgrade opens June 1st.
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