Queer horror starring Kit Connor, Will Poulter and Manu Ríos promises ‘passionate’ relationship
Heartstopper’s Kit Connor is set to star in new queer body horror film, Rapture. (Getty Images)
The queer medieval horror, Rapture starring Heartstopper’s Kit Connor, Elite’s Manu Ríos and Midsommar’s Will Poulter is reportedly in the works, with filming expected to start in next month.
Rapture centres on a “deep, passionate relationship” between two young monks as a plague turns people into undead “revenants” aka zombies.
Writer and director Jordan Tannahill described the project in a Them interview, saying: “It’s queer body horror,” adding: “It’s about how this order of monks contends with the arrival of this apocalyptic plague and the moral crises that arise therein, but at the heart of it is this deep, passionate relationship between these two young monks who have grown up together.”
He also teased the tone: “I feel like it’s going to be a juicy film and hopefully, a pretty terrifying one, too.”
What is Rapture about?
Set in Medieval England in 1348, Rapture takes place at a remote monastery in Yorkshire. A messenger arrives with haunting news from the outside world, then rapidly shows symptoms of a mystery illness.
What initially looks like a fever turns its victims into undead “revenants”, leaving the monks divided between those who want to help the sick and those who want to protect the monastery.
A separate synopsis also places the story at the fictional Lansley Abbey, where ten monks live an isolated life of strict routine and religious devotion before the plague arrives at their door.
Queer horror and body horror have a long cultural lineage, often using transformation, contagion and the body as metaphors for desire, shame and social panic.
When will Rapture be released?
There is no official release date yet. However, according to a new listing by Production Weekly, as reported by Attitude Magazine, filming is set to start in October 2026.
However, Poulter previously shared the project was “on pause” when he spoke to The Guardian in August, adding: “I really hope I can work with Jordan in the future; he’s so talented.”
Tannahill has previously made headlines for queer storytelling. When his play Prince F****t sparked backlash, he said it explored: “As we think through the ways colonization has shaped our lives, the ways our sexualities intersect with power, and the ways we talk about queer childhood and why, so often, we don’t.”
