Shut your mouth and get ready to rest in pain. At least, that’s the warning offered by director Jamie Langlands and writer Rhys Thompson with their slasher feature film The R.I.P Man, which they hope serves as a launch pad for a unique new genre villain.
Set against the backdrop of a quiet English town, the movie follows a group of close friends who realize they’ve inexplicably been targeted for death by the titular killer, a murderous ghoul who removes a single tooth from each of his victims. As everyone in the friends’ sphere becomes a suspect, a beleaguered detective (Matt Weyland) tries to bring the killer to justice, realizing the crimes all share a link to one family’s dark secret.
“The concept for the screenplay was inspired by a documentary I found myself watching late one evening about a rare oral disease called Anodontia,” says Thompson, referring to a condition in which humans are born without the ability to grow teeth. “I’ve always liked the idea of creating an antagonist that is unique in appearance and one that is memorable for the audience… I also think avid horror fans will appreciate the antagonist’s backstory and where his twisted ideology comes from. The concept will definitely play on the minds of people who fear the dentist. Beware The Dentes Clan!”
The R.I.P. Man started out as a short film starring Owen Llewelyn and August Porter, with special effects by Lizzy Horror and an original score from Cristian Parras. Langlands and Thompson plan to shop the feature to film festivals on both sides of the Atlantic in hopes of attracting the attention of a worldwide fanbase.
“The intention from the get-go was to get this made into a feature,” Thompson says. “A cinematic release would be great for exposure. Independent horror is currently thriving, and The R.I.P. Man would place itself nicely in the current market.”
Thompson calls the concept behind The R.I.P. Man “Halloween meets Silence of the Lambs.”
Paul Hughbanks, Dan Michael Jedrejczyk, and John Norris Ray—the team behind Langlands’ previous directorial effort, The Cellar—will produce alongside horror novelist and former Rue Morgue scribe Preston Fassel (Our Lady of the Inferno; Beasts of 42nd Street). Emily Lasatar will executive produce along with Langlands and Thompson.
“I read the script for this about two years ago and was really struck by what a great homage to aughts-era slashers this was,” says Fassel. “The trend the past few years has been to try and do these retro-80s homages. Those were the movies that had inspired a generation of horror creatives. Now we’re seeing a new generation take the reins. It’s easy to forget that the Platinum Dunes era had its own unique sensibilities and tone that they were building on the 80s. I see what Rhys and Jamie are doing as adding their own twist to that legacy and helping craft the next generation of slashers.”
The R.I.P. Man had its world premiere on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at the Connaught Theatre in Worthing, West Sussex, England. It’s slated for a wider release on January 5, 2026, in the U.K. and U.S.
Now, watch the new official trailer:
To follow along with the film, check out its Instagram Page:
And the Indiegogo page for the sequel:
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