The next film from Hex Studios – the team that brought us Lord of Tears, The Unkindness of Ravens, and The Black Gloves – has been announced and is already lighting up Kickstarter.

Automata, described by director Lawrie Brewster and writer Sarah Daly as a Gothic thriller, has already raised nearly £20,000 after less than 3 hours.

The film stars Hex Studios’ regulars Jamie Scott Gordon (The Black Gloves, Bonejangles) and Alexandra Nicole Hulme (Lord of Tears, The Black Gloves), alongside Erich Redman (The Danish Girl, Woman in Gold), Jonathan Hansler (The Devil’s Business) and rising star Victoria Lucie (Dartmoor Killing). The film tells the story of an antiques expert sent to authenticate a three-hundred-year-old clockwork doll with a notorious history, the ‘Infernal Princess’. He soon comes under its corrupting influence, and, along with his stepdaughter Rose, finds himself the target of dark forces beyond his control.

According to director Lawrie Brewster, “Automata is a wild, Gothic thrill-ride inspired by the decadence of Ken Russell’s Gothic, as well as the sensual expressionism of Argento’s Suspiria and Bava’s Black Sabbath. It’s by far the most ambitious film we’ve produced, with a truly epic story that switches between the 1700s and the present day to reveal the truth behind the curse of the ‘Infernal Princess’.”

Writer Sarah Daly alludes to the film’s edgy themes. “The film explores how someone’s idea of love can be perverted by experience, and how that corruption can echo through the ages. It goes to some very dark places, basically!”

Among some of the perks available is a plush toy version of their infamous creation the Owlman and a special book of monsters created by the team.

Automata is an international co-production between Hex Studios and long-time partners Dark Dunes Productions, in association with Needle’s Eye Productions, and Executive Producers Nick Ford, Greg Orsi and Richard Pate. The film is set for release in December 2018.

To get involved, head over to the Kickstarter page.