No, not another entry in the Twisted Childhood Cinematic Universe (or Pooh-niverse, if you’d rather). Instead, director Craig Conway’s Red Riding is a gritty thriller about a young woman who finds herself caught in a twisted web of horrors when her addict mother suffers a fatal overdose. Sent to live with her grandma in the Scottish Highlands, Redele Riding (Victoria Tait) is initially wowed by her aristocratic relative’s ostentatious estate. Oh, what a nice house you have, grandma.
But between the stories of missing children and tales of a bloodthirsty wolf roaming the woods, it soon becomes clear that there’s something sinister going on in the shadows of her granny’s remote property. And, as Redele (you see what they did there) digs deeper into her dark family legacy, the more danger she finds herself in.
Billed as a horror retelling of the childhood tale, Red Riding is the feature debut of Conway, and was executive produced by Neil Marshall – who previously directed him as an actor in Doomsday, The Descent and Dog Soldiers. As such, Marshall’s influence is deeply felt on this atmospheric Brit flick, although Conway is by no means left to languish in his shadow. It’s a slow burn, but Conway and screenwriter Peter Stylianou efficiently build up a sense of dread which simmers along nicely throughout.
Making her feature debut, Tait is a solid presence as Red’ – ably supported by seasoned actors Bill Fellows (Coronation Street) and Robert Cavanah (Emmerdale), and Rumpelstiltskin‘s Ayvianna Snow. Its central mystery is engaging, but there’s little here which will surprise horror fans. Still, it’s a well-made, if slightly dog-eared work of homespun gothic horror.
RED RIDING premiered at FrightFest Glasgow on March 7, 2026.
