Vera Farmiga Returns to Supernatural Horror With New Thriller INFERNO

Vera Farmiga just can't seem to stay away from the supernatural, and horror fans certainly aren't complaining. After wrapping up her five-film run in The Conjuring franchise with 2025's The Conjuring: Last Rites, the actress is heading back into terrifying territory with a new supernatural horror thriller titled Inferno.

Farmiga is set to star in and executive produce the film, which will be written and directed by Bryan Hill, whose credits include HBO's Titans. This time, she'll be trading demonic investigations for a murder mystery involving a secret police division dedicated to the occult.

Inferno takes its inspiration from a long-rumored special division within Britain's Scotland Yard known as the "Black Branch," which supposedly investigates paranormal activity.

Farmiga will play a former detective who finds herself pulled back into the mysterious division while hunting a killer. Unfortunately for her, the investigation also brings her face-to-face with a supernatural terror she believed she'd left behind.

A serial killer investigation mixed with occult mysteries and possession horror? That sounds like a pretty fun combination, especially with Farmiga leading the charge.

Hill has some ambitious plans for the film, explaining: “Great horror films challenge what we believe about the world. With Inferno, I want to create a terrifying mystery that stays with audiences long after the credits roll.

“Vera Farmiga is an extraordinary actor whose intelligence, emotional depth, and commanding presence make her the perfect person to lead us into and through that darkness.”

Hill has built an interesting career across television, film, comics, and video games. His first feature film, Archangel, is currently in post-production. Comic book fans might also recognize his work on American Carnage, Chariot, Blade: Evil Against Evil, and Batman and the Outsiders.

The filmmakers are aiming for something that combines the suspense of a detective thriller with the disturbing horror of demonic possession.

Yvette Zhuang, co-CEO of Manifest Pictures, described the project: “’Inferno’ is a sophisticated supernatural thriller that marries the investigative propulsion of a serial-killer procedural with the visceral terror of possession horror.”

Manifest Pictures co-CEO Zach Glueck also shared what attracted the company to Hill's screenplay: “We were immediately sucked into Hill’s script, which has unnerving procedural tension of Manhunter and the emotional, performance-driven horror of The Exorcist or Longlegs.

“Hill’s work collaborating with incredible directors from Ryan Coogler to Sam Raimi, and his experience on shows like HBO’s Titans, has prepared him for his role as a multi-hyphenate creator.”

Those comparisons to Manhunter,The Exorcist, and Longlegs offer a good idea of the kind of horror Hill wants to deliver. The combination of a disturbing criminal investigation and paranormal terror could make for a seriously creepy movie.

The project is being produced by Ara Keshishian, whose credits include Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vileand Kidnap, alongside Petr Jákl and his ZQ Entertainment banner, which is also involved with Feed starring Rosamund Pike and an upcoming untitled feature from Armando Iannucci.

Production is scheduled to begin in late spring. Farmiga has already proven how effective she can be in supernatural horror, but Inferno gives her a chance to explore something different from her role as Lorraine Warren.

The Scotland Yard angle and secret occult division are particularly interesting, and Hill has a promising premise to work with.

Hopefully, the film delivers a genuinely unsettling mystery along with its supernatural scares. Farmiga hunting a killer while confronting something far worse sounds like a horror movie worth keeping an eye on.

Source: Variety