The Long Night Release Date, Cast, And Plot - What We Know So Far

Fans of creepy, deer-skull sporting satanic cults, vacations gone-awry, and couples coming to terms with their long-denied inner demons have a whole new reason to celebrate with the release of Rich Ragsdale's "The Long Night." Ragsdale is a composer, writer, editor, director, and cinematographer best known for his work on AMC's "Freakshow" and 2017's "Ghost House," as well as the extensive portfolio of music videos he has directed since the early 2000s. With "The Long Night," the prolific artist will slide into the director's chair once again for what promises to be a tense and nightmarish exploration of prophecy, purpose, and the appeal of the demonic. 

The film was written by Robert Sheppe and Mark Young, the latter of whom wrote and directed 2007's "Southern Gothic" and 2019's "Limbo," starring James Purefoy ("The Following") and Peter Jacobson of "Fear the Walking Dead." Co-produced by Sprockefeller Pictures and distributed by Well Go USA Entertainment — the folks behind Sang-ho Yeon's wildly successful "Train to Busan" — "The Long Night" appears to have no shortage of network connections in the indie horror industry. But when can audiences expect to see the film, and who will star in this potential future cult classic about a cult? Here's everything you need to know about Ragsdale's upcoming thriller. 

As Movie Insider reports, "The Long Night" is scheduled for a limited release in theaters on February 4th, 2022, and it will be made available digitally on the same day. Although the horror streaming service Shudder hasn't officially named it as part of its February schedule, it does appear in the trailer's opening credits, and Bloody Disgusting lists "#Shudder" among the related topics in its description of the film. 

"The Long Night" isn't the only film looking to cash-in on our fascination with the apocalypse (be it real, or part of the dogma of a particular cult) in the first week of dreariest month of the year. That same day, Roland Emmerich's highly anticipated new take on the age-old story of the sky falling, "Moonfall," is slated to hit theaters, and Drew Mylrea's post-apocalyptic thriller "Last Survivors" (starring Alicia Silverstone) will have its first theatrical release on February 4th as well (via Collider). Oh, and speaking of the demise of humanity, "Jackass Forever" will also hit theaters on February 4th. 

In addition to its robust and experienced network of behind-the-scenes horror players, "The Long Night" will star a few familiar faces, one of whom many will associated with the genre itself. Scout Taylor-Compton will take-on the role of the film's main protagonist, Grace. Taylor-Compton is best-known for playing Laurie Strode in Rob Zombie's 2007 reimagining of "Halloween," and for reprising her interpretation of Jamie Lee Curtis' most-beloved Final Girl in the 2009 follow-up, "Halloween II."

Though the reboots had a polarizing effect on film critics and fans of the franchise alike, The Hollywood Reporter's Richard Newby praised the actor's work in the sequel. "Taylor-Compton's girl-next-door vibe from the first film," he writes, "is stripped away and replaced with something damaged and genuinely human in its fragility." Newby went on to call her performance "one of the best and most surprising to come out of horror in that decade," lauding it for rejecting "former notions of the final girl and her invulnerability." In addition to the indie horror heavy hitter, "The Long Night" will star "The Flight Attendant" star Nolan Gerard Funk as Grace's partner Jack, Jeff Fehey of "Lost" and "Texas Rising" as a character named Wayne, and Deborah Kara Unger ("The Hurricane," "Between Strangers") as a character ominously named The Master" (via IMDb).

Even though "The Long Night" shares naught but a coincidental title in common with the award-winning "Game of Thrones" episode of the same name (via IMDb), it appears as though the fate of humanity is as much at stake in the horror flick as it was when Winterfell stood as the last bastion of hope for the continent of Westeros in Season 8. 

According to the film's official synopsis, a woman (Taylor-Compton's Grace) in search of her long-lost family returns to her southern hometown with her boyfriend (Funk's Jack), on a quest to find answers about her lineage and identity. Once there, "the couple's weekend takes a bizarre, terrifying turn as a nightmarish cult and their maniacal leader terrorize the pair en route to fulfilling a twisted ancient apocalyptic prophecy" (via Fandango).

"The Long Night" trailer suggests Grace feels a connection to the disturbing home she and Jack end up staying in, and that the formerly unwitting and innocent protagonist may have to do battle with her own mysterious connection to the cult. "There were in my head," she tells Jack, in between flashes of what appears to be a Black Mass and the birth of an antichrist. There's blood, levitation, a deeply disturbing scene with a snake, some seriously spooky contact lens work, and a voiceover that calls for the cleansing of humanity's sin. Robes, torches, scary antlers, and tensions abound as we see Jack and Grace begin to question both each other and their own convictions. Ultimately, it looks as though Grace may not like the answers she finds back home, either about her family, or herself.