‘Five Must Die’: Six Strangers Wake Up Trapped In a Haunted Mansion [Exclusive]

A new supernatural horror film is headed our way, and today we’ve got an exclusive first look with a batch of stills from Five Must Die.

The upcoming occult thriller comes from director and co-writer Ryan Kelly, who promises a contained supernatural nightmare packed with mystery, psychological horror, and dark humor.

In Five Must Die, six strangers awaken imprisoned inside a sprawling mansion with no memory of how they got there, only to learn they have been chosen by the vengeful spirit of a young woman driven to suicide by their actions. Their only hope comes from an agent of the Federal Bureau of Paranormal Containment, who delivers an unthinkable ultimatum on what must happen to stop the entity’s wrath.

“I’ve always loved films that are contained to a single location, and I’m a big fan of ensemble casts,” says Ryan Kelly. “This project brings those elements together and filters them through horror, comedy, and a bit of an Agatha Christie-style mystery. That combination, tight, character-driven, but still fun, unpredictable, and surprising, is exactly the kind of movie I love to watch.”

Kelly continues, “I wanted to create something in the spirit of the films I grew up with, high-concept stories with strong characters, big audience moments, and real emotion beneath the spectacle. That’s the feeling I’m chasing with Five Must Die, and if we can capture even a piece of it, I’ll be thrilled.”

Helping to bring his vision to life is veteran Broadway and film producer Michael Alden (Kissing Jessica Stein, Unzipped, The Zookeeper, Batboy: The Musical, Grey Gardens, The King’s Speech).

“I’ve always been drawn to stories centered around the unknown and the unexplainable,” says Alden. “There’s something deeply compelling about narratives in which unseen forces and unanswered mysteries create real danger, where what we don’t understand has the power to destroy us. I’m especially fascinated by the human element within those stories: who is intelligent enough, quick enough, or patient enough to survive, uncover the truth, and find a way out before it’s too late.”