Movies of War

Ahead of its world premiere at SXSW in Austin, TX, on March 14, watch the teaser trailer for American Dollhouse below. The Christmas-set psychological horror film is said to deliver a modern riff on proto-slasher touchstones like Psycho and Black Christmas while exploring themes of grief, obsession, and fractured identity. It follows a woman who inherits her childhood home, seeking solace from a chaotic city life marked by addiction and debt. Unbeknownst to her, a psychotic neighbor becomes disturbingly obsessed with her due to a haunting resemblance to the neighbor’s deceased mother. As the fixation turns violent, her friends begin disappearing one by one, drawing her into a perverted, blood-soaked Christmas nightmare she may not survive. Hailley Lauren, Kelsey Pribilski (Man Finds Tape), Tinus Seaux (The Pizzagate Massacre), Danielle Evon Ploeger (Last Girl Standing), and Richard C. Jones (“Love & Death”) star. John Valley (The Pizzagate Massacre) writes and directs, leading a cast and crew based entirely in Austin, where the film was shot and is set. “Premiering at SXSW is a real dream come true for me,” said Valley. “This film was made by real artists and technicians for the love of the craft, so debuting it here, in front of this audience, is incredibly meaningful.” David Axe, Samuel Butler, Shane Greb, Jon Wroblewski, and Christian Sosa produce. Executive producers are Jones, Amado DeHoyos, Stephan Jensen, Elizabeth Spear, Hector Acosta, Dan Lenker, Ziggy Griggs, and Melissa Sellers Drake. Related Topics:American DollhouseSXSW Alex DiVincenzo Advertisement You may like SXSW 2026 Adds Even More Genre Premieres To Packed Slate, Including ‘Hokum’ ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ and ‘They Will Kill You’ Headline SXSW 2026’s Packed Horror Lineup ‘Fucktoys’ Teaser – A Tarot-Inspired Bubblegum Grindhouse Odyssey Shot on 16mm ‘Descendent’ – RLJE Picks Up ‘Fire in the Sky’ Style Alien Thriller from Producers Benson & Moorhead FX’s “Alien: Earth” Launching Series of Immersive Experiences Starting with SXSW Event HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’, Hideo Kojima to Make Appearances at SXSW 2025 Click to comment