A trio of hunky young stars is set to star in an upcoming queer zombie movie.
The brainchild of writer-director Jordan Tannahill, Rapture is a historical drama and LGBTQ+ body horror film about undead “revenants” (AKA medieval zombies) all rolled into one.
Starring Kit Connor, Manu Ríos, and horror movie veteran Will Poulter, there has been a buzz about Rapture since the film was announced in 2025.
Not much is known about the film yet, but Tannahill — who you may recognize as Brandon Flynn's husband — is known for his desire to tell queer stories and for not trying to make queerness palatable to a heteronormative society, as evidenced by his off-Broadway play Prince Faggot.
Rapture may be a body horror film, but with Tannahill at the helm and the promise of queer monks in the story that he has described as “juicy” and “terrifying,” there should be plenty for LGBTQ+ viewers to love.
What is 'Rapture' about?
Set in Medieval England in 1348, Rapture focuses on a remote monastery in Yorkshire home to a group of monks. “Their fragile peace is disrupted by the arrival of a messenger – a man with haunting news from the outside world who rapidly shows symptoms of a mystery illness,” according to a synopsis from Deadline. What initially looks like a hemorrhagic fever, in actuality, turns its victims into undead “revenants.” The disease threatens their delicate peace and divides the monks into two camps: those who want to help the sick and those who want to protect the sanctity of their monastery.
But Rapture is not just about a religious order grappling with their own humanity; it’s also really queer.
“It’s about how this order of monks contends with the arrival of this apocalyptic plague and the moral crises that arise therein, but at the heart of it is this deep, passionate relationship between these two young monks who have grown up together. It’s queer body horror,” Tannahill told Them in an interview last year.
“I think all three of those actors I mentioned — among some other great performers, some of whom are also queer — are going to give these exciting performances that we haven’t seen from them before," he said. "I feel like it’s going to be a juicy film — and hopefully, a pretty terrifying one, too.”
Who is starring in 'Rapture'?
Openly bisexual actor Kit Connor, who viewers fell in love with when he starred opposite Joe Locke in Heartstopper, will be joined by his Warfare co-star Will Poulter. Poulter is no stranger to being cast in horror movies, having already starred in Midsommar and Death of a Unicorn, though you may know him from the gay historical romance On Swift Horses.
Manu Ríos of Elite fame, a show where he played openly queer teen Patrick Blanco, will also star in the project. Details on which characters the sexy celebs will play have yet to be released, so we don’t know which actors will play the two monks the director said have a “deep, passionate relationship.”
When will 'Rapture' be released?
There is no official release date yet, but filming is set to start in October 2026. According to Phantasmag, the distribution rights have already been picked up by IFC and horror streaming platform Shudder in the U.S., and True Brit in the U.K.
