THE MALAKAI: DANIEL JOHN KEARNEY’S 30-YEAR NIGHTMARE COMES SCREAMING OUT OF THE KENTUCKY WOODS
Trailer:
https://youtu.be/nH4C9ebU1-g?is=zW2nkyCKZXocaEw_
A practical-effects creature feature, a fractured relationship, a buried community legend—and something horrible waiting in the dark.
There are nightmares you wake up from.
And then there are nightmares that refuse to let you go.
For writer, producer, director, and co-star Daniel John Kearney, one particular nightmare has been lurking for nearly three decades. Now, after 30 years of haunting his subconscious, that nightmare has finally clawed its way onto the screen in The Malakai—a nasty, atmospheric creature feature shot deep in the Kentucky woods and built with the kind of practical effects that horror fans have been screaming for.
And according to Kearney, the creatures are going to be horrifying.
Produced by Black Ave Films, Stag Mountain Films, and Kelly Marks, with Kent Collins and Lucas Dunawayexecutive producing, The Malakai brings together a stacked ensemble of genre veterans and cult-film favorites.
Leading the charge is Kearney himself, known for Crust and Watchdog, alongside Terry Kiser (Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Weekend at Bernie’s), Catherine Mary Stewart (Night of the Comet, Weekend at Bernie’s, The Last Starfighter), Hannah Fierman (V/H/S), Andrew Hubatsek (Pet Sematary), Lucas Dunaway (The Events Surrounding a Peeping Tom), and Jason Crowe (The Devil You Know), with many more joining the ensemble.
This isn’t horror polished smooth by CGI.
This is the woods.
This is practical.
And something is waiting out there.
WELCOME TO KENTUCKY. NOW TRY TO GET OUT.
The story follows a couple whose relationship has been reduced to wreckage. Their lives are further clouded by alcoholism as they return to a rural Kentucky town to finalize the sale of a rental property.
Simple enough.
Except nothing about this town is simple.
As the couple begins peeling away the layers surrounding the property and its history, they inadvertently awaken a horrific local legend—one that has apparently been waiting for the right moment to make itself known.
What follows is a descent into increasingly bizarre and disturbing territory.
A place where time seems to have stopped.
Where everybody appears to know something nobody wants to say.
Where old secrets hang in the air.
And where the question isn’t simply what is coming for them, but whether the people around them are any safer than the thing lurking in the darkness.
A CREATURE FEATURE WITH TEETH
Kearney cites the creature pictures of the Roger Corman era as a major inspiration, while also drawing from the strange social dynamics and disorienting storytelling associated with filmmaker Larry Cohen.
That combination gives The Malakai an intriguing pedigree.
This isn’t simply a monster movie.
It’s a monster movie where the monster may not be the only thing you should be afraid of.
Kearney promises an experience that moves quickly, keeps the audience guessing, and refuses to hand them easy answers.
“One hell of a fun ride. Insanely scary, but for the viewer rich with subtext.”
And then comes the warning:
“You don’t know by the end who to hate, who to love, who to fear—or who to blame.”
That’s a pretty dangerous place to leave an audience.
And exactly where a good horror movie should leave them.
KEEP YOUR CGI. GIVE US THE MONSTER.
For horror fans raised on rubber monsters, creature suits, makeup appliances, blood, goo, and things that actually existed on the set, The Malakai is taking a decidedly old-school approach.
The film boasts all practical special effects, bringing its creatures into the physical world rather than hiding them behind an entirely digital process.
Kearney believes that tangible quality will resonate with horror audiences who grew up on classic genre cinema, while still delivering something disturbing enough to grab a new generation.
And if the filmmaker’s description is any indication, the creatures aren’t exactly friendly.
Kearney simply puts it:
“The creatures are horrifying.”
We’ll take that as a promise.
A VERY UNEXPECTED REUNION
For genre fans, The Malakai also contains a particularly fun bit of movie history.
Terry Kiser and Catherine Mary Stewart, who famously appeared together in Weekend at Bernie’s, reunite on screen for the film.
But don’t expect a trip down memory lane.
This time, they’re walking into a nightmare.
Their reunion adds another strange layer to a movie already packed with recognizable genre faces, including V/H/Sbreakout Hannah Fierman and Pet Sematary’s Andrew Hubatsek.
It’s the sort of casting combination that makes horror fans start asking questions before they’ve even seen the trailer.
THE NIGHTMARE BEGINS WITH THE DIRECTOR
Perhaps the most unsettling thing about The Malakai is that its origins aren’t entirely fictional.
Kearney says the film grew out of a recurring nightmare he’s experienced for 30 years.
That means the movie isn’t simply an invented horror premise.
It is the cinematic manifestation of something that has been following its creator for decades.
And now the audience gets to see it.
That’s a hell of a way to make a monster movie.
POST-PRODUCTION FROM HELL
The cameras have stopped rolling, but The Malakai isn’t finished with us yet.
Post-production is currently underway, with Kearney and his team pushing toward an anticipated completion around April.
The director describes the film as a fast-paced, non-stop horror ride—but beneath the creature effects and scares is a story about fractured relationships, alcoholism, buried truths, social dynamics, and the way fear can expose what people would rather keep hidden.
Kearney puts it bluntly:
“It’s a non-stop ride—fast paced.”
And then, perhaps most appropriately for a movie born from a 30-year nightmare, he adds:
“You don’t know by the end who to hate, who to love, who to fear—or who to blame.”
That’s the kind of horror movie that doesn’t simply ask you to survive the night.
It asks you to figure out what the hell just happened.
NOW… WATCH THE NIGHTMARE
Enjoy the exclusive trailer for THE MALAKAI.
The nightmare is 30 years old.
The legend is finally awake.THE MALAKAI IS COMING
Deep in the Kentucky woods, an old legend has awakened.
A fractured couple has stumbled into something they don’t understand.
A filmmaker has finally brought a 30-year nightmare to life.
And somewhere beyond the trees, something practical, physical, and very, very pissed off is waiting.
Kearney has one more message for the people who helped make the film possible:
“There are no words for how thankful I am for our entire team.”
Then comes the filmmaker’s wonderfully irreverent prediction for when this particular nightmare will finally be ready for the world:
“We should have this baby ready for college by April.”
Until then, horror fans will have to wait.
But if The Malakai delivers on its promise, the wait may be worth it.
Because sometimes the best monsters aren’t born in a computer.
Sometimes they’re born in a nightmare.
And sometimes…
they’ve been waiting 30 years to get out.
Post production fundraising campaign:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/the-malakai/the-malakai-post-production-funding
THE MALAKAI
Written, Produced & Directed by Daniel John Kearney
Also Starring Daniel John KearneyProduced by: Black Ave Films, Stag Mountain Films & Kelly Marks
Executive Producers: Kent Collins & Lucas DunawayStarring: Daniel John Kearney, Terry Kiser, Catherine Mary Stewart, Hannah Fierman, Andrew Hubatsek, Lucas Dunaway, Jason Crowe , Danny Langston, Chris Guttadaro, Kent Collins, Chanda Rawlings, Ronald Black and an ensemble cast.
