Will Sydney Sweeney Return to Horror in The Masque of the Red Death?

the masque of red death movie
Sydney Sweeney in Immaculate. Photo: Neon

A new film adaption of The Masque of the Red Death, a classic Edgar Allen Poe short story, is underway. According to Deadline, Sydney Sweeney is set to star in this new version of the tale (“a wildly revisionist and darkly comedic take” per the article). There was a previous adaption in 1964 with Vincent Price in the lead role.

It’s unclear who Sweeney would play. The story is about a prince who, accompanied by various nobles, tries to hide from a deadly plague inside a monastery. His plans are upended when a mysterious masked figure infiltrates the building.

Maybe this new movie is going to change the protagonist to a princess? Or perhaps the story will be updated to modern times, with Sweeney playing a powerful politician or businesswoman? Gothic horror experienced recent commercial success with Nosferatu, so The Masque of the Red Death may be looking to duplicate that.

Sweeney’s most recent horror appearance was last year in Immaculate. She plays a nun who is being used as a pawn by sinister forces within the Catholic Church. She has generally appeared in dramas and romcoms throughout her career.

Immaculate was fairly successful, so Sweeney may be looking to add another horror hit to her resume. It’s an interesting turn for an actress that previously showed little interest in the genre.

In my article on scream queens, I wrote that they needed three main attributes to be successful: acting skills, beauty, and the ability to SCREAM REALLY FREAKIN’ LOUD. Sydney Sweeney has all those characteristics. She could become a top scream queen if she’s willing to commit to doing genre films long term.

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