Osgood Perkins Begins Filming The Young People as Lovecraft Whispers Grow Louder
Osgood Perkins clearly does not believe in taking a break. While horror fans are still counting the days until the release of his upcoming film The Keeper next month, the director has already begun production on his next project, The Young People. The film is currently shooting in Vancouver and is expected to reach cinemas in 2026 through Neon, the studio that has quickly become Perkins’ creative home.
Perkins shared a behind-the-scenes image from the set featuring Lola Tung, best known for The Summer I Turned Pretty, alongside rising star Nico Parker from The Last of Us. The plot remains tightly under wraps, but a close look at the script page he posted revealed the phrase “The Old Ones,” which immediately sent horror fans into a frenzy. Could Perkins be crafting a Lovecraft-inspired story filled with cosmic dread and creeping madness? It certainly fits his style.
Perkins has become one of modern horror’s most distinctive voices, known for turning quiet unease into full-blown terror. His 2024 hit Longlegs proved this in spectacular fashion. The film transformed Nicolas Cage into one of the most disturbing villains of recent memory, while its unnerving blend of satanic panic and psychological torment had audiences squirming. Critics hailed Longlegs as one of the most unsettling horror films of the decade, and Neon quickly locked Perkins in for more.
Next came The Monkey, his adaptation of the Stephen King short story, where an innocent-looking toy became a harbinger of supernatural death. Perkins’ ability to mix poetic melancholy with creeping fear elevated the material beyond its pulpy roots. His distinct visual language and fascination with isolation have made each of his works feel both intimate and grand.
Before The Young People, audiences will first see The Keeper, which arrives on November 14. While details are still mostly secret, early descriptions hint at a maritime nightmare laced with loneliness and guilt. If Longlegs explored the horror of secrets and The Monkey examined obsession, The Keeper appears set to dive into the terror of solitude.
That brings us back to The Young People, which could be Perkins’ most ambitious project yet. The title alone evokes youth and innocence, traits that rarely survive long in his films. The mention of “The Old Ones” suggests a confrontation between modern naivety and ancient, incomprehensible power. If Perkins is indeed drawing on Lovecraftian influence, viewers can expect his trademark quiet dread paired with visions of something vast, unknowable, and older than time.
Perkins is producing alongside his partner Chris Ferguson for Phobos and Brian Kavanaugh Jones for Range. Neon, which has a first look deal with the director, is co-financing the film with Lyrical Media. The Young People will mark Perkins’ fourth collaboration with Neon in just three years, following Longlegs, The Monkey, and The Keeper. It is a partnership built on trust and an appreciation for horror that dares to be intelligent, strange, and unnervingly human.
What continues to set Perkins apart is his approach to fear. His films rarely resort to cheap scares or chaos. Instead, they unfold like nightmares that are both beautiful and suffocating. His worlds are quiet, poetic, and haunted by the ghosts of grief, guilt, and forbidden knowledge. It is a kind of horror that does not just frighten — it lingers, curling up in the back of your mind long after the screen fades to black.
So while audiences are still waiting to face the horrors of The Keeper, Perkins has already stepped into his next story. If the early hints are true, The Young People may be his boldest exploration of darkness yet — a collision between youthful innocence and cosmic terror, directed by one of the most intriguing storytellers working in horror today.
Whatever he is summoning this time, it is safe to say that Osgood Perkins is not slowing down, and horror is all the better for it.
