Toni Collette And Milly Alcock Turn Up The Heat In Survival Thriller Hot Mother
It looks like the sauna from hell is officially open for business. Hereditary star Toni Collette and House of the Dragon breakout Milly Alcock are joining forces in Hot Mother, an Australian survival thriller that promises sweat, screams, and more emotional baggage than a family therapy retreat.
The film comes from writer and director Lucy Knox, who is expanding her acclaimed 2020 short film of the same name into her feature debut. Knox’s short explored themes of intimacy, danger, and self discovery, and now she is turning up the pressure — quite literally. Production on the feature is set to begin next year in Australia, which feels appropriate, given the country’s ongoing commitment to proving that everything there can kill you.
Hot Mother follows a mother and daughter who check into a remote wellness spa for a weekend of relaxation and reconnection. Unfortunately for them, the experience turns into a claustrophobic fight for survival when they become trapped in a sauna with no way out. As the temperature rises and the oxygen drops, the pair must battle both the physical extremes and the emotional heat that has long been simmering beneath the surface. It sounds like 127 Hours meets Hereditary, only with more steam and less rock climbing.
The film’s central duo makes this one to watch. Toni Collette has long been one of the most fearless and versatile actors working today. From her unforgettable performance in Hereditary to The Sixth Sense, Little Miss Sunshine, Knives Out, and the recent Mafia Mamma, Collette consistently finds humanity inside chaos. She also runs her own production company, Vocab Films, and will serve as an executive producer on Hot Mother, continuing her reputation for supporting bold filmmakers.
Milly Alcock, best known as young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, brings equal firepower to the cast. Her breakout performance in the Game of Thrones prequel earned global acclaim, while earlier roles in Australian series such as Upright and Reckoning showcased her range and natural presence. Hot Mother will see her stepping into more mature and psychologically demanding territory, and if her past work is any indication, she is more than ready to take the heat.
Behind the camera, Lucy Knox has built a reputation as one of Australia’s most promising writer-directors. Her short films have screened at festivals around the world, establishing her as a filmmaker with a keen eye for character and atmosphere. Hot Mother marks her first feature-length outing, and with a story that combines human emotion with escalating dread, it looks set to be an intense debut.
The film is produced by Academy Award winner Alex Coco (Anora) through Rapt Films, alongside Sarah Shaw and Anna McLeish of Carver Films, the production company behind the acclaimed horror drama Relic. Collette serves as executive producer through Vocab Films with Jen Turner, and Ruby Monette-Meadow also joins as an executive producer.
Coco praised Knox’s approach, saying, “Lucy is a filmmaker’s filmmaker, exactly the directors that I’m most committed to working with. With our two lead actresses, this film will play wide globally, and introduce a new and fresh voice to the directing game.”
McLeish and Shaw added, “As producers with a strong track record of launching Australian filmmakers, we’ve been aware of Lucy’s exceptional talent as a writer-director for many years. She’s beyond ready to bring Hot Mother to life for audiences worldwide, with its thrilling screenplay and incredible cast.”
Bankside Films is handling worldwide sales and co-representing North America with CAA Media Finance ahead of next week’s American Film Market, where the project is expected to draw major interest.
With Collette’s intensity, Alcock’s star power, and Knox’s fresh voice behind the lens, Hot Mother looks set to be a sweaty, suffocating, and emotionally charged survival thriller that tests the limits of both endurance and family bonds. In short, it sounds like the kind of spa day only horror fans would sign up for.
