Australian transgender filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay has made quite the splash in the horror world with films like “T Blockers,” “Satanic Panic,” and “Carnage For Christmas.” Now she returns to theaters with her most ambitious film to date, “The Serpent’s Skin,” which had a mega-successful run at genre festivals last year.
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An ode to cult TV favorites like “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and “Charmed,” “The Serpent’s Skin” follows two women with supernatural powers who must battle against a demon they mistakenly conjure.
Here’s an official trailer for “The Serpent’s Skin,” courtesy of Dark Star Pictures:
Twentysomething Anna (Alexandra McVicker) leaves her small, transphobic hometown to start a new life in the city with her sister when she quickly finds herself face-to-face with Gen (Avalon Fast), a confident young woman she’d first seen in visions. Gen, Anna learns, has supernatural powers—powers that the two of them share. Their bond of magic and romance is threatened when Gen inadvertently unleashes a demon in Danny (Jordan Dulieu), Anna’s one-time fling and neighbor, and the mysterious evil begins targeting—and feeding on—everyone close to them.
“The Serpent’s Skin” stars Alexandra McVicker, Avalon Fast, Jordan Dulieu, Scott Major, Charlotte Chimes, and Patty Glavieux.
Mackay directs a script by her and Benjamin Pahl Robinson, her regular collaborator. Mackay also produced the film, with Louise Weard on board as an executive producer.
“The Serpent’s Skin” had its world premiere at the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco, with additional festival screenings at Beyond Fest, Fantasia Film Festival, Frightfest in London, NewFest, Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, and more.
“The Serpent’s Skin” opens in New York City at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn on March 27, and then in LA at Alamo Drafthouse DTLA on April 3 as part of a “Fantastic Fest Presents” showcase. Mackay and special guests will be in attendance for the opening nights at each location. Additional screenings of the film with director Q&As take place at the Roxie Theater in SF on April 2 and at Vidiots in LA on April 4; more cities and dates are TBD.
Watch the trailer for “The Serpent’s Skin” below, and stay tuned for Mackay’s next film, “Our Effed Up World,” which has “I Saw The TV Glow” director Jane Schoenbrun on board as an executive producer.


