Production wraps in Sydney for New York City-set arachnophobia horror Sting

The feature is produced by Jamie Hilton and Michael Pontin via See Pictures together with Pictures in Paradise’s Chris Brown

By Priyanca Rajput 20 Feb 2023

Production wraps in Sydney for New York City-set arachnophobia horror Sting
Sting. Credit: Screen Australia

Screen Australia has confirmed production has wrapped in Sydney on Kiah Roache-Turner’s arachnophobia-inspired horror, Sting.

Sting stars Ryan Corr (House of the Dragon), Alyla Browne (Three Thousand Years of Longing), Penelope Mitchell (Hellboy), Robyn Nevin (Top of the Lake), Noni Hazlehurst (The End) and Jermaine Fowler (Retreat).

The official logline reads: One cold, stormy night in New York City, a mysterious object falls from the sky and smashes through the window of a rundown apartment building. It is an egg, and from this egg emerges a strange little spider…

The creature is discovered by Charlotte, a rebellious 12-year-old girl obsessed with comic books. Despite her stepfather Ethan’s best efforts to connect with her through their comic book co-creation Fang Girl, Charlotte feels isolated. Her mother and Ethan are distracted by their new baby and are struggling to cope, leaving Charlotte to bond with the spider. Keeping it as a secret pet, she names it Sting.

As Charlotte's fascination with Sting increases, so does its size. Growing at a monstrous rate, Sting's appetite for blood becomes insatiable. Neighbours’ pets start to go missing, and then the neighbours themselves. Soon Charlotte’s family and the eccentric characters of the building realise that they are all trapped, hunted by a ravenous supersized arachnid with a taste for human flesh... and Charlotte is the only one who knows how to stop it.

Sting is produced by Jamie Hilton and Michael Pontin via See Pictures together with Pictures in Paradise’s Chris Brown. Additional finance from create NSW, Cumulus VFX and Spectrum Entertainment. Five-time Academy Award® Winner Weta Workshop, led by Creative Director Richard Taylor (Blade Runner 2049, King Kong, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) created the physical effects out of their workshop in New Zealand. 

CEO of Screen Australia Graeme Mason said: “With a bold vision and impressive script, this talented team have crafted more than just a creature feature but also a powerful emotional drama. There is no denying that the horror genre has such a passionate global fanbase and I have no doubt this film will engage – and thrill – audiences around the world.”

Alison Meese SVP U.K. acquisitions & production STUDIOCANAL commented: We fell for Kiah's wildly effective script which, united with his inventive direction, WETA's unbeatable creature FX work and the near universal primal fear of spiders, we've got a treat on our hands for horror audiences across the STUDIOCANAL territories.”

Align EVP of Production Martin Metz added: “After the global success of Good Luck To You Leo Grande, we couldn’t be happier to team up with Cornerstone again to bring Kiah’s both terrifying and stunning vision to life.”


Elsewhere, Screen Australia recently announced that five feature films – two television dramas and two children’s projects – will share in more than $7.4m of production funding.

The projects include dramedy Audrey, the debut feature from director Natalie Bailey, featuring actor and disability activist Hannah Diviney (Latecomers) which started production last week; plus family feature films Drone Racers and Whale Shark Jack.

Also receiving funding is One Night, a thriller for Paramount+; season 2 of Channel Seven’s RFDS and new ABC children’s series Galaxy Girl.

Screen Australia’s head of content Grainne Brunsdon said: “It’s fantastic to kick the year off with such a strong pipeline and wide mix of projects coming through. These distinct local stories, whether it’s uniquely Australian comedy, suspenseful thrillers or exciting family adventures, highlight how much high quality drama is being created in our sector at the moment.”

“We’re committed to supporting children’s content to ensure Australian kids are able to see themselves reflected onscreen, and we’re pleased to announce two television shows and two family films that are set to engage young audiences. There is a strong appetite for Australian children’s content around the world which was evident at MIPCOM last year, so we’re thrilled to see more exciting projects coming through in this space.”

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