Bret Easton Ellis is a literary name you'll definitely know – the author of the chilling and widely-banned/censored American Psycho, and member of the literary Brat Pack who emerged on the East Coast of the US in the 1980s.

Ellis has long been heralded as one of the great American authors and satirists of the last few decades, but the 60-year-old is now crossing a new frontier – into the world of film directing.

Ellis has flirted with the role of director for a few years now, having directed his first project The Deleted back in 2016, which was originally intended as a feature film, but was eventually released as a web series. He's also had several of his books adapted for the screen. But now, Ellis has written a new script for a horror flick called Relapse, marking his proper feature film directorial debut.

 

What is Relapse about?

The film centres on protagonist Matt Cullen, who witnesses a horrific death during a debauched party. After a three-month stint in rehab, Cullen tries to get his life back on track while living at his parent’s Los Angeles mansion, but "fuelled by his unstable personality and the invading power of social media, Matt’s paranoia grows, messing up with his rehabilitation program," says the film's synopsis.

"As he starts using again, a mysterious presence starts growing around Matt, and a monster that has been haunting him since he was a teenager reveals itself. His therapist tries to help, convinced that the monster is actually in Matt’s head."

 

Who is in the cast?

Currently, Relapse is set to give its leading role to Stranger Things breakout Joseph Quinn. Quinn has a few films up his sleeve, ready for release, including the hotly-anticipated Gladiator sequel alongside Paul Mescal.

The rest of the film's cast list has yet to be announced.

 

When will it be released?

Bret East Ellis's Relapse is still in early stages of production, so there's no set timeline for release as of yet. We'll keep you updated here as we know more.