The Wolf and the Lamb (2026 film)
The Wolf and the Lamb is an American supernatural folk horror Western film written and directed by Michael Schilf in his feature directorial debut, from a screenplay he co wrote with Miah Smith. The film stars Cassandra Scerbo, Adrianne Palicki, Jaydon Clark, Eric Nelsen, Angus Macfadyen, Q'orianka Kilcher, Zach McGowan, James Landry Hébert, Sammi Rotibi and Clint Howard as residents of a remote mining camp in the 1870s Montana Territory. It follows Jo Beckett, a widowed schoolteacher whose young son disappears and later returns changed, unleashing a wave of paranoia, violence and supernatural terror in the frontier town.
Produced by Lunar Door, One Of One and Winter State Entertainment, the film is described as a blend of Western, folk horror and vampire film, loosely inspired by Aesop's fable of the same name. Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired United States distribution rights from Concourse Media and plans a limited theatrical and digital release on April 24, 2026.
Premise
In the 1870s, during the westward expansion of the United States, Jo Beckett is a widowed schoolteacher living in a rough mining settlement in the Montana Territory. Her only son, Henry, becomes the latest child to vanish amid a series of unexplained disappearances that have left the frontier community gripped by fear and superstition.
When Henry returns after several days, he seems profoundly altered, exhibiting strange, predatory behaviour that coincides with mutilated livestock, mounting hysteria and outbreaks of violence in the camp. As Jo searches for an explanation, she is drawn into local folklore and religious fervour, confronting a ravenous supernatural force that challenges her faith and sanity and forces her to choose between protecting her child and stopping the spread of the evil afflicting the town.
Cast
- Cassandra Scerbo as Josephine "Jo" Beckett, a widowed schoolteacher
- Jaydon Clark as Henry Beckett, Jo's son
- Adrianne Palicki as Liz, a saloon owner
- Eric Nelsen as Dr Roy Hawkins
- Angus Macfadyen as Reverend Elias Frémont
- Q'orianka Kilcher as Mary
- Zach McGowan as Sheriff Frank Martin
- James Landry Hébert as Deputy Jim Cooley
- Clint Howard as George Derne, an industrialist and mine owner
- Sammi Rotibi as Solomon "Sol" Ross
- Elias Kacavas as Deputy Charlie Quinn
- Kevin Keppy as Lucky
- Rob Nagle as Monsieur Jean Lagrange
- Hanna Balicki as Sara Derne
- William Rothlein as Chief Justice Everett
- Lilliya Scarlett Reid as Alice
- Eadie Gray as Emma
- Mike C. Manning as Silas
Production
thumb|upright=1.2|A map of the Montana Territory published in 1879, the period in which the film is set. Schilf developed The Wolf and the Lamb as a period folk horror thriller set during the western expansion of the late nineteenth century, co writing the screenplay with Miah Smith. In October 2024, trade and genre outlets reported that Cassandra Scerbo and Adrianne Palicki would lead the film, described as a blend of thriller, folk horror and Western, with production underway in Montana. The ensemble cast also includes Angus Macfadyen, Q'orianka Kilcher, Eric Nelsen, Sammi Rotibi, James Landry Hébert, Zach McGowan, Elias Kacavas, Clint Howard, Kevin Keppy, Mike C. Manning, Rob Nagle, Hanna Balicki and William Rothlein.
The film is produced by Chase Kuker, Jordan Kuker and Miah Smith for the Los Angeles-based company Lunar Door, together with Nicholas Clark and Jordan Wagner; James MacMillan and Scerbo produce under their One Of One banner. Makeup artist Ve Neill and actor Mike C. Manning serve as executive producers, while Winter State Entertainment provides post production services. According to the Yellowstone Film Ranch and production coverage, principal photography was carried out on location in Montana, including an 1870s style Western town set at the Yellowstone Film Ranch near Chico Hot Springs, with the shoot completed in 2024.
The original score for the film was composed by the duo Chromosomes, consisting of Chase Kuker and Ryan D. Wood, with additional music by Hudson Laird. A thirty track soundtrack album, The Wolf And The Lamb (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), will be released digitally in April 2026.
Release
In February 2026, Variety reported that Samuel Goldwyn Films had acquired United States distribution rights to The Wolf and the Lamb from Concourse Media ahead of the European Film Market in Berlin; the news was widely relayed by horror outlets including Bloody Disgusting and Dread Central. Samuel Goldwyn stated that it planned a 2026 theatrical and digital rollout for the film.
On April 14 and 15, 2026, Samuel Goldwyn Films released the official trailer, which was premiered online through sites such as Bloody Disgusting, Flickering Myth and JoBlo, positioning the film as a nineteenth century folk horror Western with vampire elements. The Wolf and the Lamb was released in select theaters in the United States and on digital platforms on April 24, 2026, by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
thumb|upright=1.2|Albert Bierstadt's painting Yellowstone Falls has been used in coverage to evoke the film's frontier setting.