Dave Boyle’s ‘Never After Dark’ Earns Strong Notices After SXSW World Premiere

Overview

• The Japanese haunted-house film, written and directed by Dave Boyle, debuted at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival.
• Moeka Hoshi stars as Airi, a traveling medium hired to cleanse a secluded countryside hotel of a dangerous presence.
• Critics highlight distinctive supernatural mechanics, including candle-and-zoetrope trances and a ghost visible mainly in reflections.
• The grotesque antagonist, often called the Gaping Mouth Man and portrayed by Mutsuo Yoshioka, draws praise for its unsettling practical-effects design.
• Reviews also note a tender sisterhood between Airi and her teen sister Miku as a key emotional thread, with distribution and release dates still unannounced.