Waves of Madness Trailer and Poster Introduces Side-Scroll Horror

Multihyphenate actor, writer, and director Jason Trost danced his way into hearts as JTRO in “Beat Beat Revelation” in apocalyptic cult gem The FP, and he’s leveling up his with his new video game-inspired horror feature, The Waves of Madness. 

We can exclusively reveal the new trailer and poster below from Umbrella Entertainment.

Visionary writer/director Jason Trost (The FP series, All Superheroes Must Die) uniquely blends classic horror influences with the latest in digital filmmaking technology, forging a new frontier in modern independent cinema. While touted as the first side-scrolling horror adventure film, pulling from classic video game influences, The Waves of Madness is also inspired by the timeless terror of 1930s monster movies.

The Waves of Madness follows “a special agent dispatched to investigate a distress call from a round-the-world cruise. Upon arrival, the agent finds the ship eerily abandoned and haunted by a malevolent force that distorts reality and warps sanity into terror.”

The trailer emphasizes the retro, side-scrolling fun, while the brand-new poster teases a rather Lovecraftian foe ahead. The film does take place at sea, after all.

Trost stars alongside Ryan Gibson and Tallay Wickham.

“With The Waves of Madness, I wanted to create something that felt like it was from another dimension—a film that combines the nostalgia of old-school horror with the innovation of modern technology,” says Trost. “It’s a tribute to the films that shaped me and a statement about where I believe the genre can go.”

The Waves of Madness will have its world premiere at Nightmares Film Festival in Columbus, Ohio this October before its wider festival run. The film is scheduled for a release in early 2025 in Australia and New Zealand by Umbrella Entertainment, who are also handling the rest of the world rights. 

Stay tuned for additional details, including US distribution, as they arrive.