Departing Seniors (2023)

Last updated on April 17th, 2024 at 07:09 am

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Mexican-American and queer, high school student Javier doesn’t exactly fit in with the popular kids. But he might be the only one who can save them. After an act of bullying sends Javier to the hospital, he begins experiencing visions that foresee glimpses of shocking murders at his school right before they happen. Now, in between navigating the social hierarchies and prejudices of clique culture, Javier and his best friend Bianca must try to unmask a serial killer before he strikes again.

Dark Sky Films distributes in the US.

Filmed in Chicago.

The feature film directorial debut of Clare Cooney, who was quoted saying: “I couldn’t have asked for a more ambitious and exciting first feature. Jose’s sharp, funny, moving script is an ode to so many classic genre films, and yet uniquely its own. It has been exhilarating to dive into collaborating on this project with a team as diverse as the characters on the page. I look forward to heading back to my artistic home of Chicago to bring this suspenseful, whip-smart, thrilling script to life.”

It’s said that the film puts a “fresh spin on teen slasher movies like Scream and Freaky, updating them by putting its queer protagonist and characters of color front and center.”

Described as a “horror-comedy with a sarcastic, whip-smart edge and appealingly complex characters.”

Dark Sky Films released Departing Seniors in Select Theaters and on VOD/PVOD platforms on February 2, 2024.

IMDb

Director: Clare Cooney