“Getting in is hard. Getting out is hell.”
That tagline's good. The rest? We'll see.
Lionsgate has dropped the first trailer and poster for Do Not Enter, a new horror feature from longtime music video director Marc Klasfeld—his first stab at narrative filmmaking. The premise is built like scaffolding over half a dozen other genre flicks: urban explorers livestreaming from a haunted hotel, creepy creatures in the walls, a rumored treasure, and a rival crew willing to kill for clout. It's like The Descent meets The Collector, with some REC-style vertical claustrophobia thrown in for good measure.
The visual setup is pure haunted derelict chic. The Paragon Hotel—fictional, but dressed like a relic from Jersey's forgotten underbelly—is all flaking paint and boarded windows, wrapped in shadow and suspicion. And then there's the title, Do Not Enter, scrawled in blood-red across the building in the poster, surrounded by enormous, demonic hands clutching the facade. Subtle? Not remotely. Effective? Sure.
The cast is made up of genre regulars and up-and-comers: Jake Manley, Adeline Rudolph, Francesca Reale, Shane Paul McGhie, Kai Caster, Nicholas Hamilton, and Javier Botet—yes, that Javier Botet, the long-limbed shape of so many nightmares (Mama, The Conjuring 2, It). They play a crew called “The Creepers,” whose live content thrives on daring, foolish stunts. Naturally, they ignore all warnings, charge into the Paragon, and find something more hellish than ghost stories: a blood-soaked game of survival, where the supernatural competes with human greed.
Now, the trailer itself is… busy. There's screaming, sprinting, ghouls lurching in low light. One-liners like “Do not run. Do not panic.” It's trying very hard to be menacing, but winds up feeling like a highlight reel of other people's nightmares. You can spot direct nods—intentional or not—to Saw's traps, The Watchers' isolated dread, and even Grave Encounters' spiraling madness. And with Stephen Susco (The Grudge, Unfriended: Dark Web) on the writing team, you'd expect a little more tonal clarity.
Marc Klasfeld, to his credit, has decades of visual flair under his belt, having worked with everyone from Jay-Z to Katy Perry. But stylish videos and sustainable narratives are different beasts. Does he pull it off here? Hard to say. The atmosphere is dialed to eleven, but if there's no substance behind the set dressing, all you've got is an echo chamber of horror tropes.
One thing's for sure: this isn't prestige horror. It's not aiming to be Hereditary or The Babadook. It wants to be a thrill ride—a midnight flick you scream through and forget by morning. And that's fine. But even roller coasters need solid rails.
The film is adapted from David Morrell's novel Creepers, which had a stronger sense of psychological tension and less creature-feature chaos. So fans of the book might be surprised—or disappointed—by the tonal shift. Either way, it's another notch in Lionsgate's ever-expanding horror belt.
There's no official release date yet, but Do Not Enter is slated to hit U.S. theaters sometime in 2025. Expect more marketing noise closer to launch—maybe even an immersive promo campaign targeting TikTok's thrill-seeking crowd. After all, this is a movie about clout-chasing kids getting eaten alive by their own bravado. Meta, much?
Why Do Not Enter Might Be Too Familiar for Horror Fans
A Director Known for Flash, Not Fright
Marc Klasfeld has directed dozens of high-profile music videos, but this marks his first attempt at a feature-length narrative. His visual instincts are strong—whether they translate to sustained horror is still a question.
The Setup Leans Heavily on Genre Tropes
Urban explorers, a haunted hotel, a legendary treasure, and rival thrill-seekers—it's a genre cocktail that tastes awfully familiar, even before the first jump scare lands.
The Poster Screams, Literally
A giant decrepit hotel gripped by monster hands, with blood-red graffiti splashed across the windows. It's loud, it's pulpy, and it doesn't whisper nuance.
Trailer Offers Glimpses of Horror History
Sharp-eyed viewers will catch visual cues lifted from Saw, The Descent, Grave Encounters, and The Watchers. Homage or retread—it depends on your tolerance.
The Source Material Had a Different Tone
David Morrell's Creepers was a tense, grounded psychological thriller. This adaptation leans more into creature feature territory, risking tonal whiplash for fans of the book.
No Firm Release Date, Just 2025
Lionsgate has confirmed a theatrical release sometime in 2025, but they're holding the exact date close for now—likely waiting to see where it fits in a crowded horror slate.
What do you think—another forgettable scare-fest or the next cult hit in disguise? Sound off below.
