A prank gone wrong turns into a night of carnage in Penny Lane is Dead, an Australian horror film landing on Shudder August 28th.

Director Mia-kate Russell sets her debut feature on a sweltering 1986 night, where Penny Lane is celebrating college acceptance with her girlfriends Toni and Amy. When Penny’s jealous cousin Kat decides to spike some cupcakes as a joke, the party devolves into bloodshed. The film doubles as a sapphic love story wrapped in brutal Ozploitation throwback style.

Russell isn’t new to genre work. Her shorts have racked up over 30 awards and screened at SITGES and Screamfest, with Liz Drives and Maggie May each pulling over 100,000 views on ALTER. Critics are already calling Penny Lane is Dead “darkly funny” and “cathartic” (Dread Central), with Bloody Disgusting praising its “modern sapphic lens.”

The film stars Bailey Spalding, Sophia Wright-Mendelsohn, Tahlee Fereday, and Alexandra Jensen. Russell, who made the jump from makeup artist to director, shot the 88-minute feature in Australia with DP Liam Gilmour.

For indie horror fans tired of the same old scares, this one’s bringing the ’80s energy with a fresh perspective.