Run Sweetheart Run - What We Know So Far

Since breaking into Hollywood with a little help from the no-budget supernatural thriller turned blockbuster franchise opener "Paranormal Activity," Blumhouse Productions has become the premiere player in Tinseltown when it comes to horror tales fronting as much style as they do brains. And if you doubt that statement, we'd remind you that Blumhouse is the production house behind such modern horror classics as Mike Flanagan's "Oculus," Jordan Peele's "Get Out," M. Night Shyamalan's "Split," and Leigh Whannell's "The Invisible Man."

With projects like "Halloween Kills," "The Forever Purge," and more on the way, Blumhouse is set to keep the market cornered on high-minded horror for some time. You can go ahead and add "Run Sweetheart Run" to the list of upcoming Blumhouse films that'll no doubt raise the eyebrows and pulses of genre lovers when it gets released, though we're betting many of you have yet to hear about this thriller. Should that be the case, we're happy to provide some details that'll likely land the film on your "must-see horror flicks" list. Here's everything we know so far about "Run Sweetheart Run."

Even if you've never heard of "Run Sweetheart Run," given the way things have gone over the past year-plus, you might still have questions about not just when, but if the film will be hitting theaters. Those questions are well-founded, because the pandemic has made the road to release for "Run Sweetheart Run" a dicey one. "Run Sweetheart Run" actually had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in the early days of 2020, with critics largely praising the project for its visceral thrills. The film was quickly slotted in for theatrical release a couple of months later (per Deadline), until the pandemic shuttered theaters the world over.

With no theaters to release the film, Blumhouse began eyeing alternate release strategies, and eventually found a solid fit for their little thriller at Amazon Studios. According to that Deadline piece, Amazon picked up rights to "Run Sweetheart Run" with plans to release the film on its Prime Video platform. That plan was formulated well over a year ago, however, and "Run Sweetheart Run" has yet to hit the platform. As it is, there's been no official word from Amazon about when it will. We'll let you know as soon as a release date is confirmed.

Although we don't yet know when we'll get to see "Run Sweetheart Run," we actually can tell you who'll be appearing in the film when it finally lands on Amazon Prime Video. The cast of the new flick is indeed quite impressive, with star and relative newcomer Ella Balinska ("Charlie's Angels") no doubt looking to make the film a legit breakout moment.

Balinska is joined on screen by a couple of actors whose faces will be more than a little bit familiar to television fans. Chief among them is that of Pilou Asbæk, whose recent screen credits include "Game of Thrones" (he was Euron Greyjoy), and the WWII horror thriller "Overlord." Also among the film's supporting cast is Clark Gregg ("The Avengers," "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."), Shohreh Agdashloo ("The Expanse," "The Punisher"), Betsy Brandt ("Breaking Bad"), Aml Ameen ("Sense8"), and Jess Gabor ("Shameless"). While it certainly appears Balinska and Asbæk will be front and center for most of the action in "Run Sweetheart Run," it's obviously good news they'll be trading scenes with such an esteemed cast of supporting players.

As for what "Run Sweetheart Run" is about, writer-director Shana Feste has conjured a doozy of a narrative that she told The Wrap was actually based on an unsettling event from her own life. Seems that event was indeed a first date gone horribly wrong, though one can only hope it didn't go quite as wrong as the one she depicts in "Run Sweetheart Run."

Feste's film reportedly follows a young single mother (Balinska) who's ready to dip a toe back into the dating world. She's initially delighted when her boss sets her up with a handsome acquaintance (Asbæk), and even more so when the man proves as charming and good-looking as she'd could have hoped. Unfortunately, he's hiding a sinister secret behind all that charm. Things soon go sideways in shocking fashion, with the woman literally running for her life in the wee hours of the morning on foot, and with her attacker in hot pursuit. 

That harrowing setup should be more than enough to peak your interest in "Run Sweetheart Run," with Feste and company promising a socially conscious horror tale very much of the moment. Here's hoping "Run Sweetheart Run" delivers the goods when it finally makes its way into the world.