Zygi Kamasa’s True Brit Entertainment aims to revive UK’s spooky cinema legacy

Veteran film executive Zygi Kamasa is spearheading a bold revival of Britain’s horror cinema heritage with True Brit Entertainment, the company he launched just 15 months ago. Kamasa has revealed to Deadline that The Dreadful, a 15th-century Gothic horror starring Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, and Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden, will be released in the UK later this year.

Kamasa is passionate about reigniting the UK’s horror legacy, which he believes has waned since the golden era of Hammer films in the 1960s and 70s. “If we’re going to do horror in this country, you can’t copy the Americans. You’ve got to be original,” Kamasa told Deadline. He points to recent successes like Longlegs as proof that horror continues to resonate with audiences, though much of it is American-made.

The Dreadful, directed by Natasha Kermani, was shot in Cornwall and promises an atmospheric, ghost-filled story set in an isolated coastal cottage. “It’s super creepy and very scary,” Kamasa said, adding that the film is “straight horror throughout.”

Another project on Kamasa’s slate is The Scurry, a horror-comedy about killer squirrels written by Tim Telling and directed by Craig Roberts. The film, which Kamasa describes as a nod to Shaun of the Dead but with its own unique spin, stars Ella Purnell as an environmental activist and Rhys Ifans as a rodent catcher. The story unfolds in an eco-forest threatened by toxic waste, driving the squirrels into a murderous frenzy. “You can’t get anything more benign than a squirrel,” Kamasa quipped, explaining the humor and horror mix.

While Kamasa acknowledges that British horror has struggled to produce a bona fide hit in recent decades, he believes the genre can thrive again by embracing British cultural absurdities, much like Shaun of the Dead did. “In American horror movies, they embrace the High School. We have to embrace pubs or the comedy of Britain,” he told Deadline.

Kamasa’s broader slate also includes non-horror projects like Giant, a biopic about boxing legend Prince Naseem “Naz” Hamed starring Amir El-Masry and Pierce Brosnan, and In The Shadows, which tells the story of British-Somalian boxer Ramla Ali.

With two more titles set to be announced soon, Kamasa is determined to put British storytelling at the forefront, whether it’s through chilling ghost stories or tales of killer squirrels. “We have to embrace our culture,” he said, highlighting his commitment to creating distinctive British films for audiences at home and abroad.

Besides, The Dreadful below is the film list so far:

Giant
Dir. Rowan Athale
Producers: Stuart Ford, Mark Lane, Kevin Sampson
Key cast: Pierce Brosnan, Amir El-Masry
Key partners:  AGC Studios, BondIt Media Capital, Balboa Productions, Tea Shop Productions, White Star Productions

In The Shadows
Dir. Anthony Wonke
Producers: Lee Magiday, Madeleine Sanderson
Key cast: Jasmine Jobson, Finn Cole, Gershwyn Eustache Jr
Key partners: Sleeper Films, Altitude, Civic Studios, Affine Films

Marching Powder
Dir. Nick Love
Producers: Chris Clark, Will Clarke
Key cast: Danny Dyer, Stephanie Leonidas, Calum Macnab
Key partners:  Altitude Film Entertainment, Rock Star Games, Redrum Films, Rogue State

The Scurry
Dir. Craig Roberts
Producers: James Swarbrick, Adrian Bate
Key cast: Ella Purnell, Rhys Ifans, Paapa Essiedu
Key partners:  Water & Power Productions, Cliff Edge Pictures, Circus Studios, Ashland Hill Media Finance.

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