Emma Roberts and Kiernan Shipka Go Back to School This ‘February’

By  · Published on September 3rd, 2014

Emma Roberts and Kiernan Shipka Go Back to School This ‘February’

FX

High school is rough for everyone, but things get a little more complicated when your prestigious all-girl prep school is severely isolated across a frozen landscape and your parents mysteriously fail to pick you up for winter break. No calls or anything. Such is the case for Rose and Kat, the unfortunate teens at the center of Osgood Perkins’ upcoming film, February.

Described as a coming-of-age horror thriller, the film follows Rose and Kat along with a third young woman named Joan – identified as “beautiful and haunted,” always a great yearbook superlative – who starts a journey to come save them. But as she gets closer, Kat starts experiencing terrifying visions, and Rose is only able to silently watch as she becomes possessed by a sinister, unseen energy.

Emma Roberts and Kiernan Shipka have just signed on to star in the film, but it’s not clear which two of the trio they’ll be playing. Since their casting was listed together, it seems most likely that they’re playing Rose and Kat, the unhappiest prep schoolers with the most negligent parents and school officials in history. Who leaves a couple students unattended at a giant spooky school without checking to see when their parents are retrieving them first? That’s ground for a solid lawsuit.

Roberts is, of course, no stranger to the supernatural and scary after starring in American Horror Story: Coven (surprise, bitch), Scream 4 and Valentine’s Day (which definitely counts as horror). Though she doled out the witchcraft on AHS, here she’ll have to channel the victim and experience the horror herself.

Shipka hasn’t had the same experience in the genre, though she’s experienced the horrors of being a teenager on Mad Men. Forget possession and visions; Shipka has dealt with Don Draper for seven seasons and survived. She’s ready to fight some whiskey-less paranormal activity head on.

Perkins is making his directorial debut with February, but he has a legacy in the horror game. The son of Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates himself), Osgood previously penned the films Removal and Cold Comes the Night. It’s a shame that there aren’t more details available about the plot or casting of the film, because it seems like a simple, compelling premise. A completely young woman-driven horror story that’s not about bikini girls getting slashed on spring break, two fantastically talented actresses at the leads and a taste of the supernatural. Sounds like a great start.