Nerdly » HorRHIFFic 2025: ‘The Reign of Queen Ginnarra’ Review

03rd Mar2025

HorRHIFFic 2025: ‘The Reign of Queen Ginnarra’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Megan Tremethick, Andrew Gourlay, Dorian Todd, Michael Daviot | Written by Lawrie Brewster, Sarah Daly | Directed by Lawrie Brewster

The Reign of Queen Ginnarra, set for a UK release later this year from High Fliers under the more generic title Crown of Shadows, is a dark, Gothic medieval horror film from director Lawrie Brewster and writer Sarah Daly who’ve previously worked together on other Hex Studios productions such as Lord of Tears, The Devil’s Machine, Dragon Knight and The Slave and the Sorcerer.

This latest effort comes from the companies new “strand”, Hex Elder Myths and combines both Brewster and Daly’s past experience in both horror and and action, taking tropes and stereotypes from both genres, fusing medieval fantasy with Lovercraftian horror to deliver what is a sword and sorcery epic. And I don’t use the word epic lightly, because this film runs a whopping 142 minutes!

The film delves into the tumultuous reign of the titular Queen Ginnarra, portrayed by Megan Tremethick (Werewolf Castle, Ghost Crew). Ginnarra’s rule is marked by a mounting obsession to eliminate her exiled brother, Prince Eldoran, played by Andrew Gourlay. Her determination to see him dead drives her to employ any means necessary, including engaging in forbidden rituals to summon monstrous creatures, all while the realm slowly unravels under her rule.

Tremethick’s Queen Ginnarra is depicted as a complex character – terrifying yet tragic, utterly convinced that her actions are justified. Meanwhile, her brother Prince Eldoran thinks the same – he is in the right and his sister is the one who must be stopped – it’s a wonderful dichotomy – two protagonists convinced in the righteousness of their beliefs, the film really exploring the psychological layers of the both characters, giving the film a much deeper emotional core than typical low-budget genre fare.

That deeper core is also reflected in the pacing of the film too – while some may decry the long-running time of the film – its slow-burning intensity allows the narrative to build slowly, to explore more than just the surface-level of the story delivering horror elements that are as psychological as they are visual. And

Director Lawrie Brewster has stated that The Reign of Queen Ginnarra draws inspiration from John Boorman’s Excalibur, classic sword and sorcery tales, the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and the BBC’s I, Claudius and that inspiration is plain to see – especially that of Excalibur and I, Claudius. This film could easily – aside from the use of CGI (and are some of the scenes even AI?) – have been made in that era, when medieval fantasy and historical epics were in vogue and (sometimes) ruled TV and the box office.

Though even back then, between budgets and box-office returns, it was risky to produce this type of genre fare, but in today’s market? It’s even riskier. Post Game of Thrones no-one is producing this type of film, so kudos to Brewster and co. for striving to make films like this and The Slave and the Sorcerer, both of which harken back to another age but also stand out in a sea of generic-looking and generically-themed genre fare.

Ultimately, The Reign of Queen Ginnarra is yet another unique production from Hex Studios and stands as a fantastic example of independent filmmaking, with it’s brilliant blend of medieval fantasy and Lovecraftian horror that manages to merge good storytelling and good action all the while exploring complex themes of power, faith, and morality.