New horror thriller Darkness Reigns stars Casper Van Dien as… himself?

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Well, this should be interesting. It looks like Casper Van Dien (STARSHIP TROOPERS) is starring in an all-new supernatural horror-thriller called DARKNESS REIGNS. No, that's not the interesting part. That happens all the time nowadays. No, here is the interesting part – he will be playing… himself?

Yep, it looks like Van Dien will be going full-meta in Andrew P. Jones' new film alongside co-stars Zachary Mooren, Linara Washington, and Jennifer Wenger as a group of filmmakers shooting a movie in a reportedly haunted hotel. The movie will be hitting VOD via Wild Eye Releasing on July 10 with a DVD release to follow later this year.

Again, Van Dien plays himself in:

A clever spookfest from Emmy nominee Andrew P. Jones about a group of filmmakers shooting a movie in a reportedly haunted hotel that are faced with an unfathomable demonic force that possesses and attacks both the crew and the film’s star, Casper Van Dien. Will the film’s director be able to escape with the paranormal proof he has captured, or will he succumb to the hellish plans of the demon who has surfaced?

If all of that sounds interesting to you, you can check out the movie's poster and trailer below. I'm thinking if this film keeps its tongue firmly planted in its cheek, we should be in for some good meta-horror times at the movies. However, if it just all-but brushes past the fact that Van Dien is playing himself, and makes him little more than square-jawed canon fodder, we might be in for another low-budget slog through the haunted hospital subgenre. Urgh. At least it's not a haunted abandoned mental asylum. 

We'll see this July!