Split Rock // 59th Sitges Film Festival Review

Split Rock is a new cosmic horror feature from director Ryan Glover (Strings) that premiered at the 59th Sitges Film Festival on October 9, 2026, ahead of its North American premiere at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival on October 21, 2026. Split Rock is an atmospheric slow-burn, but does it go beyond surface-level cosmic horror?

Geologists and couple, Lauren (Clark Backo) and Ben (Drew Ray Tanner), along with their team of Trevor (Graham Verchere) and Sam (Olivia Luccardi), uncover an unusual anomaly buried deep within the remote badlands. As the team investigates, strange things begin to occur, including equipment malfunctions and unusual behavior among the team. Lauren becomes obsessed with an ancient stone that harbors an intelligence that existed long before time had even a name.

Now that we have a perfect vehicle for cosmic horror, the road should be paved smoothly for success. Unfortunately, Split Rock is as rocky a road as it gets. The surface offers beautiful imagery and an amazing score. However, as you join the journey to uncover what lies beneath, you find there isn’t much.

The Good

Split Rock’s visuals were stunning, thanks to the beautiful landscape and the 16mm format. This gave it a more weathered look, almost like they were on another planet. The score was subtly strong and really set the tone that danger was ahead. The practical effects when dealing with the body horror were so well done. It did a lot of heavy lifting in keeping up the engagement in Split Rock.

The Bad

Split Rock seems to struggle most with pacing and delivering the real weight of what cosmic horror can do. We get it, there is an amazing backdrop to show. But these extremely long-lasting shots start to take away the tension that you should be feeling. Cosmic horror is scary because it has the ability to make you feel so small in a vast universe. Split Rock will take you close to that feeling and then take you right back out of it. The danger never really ever feels bigger than what is nearby. 

Split Rock will not be for everyone, but if nothing else, you can check it out for an unbelievable score, plus great visuals and practical effects. Shudder recently announced it has acquired the rights to Split Rock and will release it on the streaming platform on December 25th.