‘House of the Dragon’ Star Maddie Evans to Lead British Horror ‘Pendle 1612’

British horror is experiencing a renaissance, with independent filmmakers increasingly drawing from the country’s folklore and dark history instead of relying on foreign genre conventions. This trend has led to the creation of some of the most distinctive genre films in recent years, often reimagining real historical tragedies through a contemporary lens.

Maddie Evans has built a diverse résumé early in her career, showcasing her talent in various storytelling forms. From voicing a hedgehog in DreamWorks’s ‘Rhyme Time Town’ to portraying a young Britney Spears in a BBC documentary drama, her most notable role to date has been as Dyana in HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon,’ where she made a significant impact in the first season and returned in the second.

Now, Evans is set to take on a very different project. According to a Deadline exclusive, she has been cast as the lead in the upcoming British horror film ‘Pendle 1612,’ joining newcomer Ella Moss and ‘Shetland’ actress Gemma Laurie. The film draws inspiration from one of England’s most infamous historical witch trials.

Written and directed by Lancashire-born twin filmmakers Liam Bashford and Kyle Bashford, ‘Pendle 1612’ is described as a docu-horror. It follows three young women whose documentary investigation into the disappearance of Evans’s character’s older sister leads them into the haunting landscape surrounding Pendle Hill. In the film, Evans portrays Amy, while Moss plays Hannah and Laurie takes on the role of Meg, as the trio drives the central mystery deeper into the territory associated with Britain’s 1612 witch trials.

The Pendle Witch Trials are among the most documented witch trials in English history. In 1612, twelve individuals from the Pendle Hill area in Lancashire were charged with murder by witchcraft, resulting in ten of them being hanged after a guilty verdict, marking a significant chapter in Britain’s history of witch hysteria.

This real history holds personal significance for the filmmakers. Liam Bashford shared that growing up in Lancashire, the story of the Pendle Witches was always present, influencing his and his brother’s decision to adapt the material through a docu-horror lens rather than a straightforward historical narrative.

Production for ‘Pendle 1612’ will take place on location in Pendle, Lancashire, with principal photography scheduled to commence toward the end of September. The film is being produced by Eleven Eleven Pictures, with the Bashford twins also serving as executive producers on ‘Una Notte,’ a short film produced through Harris Dickinson’s Devisio Pictures.

For Evans, this role represents a significant advancement as she transitions from supporting television roles to leading a film project deeply rooted in her home country’s dark folklore. With the Bashford brothers’ evident personal investment in bringing this chapter of history to life, ‘Pendle 1612’ seems poised to stand out in the current wave of British horror.

As filming approaches and the cast generates excitement, ‘Pendle 1612’ is becoming one of the most anticipated British horror releases to watch this fall. The combination of a rising young cast, a genuinely dark historical backdrop, and filmmakers with a personal connection to the material gives ‘Pendle 1612’ a strong foundation even before production begins. If the final product aligns with its ambitious premise, it could emerge as a standout in the recent surge of British horror.

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