Built around an old supernatural idea given a very modern doorway, DO YOU WANT TO PLAY? begins at the launch party for the D3MON app, where Emily and her friends play the original D3MON BOARD that inspired it. As the group begins using the physical board, the app starts communicating with them too. What was meant to be a party game suddenly becomes something much more dangerous — an invitation they have no idea how to take back.
At the center of the film is Quinn Aune as Emily, a teenager fighting to hold onto her identity as the possession becomes more personal and more dangerous. The role gives Aune a demanding showcase that moves between grounded teen drama, physical horror and the emotional strain of a young woman slowly losing control of herself.
Aune is quickly emerging as a young actress to watch. In addition to leading DO YOU WANT TO PLAY?, she plays the young Anya Taylor-Joy in Apple TV’s Lucky and the young Nicole Kidman in Amazon’s Scarpetta (2026). Lyon says the film depended on finding an actress who could make the supernatural elements feel real without ever losing the character underneath them.
“Quinn had to do a lot in this movie, but the most important thing was that Emily always felt like a real person,” says Lyon. “She never played the ‘horror movie’ version of the character. She played a teenager who is scared, angry and slowly realizing that she may not be in control of her own life anymore. That made everything around her much more frightening.”
Joining Aune are Max Mushallo as Owen and Leo Larson as Tommy, the two young men pulled into Emily’s increasingly dangerous situation from very different directions. Atlas Von Poncet also appears in the film and serves as an executive producer. Together, the younger cast gives the movie the feeling of a real group of friends before the supernatural story begins to tear those relationships apart.
The ensemble is joined by veteran actor Ricco Ross, whose credits include James Cameron’s Aliens and Netflix’s Beauty in Black. Ross plays Gary, a former Jesuit and paranormal broadcaster who realizes that what the teenagers have encountered is considerably older than the technology carrying it. His character brings a different weight to the story, connecting the film’s digital mythology to something much older and more spiritual.
DO YOU WANT TO PLAY? was produced by Nick Lyon alongside Scary Content’s Glenn Kendrick Ackermann and David Marsh. Ackermann and Marsh are also handling international sales through Scary Content, bringing the film to buyers as it begins its festival life. Michael Von Poncet and Atlas Von Poncet serve as executive producers, with Michelle “Mini” Ng as co-producer. The film was shot by cinematographer Jeffrey Carolan, edited by Sean Olson, ACE, with music by Christopher Cano.
For Lyon, the movie is a contemporary possession story rather than a warning about phones or apps. “Every generation finds a new way to talk to the unknown,” he says. “The phone is just the newest doorway. The technology isn’t the monster — it’s the delivery system.”
Lyon has directed more than 40 films across horror, action, science fiction and thriller, and DO YOU WANT TO PLAY? brings that genre experience into a smaller, more character-driven story about first love, friendship, family and identity. The supernatural mythology may drive the plot, but Lyon says the movie only works if audiences care about Emily, Tommy and Owen before things begin to unravel.
“I’m genuinely excited that the first festival audience to see the film will be at FrightFest,” Lyon says. “That crowd knows horror inside out, and they’re there because they love movies. It feels like exactly the right place to put this one in front of an audience for the first time.”
The FrightFest screening marks the film’s first festival presentation and gives the cast and filmmakers an opportunity to introduce DO YOU WANT TO PLAY? directly to one of the genre’s most enthusiastic audiences.
FRIGHTFEST 2026 SCREENING
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DO YOU WANT TO PLAY?
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Sunday, August 30, 2026 • 3:45 PM
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FrightFest London 2026
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ABOUT DO YOU WANT TO PLAY?
At the launch party for the D3MON app, teenager Emily plays the original D3MON BOARD — the occult spirit board that inspired the software. As the game begins, the app starts communicating with the group as well, turning a piece of old supernatural folklore into something immediate and impossible to ignore. When an ancient presence begins taking control of Emily, her boyfriend Tommy and programmer Owen are forced to find a way to close the door before the possession becomes permanent.
KEY CREDITS
Written / Directed by: Nick Lyon
Starring: Quinn Aune, Max Mushallo, Leo Larson, Ricco Ross, Atlas Von Poncet and ensemble cast
Produced by: Nick Lyon / Glenn Kendrick Ackermann / David Marsh
Executive Producers: Michael Von Poncet / Atlas Von Poncet
Co-Producer: Michelle “Mini” Ng
Director of Photography: Jeffrey Carolan
Edited by: Sean Olson, ACE
Music by: Christopher Cano
International Sales: Scary Content — Glenn Kendrick Ackermann / David Marsh
TRAILER & SOCIAL
Official Trailer: https://youtu.be/6AvJmdL2iTs
Nick Lyon Instagram: @nicklyondirector
FrightFest Instagram: @frightfestUK
FrightFest X: @frightfest
FrightFest Facebook: FrightFestreal
FrightFest Website: www.frightfest.co.uk
