Ah, apps. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, there’s no denying that they’re addictive little SOBs and, too often, the downloads that are supposed to make our lives easier often end up running them instead. But what if you downloaded an app that didn’t just help you keep your appointments or tell you your star chart. What if it told you exactly when you were going to die?
Written and directed byJustin Dec, the new STX Films horror movieCountdownasks just that and we’ve got an exclusive first look at the poster art. The film follows a young nurse who downloads the dreadful app, which promises to tell her time of death in advance, and discovers that she only has three days to live. How’s that for a ticking clock? With the final countdown approaching and a mysterious figure haunting her, she has to find a way to save her own life before she gets the worlds worst push notification.
There’s a delightful, high-concept silliness to the idea that makes me excited because if you can pull it off, it’s the kind of plot than can lead to a blast at the movies. And heck, if Takashi Miike could makeOne Missed Callscary, you can definitely make apps scary (especially if the film chooses to tangle with the way they’re taking over our lives, death clock or not.) A similar concept worked out well for the indie rom-comTiMER(not to mentionBlack Mirror’s ‘Hang the DJ’) so I’m curious to see if it pays off as well in the horror genre.
StarringElizabeth Lail,Jordan Calloway,Talitha Bateman,Tichina Arnold,P.J. Byrne, andPeter Facinelliand produced byJohn Rickard,Zack Schiller,Sean Anders,John Morris,Coundownarrives in theaters on July 28, 2025. Check out the key art debut and first-look images below.
Here’s the official synopsis forCountdown:
In COUNTDOWN, when a young nurse (Elizabeth Lail) downloads an app that claims to predict exactly when a person is going to die, it tells her she only has three days to live. With time ticking away and death closing in, she must find a way to save her life before time runs out.
