Sting

Sting is a horror film about Charlotte, a rebellious twelve-year-old living in a rundown apartment building in New York. After a strange egg arrives during a storm, she discovers a small spider and secretly keeps it in a jar as a pet, feeding it and hiding it from her mother and stepfather, Ethan. The spider grows at an alarming rate, shows unusual intelligence and an appetite for blood, and when neighbours begin to disappear, Charlotte and her family are forced to fight for their lives against the creature she raised.

The film was directed and written by Kiah Roache-Turner, his fourth feature after Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead, Nekrotronic and Wyrmwood: Apocalypse. It stars Alyla Browne as Charlotte, Ryan Corr as Ethan, Penelope Mitchell, Kate Walsh, Robyn Nevin and Noni Hazlehurst. Produced by Jamie Hilton, Michael Pontin and Chris Brown, it is an Australian, British and American co-production running 92 minutes.

Released in April 2024, Sting took about 3 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 5.7 from roughly 19,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.2 from around 556 votes. A critics' rating of 5.9 from 115 reviews places it close to the audience scores, suggesting a broadly similar, moderate response from both groups.