The saying “idle hands are the devil’s playthings” takes on new meaning in the first trailer and poster for gothic horror comedy The Restoration at Grayson Manor, set to arrive this Halloween season.
The Restoration at Grayson Manor is coming to theaters nationwide this October, releasing via Chroma, before arriving On Demand on December 1, 2026.
The Irish gothic horror film is directed by Glenn McQuaid (I Sell the Dead, V/H/S) from a script he co-wrote with Clay McLeod Chapman (Wendell & Wild).
McQuaid even designed the new poster for the film below.
Glee’s Chris Colfer stars as Boyd Grayson, “a hedonistic heir who torments his legacy-obsessed mother, played by genre icon Alice Krige (Star Trek: First Contact). When an accident leaves Boyd handless, she rebuilds him with prosthetics wired to his subconscious, hands that act on his most violent urges. Inside their decaying Gothic estate, those hands unleash horrors on Grayson Manor.“
Colfer and McQuaid will also appear at select screenings for Q&As; stay tuned for more as the theatrical rollout gets announced.
“The Restoration at Grayson Manor is audacious, perverse, and emotionally ferocious,” said Chroma VP Ahbra Perry. “Glenn McQuaid has crafted an unsettling horror story that explores queer identity and repression, and bodily autonomy, in a way that feels both operatic and intimate. We’re thrilled to bring this film to North American audiences, and to showcase Chris Colfer’s powerful return to acting in such a daring, transformative role.”
Deirdre Levins, John McDonnell, and Brendan McCarthy of the Dublin-based Fantastic Films (Vivarium, The Hallow) produce alongside the Vienna-based Thomas Herbert and Florian Brüning of Horse&Fruit.
Trace Thurman wrote in his review of the film’s Fantastic Fest premiere last year, “Restoration is most successful in its smaller moments, specifically those that see Colfer go toe-to-toe with Krige. McQuaid and Chapman’s twisted insults inject a much-needed energy into the proceedings, and it’s a delight to watch Colfer and Krige revel in their awfulness. “
Watch the trailer below.
