Jena Malone faces murderous nuns and unholy horrors in trailer for Consecration

Could sinister sisters be covering up a murder in their monastery?

In the upcoming horror film Consecration, Jena Malone (The Ruins, The Neon Demon) plays a woman named Grace who travels to Scotland after being told that her brother has died at a nunnery.

"Jena Malone's character gets a call to say her brother's killed himself but is also the suspect [in] a murder investigation," says director Christopher Smith (Black Death, Triangle). "She is very much an atheist, and her brother's a priest. Not believing her brother would kill himself or kill anyone else, she goes to the nunnery to investigate and gets drawn very much into the story, shall we say."

The film's cast also includes Janet Suzman and Danny Huston.

IFC Midnight 'Consecration'

"At the nunnery, there is a mother superior character played by Janet Suzman, and you do believe that she may be involved in something sinister, or maybe not," says Smith. "Danny Huston, on the other hand, has been flown to the monastery to investigate the murder, and he is slightly more liberal, and he's coming there, you would think, to brush this dirty little problem under the rug."

Smith was inspired to make the movie by his fascination with what he sees as the inherent strangeness of religion, regardless of denomination.

"I'm never more spooked out than if I walk into a church or a temple," says the director who co-wrote the script with Consecration producer Laurie Cook. "I went into a synagogue recently and found the atmosphere in there so electrically-charged. I don't feel that in old houses. I wanted to make a movie about religion but do it seriously."

Consecration costars Thoren Ferguson and Will Keen. IFC Midnight is releasing the film in theaters Feb. 10 and the movie will be available to buy or rent digitally from March 3.

Exclusively watch the trailer for Consecration above.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:

• The terrifying new Evil Dead Rise trailer takes family drama to the next level

• How A24's Bodies Bodies Bodies became the summer's must-see horror-comedy

• Barbarian star Justin Long has the worst meal ever in utterly disgusting NSFW deleted scene

• John Leguizamo says he based on his character in The Menu on Steven Seagal