Written by: Sam Santiago
Grief horror is having a moment, but "Salt Along the Tongue" looks like it’s about to drag that idea somewhere far more intimate… and a lot more unsettling.
The new trailer for writer and director Parish Malfitano’s second feature introduces us to Mattia (Laneikka Denne), a teenager forced into a new life after the sudden death of her mother. With nowhere else to go, she moves in with her aunt Carol, who just happens to be her mother’s identical twin. If that already sounds like emotional whiplash waiting to happen, the film wastes no time twisting the knife.
The film is set to hit VOD this Friday (May1st), and you can check out that new trailer below.
It’s a strange, eerie hook that instantly separates "Salt Along the Tongue" from the usual possession formula, leaning into something more symbolic, more personal, and honestly, more uncomfortable in the best way. Think less jump scares, more slow-burn dread with a heavy emotional undercurrent.
Malfitano pulls directly from his Italian heritage here, grounding the film in the concept of the malocchio, also known as the evil eye. That cultural layer gives the story a sense of authenticity while adding a supernatural framework that feels ancient and deeply rooted rather than just another exorcism retread.
The film also wears its influences proudly. There are clear echoes of Volver, Possession, 3 Women, and Don't Look Now woven into the DNA here, which should give you a pretty solid idea of the tone. This isn’t loud horror. It’s the kind that lingers, sits with you, and probably makes you a little uneasy about your next family dinner.
Adding to its credibility, the screenplay was previously recognized as a semi-finalist in American Zoetrope Screenplay Competition, founded by Francis Ford Coppola, which is not nothing.
Malfitano has described the film as “a love letter to my mother,” which gives everything you see in the trailer an added layer of weight. Underneath the possession and supernatural elements, this looks like a story about loss, identity, and unresolved family ties that refuse to stay buried.
Salt Along the Tongue clocks in at 113 minutes, is unrated, and comes out of Australia in 2024.
If the trailer is anything to go by, this one isn’t just about what’s haunting Mattia… it’s about what refuses to let her go.
