Photo credits: Veleda Thorsson Photography

Haunters of the Silence, a 71-minute experimental folk horror film built around dark ambient and ritual folk soundscapes, has been released.

This micro-budget feature rejects traditional horror film structure in favor of a slow, suffocating atmosphere. It abandons dialogue almost entirely, relying on its ritualistic ambient soundtrack. Constructed from the crew’s experiences with sleep paralysis, the film unfolds like an extended dark ambient composition, where layers of drone, distortion, and acoustic folk instrumentation shape the psychological dreamscape.

Pre-order and streaming options can be found through this link: https://linktr.ee/hauntersofthesilence

The film includes musical contributions from John Haughm, frontman of the black metal metal band Agalloch, whose signature droning guitar work helped shape the film’s introspective atmosphere. Some other artists who contributed to the film’s score include the experimental ambient project Ravnblod, nordic folk band Ubbe & Visbur and lovecraftian dark ambient artist Enter Cthulhu.

The film was written and directed by Tatu Heikkinen and Veleda Thorsson-Heikkinen, with the latter also responsible for the film’s cinematography. Veleda is previously known for her work with metal band photography.

Haunters of the Silence premiered at Serbest International Film Festival in September of 2025, and won the award for “Best Experimental Film” at Paris Film Awards in October of the same year. DVD + CD is available for pre-order through Savo-Karelian Productions. The film is also streaming on Tubi and Fawesome.