
From Putrid Herring To Anthony Hopkins: How ‘Locked' Pulled Off The Most Hellish Vehicular Experience Since ‘Christine'
Bill Skarsgård in the Horror/Thriller film LOCKED, a The Avenue release.
From a certain point-of-view, cars are nothing more than very expensive death traps.
Director David Yarovesky (Brightburn, Nightbooks) takes that perspective quite literally in his latest effort, Locked, a unique psychological thriller co-starring Bill Skarsgård and two-time Academy Award recipient Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs, The Father). An English-language remake of the Argentine release 4x4, the film centers around Eddie (Skarsgård), a cash-strapped deadbeat and failure of a father who makes the grievous error of breaking into a luxury SUV that just so happens to be a trap set by William, an unhinged millionaire (Anthony Hopkins) with a personal grudge against brazen vandals and way too much time on his hands.
Once Eddie closes the door of the vehicle — a sinister model called 'Dolus' (the Latin word for a deceitful trick) — he's locked inside without food, water, or any means of contacting the outside world for days on end. In essence, he becomes William's hapless plaything, tortured with electrified seats, a mercurial A/C system, an eardrum-bursting stereo system, and remote steering. It's less cat and mouse and more cat catches mouse and makes the poor thing suffer.
'It really drew me into this thing," Yarovesky says of the screenplay written by Michael Arlen Ross (The Throwaways, Oracle). 'It was like, 'Wow, I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to make this compelling.' I wanted to explore that and as we began to pull that thread, I started saying, 'I want to shoot the inside of this car like no one's ever shot inside of a car before. I want to be able to shoot it in crazy ways.''
The filmmaker was also excited by the idea of another collaboration with producer and legendary genre auteur, Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Spider-Man), who doesn't bring a massive ego to the table, despite his great professional success.
'Oftentimes, when you hear about people who struggled on a movie with a producer, it's because the producer had a vision for the film and director had a vision for the film, and they fought about it the whole time,' Yarovesky says. '[By the end of that scenario]
Rather than just have Skarsgård sitting 'in the car on a soundstage surrounded by green screens" for the entire shoot (as would be the case if a much less ambitious storyteller had been at the helm), the production team 'built the car in a break-apart way,' Yarovesky explains. 'It was on a platform and each segment of the car was on rails. So one person could very easily slide a segment of the car back and forth or lock it in if Bill had to smash on it or whatever."
He continues: 'We built this complicated little box and it allowed us to execute these crazy shots, where we could coordinate with the camera team and have people almost puppeting the set. [They were] moving chunks of it out of the way and bringing it back in, allowing the camera to get into places that cameras don't really go to, and really allowing us to search the space in a really unique way.'
In addition, Yarovesky tasked cinematographer Michael Dallatorre with developing a special kind of anamorphic lens that would allow for a classic cinematic look in the movie's confined space. Usually, 'you can't get a camera in a car and shoot an actor and focus on him if you're gonna shoot anamorphic,' notes the director. 'I think we shot with the widest anamorphic lens Panavision's ever made, [and] it was custom-made for us … Instead of falling into genre conventions for trapped-in-a-car movies, I wanted to shoot it like a movie. Make it feel cinematic and and keep it feeling tense. Never let that environment be a roadblock, but allow it to be an opportunity."
'Locked' director David Yarovesky
When it came to the interior design of the dastardly Dolus car itself, Yarovesky wanted to avoid the 'heightened' aesthetic one often sees in the genre of films where a person finds themselves trapped in a claustrophobic space.
'What was really important to me, was authenticity and believability," he says. 'I didn't want this car to become a James Bond car where someone designed these crazy gadgets and you have to solve things … I don't know if you've ever had your house or car broken into, but it's a horrible feeling. I can understand, to an extent, a desire to have justice and so, what would it be like if someone was crazy enough and and deranged enough to actually modify a car to trap someone inside? We really went through a lot of extensive detail to try to be as authentic as possible."
Such detail included little Easter eggs on the exterior of the car that allude to William's dark sense of ironic humor. Not only does the name 'Dolus' hint at the character's nefarious intentions (as mentioned above), but the logo and license plate reflect Lady Justice and the US penal code for the death penalty, respectively. 'If you were smart enough to know that, you wouldn't get in that car," stresses the director. "He gave everyone every opportunity to not get in that car.'
Yarovesky's commitment to reality also meant shooting on location in Vancouver whenever possible. In particular, he wanted the city's rampant homelessness and drug epidemic reflect the film's overarching themes about haves and have-nots living together in the same metropolis. In true Se7en fashion, however, the rain-drenched environment is never named aloud, giving it the aura of any contemporary American city.
'It's surreal because it's surrounded by people of wealth," Yarovesky says of Vancouver's iconic Hastings Street. '[There are] foodie restaurants where have people passed-out from drug use in front of the restaurant.' But being on the ground meant constant sweeps for used needles and the risk of having buckets of human waste dumped onto the crew. 'We were in it. We were in really gnarly places. But I thought that this movie had to take us there.'
Bill Skarsgård in the Horror/Thriller film LOCKED, a The Avenue release.
At the end of the day, though, the project would live or die on the performance of its leading man, who 'proves again that he's a movie star,' gushes the director. 'He was in for the challenge and he went to crazy places with me. He allowed me to drag him through hell to make this movie as authentic as possible.'
Skarsgård impressively brings a visceral sense of believability and palpable desperation to the character of Eddie. In one particularly memorable scene, he attempts to stave off severe dehydration by drinking his own urine, but can't bring himself to go through with the unthinkable action. 'We know what people really look like when [they have] an involuntary physical reaction, when they're repulsed by something. I didn't want him to fake it," the director adds. "I wanted it to be real,'
The actor's retching was completely genuine, a natural result of malodorous Surströmming juice poured inside the water bottle prop. Thankfully, he didn't have to drink the liquid for real, but it did make for one smelly day of shooting.
'What we didn't think about was once he opened it, was how that entire box would just be full of that smell for the rest of the take,' Yarovesky says of the Swedish delicacy made of fermented herring that inspired a viral internet challenge. 'And additionally, I didn't want Bill to sit there on a soundstage while people shook the car. So we put him in a car with a stunt driver driving around, tossing him around the inside of the car. We really put Bill through it physically and mentally.'
Anthony Hopkins in the Horror/Thriller film LOCKED, a The Avenue release.
On the flip side of things, Hopkins brings a malevolent gravitas to William, calling on his iconic tenure as Hannibal Lecter to play the car's vindictive and psychopathic owner. He was so intrigued by the role, that he immediately began slipping into character during his first meeting with Yarovesky over breakfast in Los Angeles.
'At that breakfast, he would look at me and just become William. He would start talking to me like I was Eddie, telling me I got in the wrong car, and doing it in the way that only Anthony Hopkins can. It was terrifying,' Yarovesky remembers. 'I found him to be such a delight. We spoke almost every night in the few weeks before shooting, talking about the character, working on aspects of it. It was such an exciting thing to be able to work with one of the greatest actors of all time on that character.'
With so much care and talent involved in turning a simple premise into a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience, Yarovesky hopes viewers will get their butts in gear (pun intended) and seriously consider checking out Locked in theaters, rather than waiting for it to become available on digital platforms.
"We made this movie with the audience in mind," the filmmaker concludes. 'We made the movie for people to enjoy, for them to come out and watch it on a big screen. It's a movie where you react. You can feel the tension in the room, you can hear the gasps from the audience. And it's a totally different experience in the theater than it will be at home, eventually. I was fortunate enough to have an incredible producer and two of the best actors alive to help me make this thing for the audience. But I think I speak for everyone when I say, we made it for you.'
Locked is now playing in theaters everywhere. Click here for tickets!
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
FOX NATION INKS NEW DEAL WITH MARTIN SCORSESE FOR CONTINUATION OF HIT DOCUDRAMA "MARTIN SCORSESE PRESENTS: THE SAINTS"
Hosted, Narrated and Executive Produced by Scorsese, Eight New Episodes to Premiere in Season Two NEW YORK, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- FOX Nation has signed a new deal with celebrated Academy Award-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese for season two of the breakout docudrama "Martin Scorsese Presents: THE SAINTS", announced FOX News Media Chief Digital Officer and Chief Marketing Officer Jason Klarman. Hosted, narrated and executive produced by Mr. Scorsese, the latest deal encompasses eight all-new episodes, which will premiere in November 2025 and run through Spring of 2026. Featuring a singular saint per episode, season two will bring viewers the powerful stories of eight saints, including Saint Mary the Virgin, Saint Peter, Saint Carlo Acutis, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Longinus, Saint Lucia, and Saint Thomas Becket. Over the course of the exclusive docudrama, Mr. Scorsese explores the lives of these extraordinary figures and their extreme acts of kindness, selflessness, and sacrifice. Created by Matti Leshem and developed by Mr. Scorsese for Lionsgate Alternative Television, the series will premiere in two parts, with the first four episodes set to roll out weekly, beginning in November 2025, and the final set to conclude in May 2026, spanning the Holy season. In making the announcement, Mr. Klarman said, "It was evident our subscribers wanted more, and we delivered. We're thrilled to welcome back Mr. Scorsese for season two of THE SAINTS, it truly has been a remarkable partnership." Mr. Scorsese added, "For many years, I dreamed of telling stories of the lives of the saints. It's been an obsession of mine for as long as I can remember. So the chance to do this series meant the world to me, and it's heartening to know that people have responded to it. I'm very excited to be coming back for a second season." Creator Matti Leshem remarked, "We were thrilled by the response to season one and are deeply grateful to FOX Nation for the opportunity to continue telling these extraordinary stories. THE SAINTS celebrates the very best of humanity—courage, sacrifice, and above all, faith." The first season of "Martin Scorsese Presents: THE SAINTS" shattered viewership records for the streaming service, establishing itself as FOX Nation's highest engaged and most watched series of all time. Episodes of Joan of Arc, John the Baptist, Sebastian, Maximillian Kolbe, Francis of Assisi, Mary Magdalene, and Moses the Black have generated millions of unique views. During each month of release, the docudrama was the top performer on the platform for November 2024 and December 2024, and April 2025. A once in-a-generation artist and the most influential filmmaker of all time, Scorsese won an Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture for his film The Departed in 2007. Scorsese also directed The Wolf of Wall Street and The Irishman, which both received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Picture. His most recent critically acclaimed film, Killers of The Flower Moon, made its World Premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, received 10 Oscar nominations, and was released exclusively in theaters worldwide in October 2023 before it began streaming globally on Apple TV+ in January 2024. He has directed numerous documentaries including the Peabody Award-winning No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, the Emmy Award-winning George Harrison: Living in the Material World, the Emmy nominated docuseries Pretend It's a City and the critically acclaimed feature docs The Last Waltz and Personality Crisis: One Night Only. Written by Kent Jones, who frequently collaborates with Scorsese, "Martin Scorsese Presents: THE SAINTS" was directed by Matti Leshem and Elizabeth Chomko in season one. Additional executive producers alongside Scorsese and Leshem include Craig Piligian, Julie Yorn, Rick Yorn, and Christopher Donnelly. Along with Lionsgate, the series was produced by Sikelia Productions, Weimaraner Republic Pictures, and LBI Entertainment. FOX Nation is a direct-to-consumer on-demand streaming service designed to complement the FOX News Channel experience with a members-only destination for its most passionate and loyal super fans. Featuring nearly 10,000 hours of content, the subscription service includes lifestyle and entertainment content, as well as historical documentaries and investigative series from a multitude of FOX News personalities. Morning Consult named FOX Nation as one of the top 10 fastest-growing brands in 2023 among Gen Z adults, with the platform placing in the top 15 overall. Launched in 2018, FOX Nation is available at and via app for iOS devices, Android devices, Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV, Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, FuboTV, Vizio TVs, and Samsung TVs, as well as DIRECTV, DIRECTV STEAM, YouTube TV, Comcast Xfinity, Cox Contour, The Roku Channel, DISH and SLING. FOX Nation Media Contact:Alexandra Coscia: 212.301.3272 or View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Fox News Network, LLC


Tom's Guide
17 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
5 new to Max movies to stream in June with 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes
Summer is heating up, and so are the best streaming services with plenty of great new movies to beat the heat. Max is no exception, but with so much on offer, it can be tough narrowing down which movies are worth adding to your watchlist. That's why we've combed through all the new movies to Max in June 2025 to highlight the best of the best. Only movies with a 90% or higher critics' score on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes make the cut. Granted, not every movie with a high rating is guaranteed to be a hit, but it is a useful metric to see which films are beloved by critics and audiences alike. This month's batch includes everything from iconic sci-fi movies to MGM classic musicals and award-winning documentaries. So let's dive into five new to Max movies with a 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes that you need to watch right now. Bong Joon-ho made cinematic history with "Parasite," the first Korean film to win an Academy Award and the first non-English language film ever to take home the coveted Best Picture crown. If you missed the buzz the first time around, I can't recommend "Parasite" enough. It follows the struggling Kim family, who get a rare stroke of luck when son Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) lands a job tutoring the daughter of the wealthy, unsuspecting Park family. With a forged diploma crafted by his sister Ki-jung (Park So-dam), he secures the gig and paves the way for the rest of the Kim family to infiltrate the household under false identities. Ki-jung poses as an art therapist for the Parks' young son, while their father Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) and mother Chung-sook (Jang Hye-jin) replace the family's driver and housekeeper through a series of calculated deceptions. Everything goes according to plan until one mistake unravels their carefully constructed façade, setting off a chain of events that spiral into chaos. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%Watch it now on Max The 1978 version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is a perfect example of why some remakes are worth the wait. Donald Sutherland stars as Matthew Bennell, a health inspector in San Francisco who realizes too late that something sinister is happening. When his colleague Elizabeth (Brooke Adams) notices that her husband hasn't been acting like himself lately, together they start to uncover a terrifying truth: that a parasitic alien race has quietly begun taking over Earth. Unlike most remakes, this one was both a critical and commercial success. The 1978 "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" stands out for its eerie atmosphere and thoughtful approach, blending science fiction with sharp social commentary and a growing sense of paranoia that still hits just as hard today. Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%Watch it now on Max This 2016 documentary "I Am Not Your Negro" draws from the powerful, unfinished manuscript "Remember This House" by acclaimed American writer James Baldwin. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, the film delivers an unflinching examination of racism in the United States, weaving Baldwin's words with historical footage and contemporary context that questions Black representation in Hollywood and beyond. Critically acclaimed, the documentary earned an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature and won a BAFTA in the same category. While it may not be the easiest or most entertaining watch on this list, it stands out as perhaps the most essential. Baldwin's words, brought to life through director Raoul Peck, come together in a powerful watch that confronts and questions the very core of what America claims to represent. Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%Watch it now on Max I'm a sucker for a musical, and "Meet Me In St. Louis" is an old favorite, featuring the legendary Judy Garland in one of her most memorable roles. She stars as Esther Smith, one of four daughters in the close-knit Smith family, who has her eye on the boy next door (Tom Drake). Rather than following a single plotline, the film unfolds through a series of seasonal vignettes, capturing moments in the lives of the Smith family as they navigate life, love and progress at the turn of the century. "Meet Me in St. Louis" is best remembered for Garland's unforgettable vocal performances. The film also introduced several timeless earworms like 'The Trolley Song,' 'The Boy Next Door,' and the beloved holiday classic 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.' All three songs, written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, remain iconic to this day. Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%Watch it now on Max All four of the original "Hunger Games" movies landed on Max this month, and whether you're a long-time fan or curious newcomer, I highly recommend diving into the series. Only one managed to crack a 90% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, though: the standout second film, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." It's a direct continuation of the first movie, so it's not an ideal place to jump in. If you haven't seen "The Hunger Games" yet, consider watching that first before adding this to your watchlist. "Catching Fire" picks up with Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) returning to District 12 after surviving the 74th Hunger Games. But their victory hasn't freed them from the Capitol's grasp. As they embark on the high-stakes Victory Tour, it becomes clear that rebellion is brewing across Panem. In response, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) devises a chilling plan to extinguish the growing unrest once and for all. Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%Watch it now on Max

Hypebeast
17 hours ago
- Hypebeast
'Incredibles 3' Officially Taps Elemental Filmmaker Peter Sohn as Director
Summary The third installment of theThe Incrediblesfranchise is well on its way. Pixar's highly anticipatedIncredibles 3is officially moving forward with a new director at the helm — Peter Sohn, known for his work onElementalandThe Good Dinosaur. The first film released in 2004 and the second in 2018. While franchise creator Brad Bird, who wrote and directed the first twoIncrediblesfilms, will return to write the screenplay and serve as a producer, he will not be directing the third installment. This decision was reportedly made by Bird himself and Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter, citing Bird's commitment to other projects, including his long-gestating filmRay Gunnat Skydance Animation. Sohn, a protégé of Bird, has a long history with Pixar, having worked as an animator on the originalIncrediblesand as a story consultant onIncredibles 2. His recent success withElemental, which garnered an Academy Award nomination and performed strongly at the box office, has solidified his standing. His experience exploring familial dynamics and building intricate worlds in his previous films bodes well for the Parr family's next adventure. No release date has been announced by Pixar just yet. The studio is gearing up for the release ofEliolater this month.