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- ❝ Nightmare in the Jaws of Lions!❞
- ―Movie tagline
Under the Dead Tree is a 2025 American survival horror film written and directed by Terry Hampshire in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Sasha Calle, Jack Quaid, and Ryan Reynolds. It follows a young woman who becomes trapped under a fallen tree during a Kenyan safari and must survive against a pride of opportunistic lions.
The film was released globally via streaming on Netflix on January 30, 2025.
Plot[]
In a harrowing summer vacation in Kenya, a traumatized young traveler and her boyfriend face a nightmare when a giant tree falls, pinning her down. As she struggles to escape, tragedy strikes when a pride of lions devours her boyfriend. Unable to scream for help, she finds herself at the mercy of the lions, particularly a lioness who gives birth to cubs nearby, keeping a watchful eye on her. With no apparent chance of rescue, the young woman confronts the terrifying reality of becoming the next meal for the pride. Will help arrive in time, or will she succumb to her grim fate?
Synopsis[]
Lana Marks, a young American woman suffering from PTSD following a recent family tragedy, travels to a remote part of Kenya with her supportive boyfriend, Connor. Hoping the trip will help her heal, they hire a local guide, who takes them deep into the savanna, far from standard tourist routes, for an authentic experience. Throughout the drive, flashbacks reveal Lana's strained relationship with her abusive mother, who disapproved of Connor and belittled Lana's trauma.
A sudden, violent storm rolls in, and their jeep gets stuck in the mud. As they try to get it moving, a massive, ancient acacia tree—the "dead tree"—is struck by lightning and crashes down on their vehicle. The impact kills the guide instantly and throws Connor clear, though he suffers a severe leg injury. Lana is pinned inside the crushed jeep, her own leg trapped and broken by a heavy branch.
As the storm subsides, the scent of blood attracts a local pride of lions. Connor, despite his injury, tries to create a diversion to lure them away from the jeep, but he is quickly overwhelmed and dragged into the tall grass. Lana is forced to listen in horror as he is devoured. Now alone, trapped, and in shock, she realizes the lions, led by a large, watchful lioness, are not leaving. They begin to circle the wreckage, viewing her as their next meal.
Days begin to blur into a nightmare of heat, pain, and terror. Lana manages to retrieve a water bottle and a small first-aid kit from the jeep but can do little for her crushed leg. The lioness gives birth to a litter of cubs near the tree, making her fiercely territorial and aggressive. She keeps a constant, unnerving vigil over Lana, seeing her as a secured food source for her new family.
Hope arrives in the form of a Rwandan trader who stumbles upon the scene. Seeing the wrecked jeep, he approaches, but before Lana can properly warn him, he is startled by the pride. He fires a pistol, enraging the lions, and is swiftly mauled to death. His failed rescue attempt only serves to make the lions more agitated. Later, a lone lion hunter, drawn by the sound of the gunshot, arrives. Arrogant and overconfident, he attempts to scare the lions off, but the protective lioness ambushes him from behind. He too is killed, and Lana's hopes are once again brutally crushed.
On the verge of succumbing to dehydration and infection, Lana is discovered by Kennedy, a veteran park ranger who had been searching for the missing tour group. Assessing the impossible situation, Kennedy realizes that any attempt to use heavy equipment to free her will provoke a full-scale attack from the pride. Working quietly, he manages to give Lana water and morphine for the pain.
As night falls, Kennedy devises a desperate plan. He tells Lana that he will create a final, unmissable distraction. Leaving his flare gun and the keys to his own ranger jeep with her, he instructs her to free herself the moment the lions are drawn away. He then intentionally wounds himself and walks out into the open, shouting to draw the entire pride's attention. As the lions charge him, Kennedy fires his rifle into the air, giving Lana the cover she needs. With adrenaline surging, she uses a tire iron left by Kennedy as a lever and manages to wrench her leg free.
Crawling and dragging herself to the ranger jeep, Lana looks back to see Kennedy being overwhelmed by the pride, sacrificing himself to save her. Sobbing, she starts the vehicle and speeds away into the darkness, leaving the dead tree and its grisly scene behind. The final shot shows her driving numbly as the sun rises, her face a mask of grief and trauma, but alive.
Cast[]
- Sasha Calle as Lana Marks, a young woman dealing with past trauma who finds herself in a fight for survival.
- Ryan Reynolds as Kennedy, a resourceful and courageous park ranger.
- Jack Quaid as Connor, Lana's loving and protective boyfriend.
- Ncuti Gatwa as the Rwandan trader, who discovers the crash site.
- Damson Idris as the Kenyan tour guide.
- Aldis Hodge as the lion hunter, a poacher tracking the pride.
- Jennifer Jason Leigh as Mrs. Marks, Lana's abusive and estranged mother, who appears in flashbacks.
Deaths[]
- The Kenyan tour guide: Mauled by the pride of lions.
- Connor: Devoured by the lions.
- The Rwandan trader: Killed by the lions when he tries to shoot one of them to rescue Lana.
- The lion hunter: Devoured by the lions when he tries to free Lana from the pinned tree.
- Kennedy: Sacrificed his life to save Lana by letting the lions eating him alive.
Survivor(s)[]
- Lana Marks: Survived after she took the jeep and drives away.
Production[]
Development[]
The script for Under The Dead Tree was written by Terry Hampshire in 2022 and was featured on that year's edition of The Black List, an annual survey of the most-liked unproduced screenplays. Hampshire, who had previously directed short films, commercials and music videos, was determined to make the film his feature directorial debut. The project was acquired by Roxwell Films in early 2023, with Netflix signing on to handle global distribution.
Casting[]
In February 2023, Sasha Calle was the first to be cast in the lead role of Lana, with producers citing her powerful performance in The Flash as a key reason for her selection. Jack Quaid and Ryan Reynolds joined the cast the following month. Reynolds was reportedly drawn to the project by the tight, suspenseful script and took a supporting role as a favor to the first-time director. The supporting cast, including Ncuti Gatwa, Damson Idris, Aldis Hodge, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, were confirmed in May 2023.
Filming[]
Principal photography began in July 2023 and lasted for 50 days. While the film is set in Kenya, filming primarily took place in the vast, arid landscapes of Namibia, which provided a safe and controlled environment. A full-scale replica of the "dead tree" and the crushed jeep was constructed on location. Cinematographer Timothy A. Burton utilized wide-angle lenses to emphasize Lana's isolation within the immense savanna.
The lions in the film were created using a combination of CGI and real-life animal footage. Weta FX was hired to develop the digital models for the lions, focusing on creating realistic muscle movement and emotive behavior to avoid the animals appearing as simple movie monsters.
Themes[]
The film explores themes of survival, human resilience, and the brutal indifference of nature. Lana's journey is both a physical struggle against a predator and a psychological battle against her own past trauma. The lions, particularly the matriarch, are not portrayed as evil, but as creatures driven by a primal instinct to protect and provide for their young, creating a complex antagonist. Critics also noted the film's commentary on the futility of human arrogance in the face of the natural world, as seen through the fates of the overconfident hunter and the unprepared trader.
Music[]
Soundtrack[]
The film's score was composed by Dave Sardy. The soundtrack was praised for its minimalist and suspenseful approach, utilizing a mix of ambient, industrial textures and tribal percussion to build a sense of dread. The score largely avoids traditional melodic cues, instead focusing on low-frequency drones and sharp, jarring sounds to reflect both Lana's psychological state and the ever-present threat of the lions. An official soundtrack album was released digitally by Netflix Music on January 30, 2025.
Featured songs[]
The film features a small number of licensed songs, primarily in the opening and flashback sequences:
- "Holocene" by Bon Iver – Plays during the opening montage as Lana and Connor travel through the Kenyan landscape, establishing a serene and hopeful tone before the accident.
- "Good Times" by Chic – Heard playing faintly on the jeep's radio moments before the storm hits, providing an ironic counterpoint to the impending disaster.
- "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac – Used during a flashback sequence depicting a tense conversation between Lana and her mother, underscoring her feelings of being trapped even before the events of the film.
- "I Know The End" by Phoebe Bridgers – Plays over the end credits, beginning slowly as Lana drives away and building to its chaotic, cathartic climax, mirroring her traumatic journey and uncertain future.
Release[]
A teaser trailer was released in October 2024, followed by a full trailer that debuted during the broadcast of the NFL Thanksgiving Day games. The film premiered globally on Netflix on January 30, 2025. Due to its intense and graphic nature, the film was given an R rating by the Motion Picture Association for "strong graphic violence, blood, pervasive terror, and language."
Reception[]
Under The Dead Tree received generally positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 152 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's consensus reads, "A brutally efficient and nail-bitingly tense survival thriller, Under The Dead Tree is anchored by a raw, compelling performance from Sasha Calle." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 72 out of 100 based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."
Sasha Calle's performance was singled out for widespread acclaim. Grace Randolph of IndieWire called it a "star-making, physically demanding performance that anchors the entire film." The direction by Terry Hampshire was also praised for its tension and claustrophobic atmosphere. The visual effects used to create the lions were lauded for their realism. Some criticism was aimed at the script's perceived formulaic structure, with a few critics from outlets like Slant Magazine deeming the supporting characters as underdeveloped "fodder for the lions."
Trivia[]
- Rated R for strong graphic violence, blood, terror, languages, and/or intense frightening contents.