Prepare for a tense, small-town slasher mystery when “Night of the Reaper” premieres exclusively on Shudder on September 19, 2025. The film follows college student Deena, who returns to her hometown for a visit only to be roped into a seemingly mundane babysitting job. However, her night takes a terrifying turn as the local sheriff is mailed a gruesome piece of evidence from a cold case, sparking a deadly scavenger hunt. As the sheriff follows the cryptic clues, Deena finds herself directly in the path of a killer who is re-emerging to finish what they started, forcing her to fight for her life and the children she’s protecting while the clock ticks down.

Anchoring this classic yet fresh horror tale is a cast of talented actors who bring the town’s residents—and its secrets—to life. Jessica Clement stars as the resourceful final girl, Deena, alongside Ryan Robbins as the determined Sheriff Rod. They are supported by Summer H. Howell, Matty Finochio, and a ensemble that includes the potential victims, suspects, and red herrings of a community haunted by its past. “Night of the Reaper” promises to deliver a potent mix of suspense, brutal scares, and a gripping whodunit plot that will keep fans guessing until the very end.

Night of the Reaper confirmed cast

1: Jessica Clement as Deena

Jessica Clement takes on the lead role of Deena, the college student who finds herself at the center of a killer’s game. Clement is poised to deliver a performance that embodies the essence of a modern final girl: initially just wanting a quiet night at home, but revealing a deep well of intelligence, resourcefulness, and fierce protective instinct when pushed to the brink. Her character is the audience’s anchor, experiencing the rising terror firsthand within the claustrophobic confines of the babysitting house while the sheriff pieces together the puzzle outside.

Clement’s performance will chart Deena’s journey from a relatable, slightly world-weary young adult to a hardened survivor. She must convey the palpable fear of being hunted, the frustration of being unaware of the sheriff’s concurrent investigation, and the courage to confront the menace threatening the children in her care. Her actions under pressure will drive the film’s most intense and terrifying sequences, making her a heroine whose fight for survival is both personal and deeply compelling.

2: Ryan Robbins as Sheriff Rod

The always compelling Ryan Robbins, known for his roles in Sanctuary and Bates Motel, brings a grounded, everyman quality to the role of Sheriff Rod. Robbins excels at portraying capable but weary authority figures, and his sheriff is likely a man haunted by the town’s unsolved murder, seeing the new evidence as a chance for redemption. He is the methodical counterpart to the film’s visceral horror, following a trail of clues that forces him to confront old suspects and buried secrets.

Robbins’s performance provides the investigative spine of the film. His scenes will be filled with a growing sense of dread as the scavenger hunt leads him closer to the truth—and hopefully to Deena—before it’s too late. He represents the law and order desperately trying to catch up to the chaos, and his determined pursuit adds a crucial layer of cat-and-mouse suspense to the narrative, raising the stakes with every clue he unravels.

3: Summer H. Howell as Emily

Summer H. Howell appears as Emily, a character who is almost certainly one of the children Deena is tasked with babysitting. Howell’s role is vital for raising the emotional stakes; a child in danger is a primal fear that every horror film leverages. Emily could be a typical kid, oblivious to the danger, whose innocence makes her vulnerable, or she could be more perceptive, picking up on the strange occurrences that the adults miss.

Howell’s performance will be key to the film’s tension within the house. Whether she is a source of comfort that Deena must protect or a potential liability whose curiosity could put them in greater danger, her presence makes the threat more immediate. The relationship between Deena and Emily will provide the heart of the film, giving Deena a powerful reason to fight beyond her own survival.

4: Matty Finochio as Butch

Character actor Matty Finochio, known for his work in The Boys and You Me Her, takes on the role of Butch. A name like “Butch” in a slasher film immediately suggests a specific archetype: likely a local townie, a mechanic, or a somewhat brutish figure who might have been a suspect in the original murder. Finochio is skilled at playing characters who are both intimidating and oddly sympathetic, making him a perfect red herring.

Finochio’s Butch will be a key figure in the sheriff’s investigation, a person from the past with a potential motive or a known temper. His interactions with the sheriff will be charged with history and resentment, forcing the audience to question his involvement. Butch represents the kind of small-town secrets that fester for years, and his role is crucial for keeping the mystery alive and the list of suspects compelling.

5: Ben Cockell as Chad

Ben Cockell joins the cast as Chad. In the lexicon of horror, a character named Chad is often a jock, a frat boy, or a arrogant boyfriend figure. Cockell’s character could be Deena’s boyfriend from home, a local who dismisses her concerns, or even someone connected to the original victim. He represents a different kind of threat—not necessarily murderous, but perhaps toxically masculine or negligently dismissive of the very real danger at hand.

Cockell’s role will likely provide interpersonal conflict and potentially put Deena in more danger by underestimating the situation. He might be the one to leave her alone to babysit or refuse to believe her calls for help. His character serves as a symbol of the normal world that is useless in the face of supernatural or psychotic evil, highlighting Deena’s isolation and forcing her to rely on her own wits.

6: Max Christensen as Max Arnold

Max Christensen appears as Max Arnold, a character whose full name suggests he may have a more formal or significant role in the community. He could be a former classmate of the original victim, a reporter for the local paper, or a member of the town council who wants the old case to stay closed. His presence adds another layer to the tapestry of the town and its inhabitants, each with their own reasons to remember—or forget—the past.

Christensen’s performance will contribute to the film’s atmosphere of pervasive suspicion. As Sheriff Rod investigates, every resident like Max Arnold becomes a potential source of information or a obstacle to the truth. His character helps build the world beyond the immediate crisis, showing a community that is still wounded and defined by a tragedy they never fully processed.

7: Bryn Samuel as Willis & Karolina Turek as Savannah Miller

Bryn Samuel and Karolina Turek appear as Willis and Savannah Miller. These characters are likely other locals whose lives were touched by the original crime. Willis could be a friend of the sheriff’s or a fellow deputy. Savannah Miller, given the surname, might be a relative of the original victim, someone for whom the scavenger hunt is a particularly painful and reopening wound.

Their roles are essential for fleshing out the human cost of the killer’s actions, both past and present. They represent the ripple effects of violence through a small community. A character like Savannah could provide crucial emotional weight and context to the cold case, while Willis might be part of the effort to solve it, adding manpower and perspective to the sheriff’s desperate search.

8: Susan Serrao as Sheila

Susan Serrao rounds out the cast as Sheila. This character could serve several functions in the narrative. She might be the anxious mother who hires Deena to babysit, the sheriff’s dependable dispatcher, or a town busybody with information about everyone’s comings and goings. Her role, while likely supporting, is the kind that often holds a key piece of the puzzle in a mystery.

Serrao’s presence adds to the authenticity of the small-town setting, where everyone knows everyone else’s business. A character like Sheila could be the source of crucial gossip that points the sheriff in the right direction, or she could provide a moment of calm before the storm. Her role helps to create a fully realized world where the horrific events of the night feel even more disruptive and terrifying.