We’ve got your first look at the chilling teaser for The Occupant of the Room, premiering at the Sitges Film Festival.

The 31-minute short marks the narrative debut of Kier-La Janisse, best known for Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror and the cult classic book House of Psychotic Women.

Inspired by the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas tradition, Janisse’s film adapts Algernon Blackwood’s 1909 short story, blending eerie atmosphere with old-world supernatural dread.

The story follows a school teacher stranded in the Alps who accepts a missing guest’s room at a secluded hotel — only to find himself facing a night of strange, unsettling events that blur the line between dream and haunting.

The film stars Don McKellar (eXistenZ, Crimes of the Future), Ben Petrie (BlackBerry), and Delphine Roussel (ABCs of Death 2). Cinematography comes from Karim Hussain (Infinity Pool, Orphan: First Kill).

Produced by Spectacular Optical, the film teams Janisse with Liane Cunje of Ruby Mannequin Films and Shannon Hanmer (In a Violent Nature), with Severin Films’ David Gregory (Color Out of Space) and Carl Daft, plus Yer Dead Productions’ Rob Cotterill (Infinity Pool), serving as executive producers.

After its Sitges premiere, The Occupant of the Room will screen at Toronto After Dark, Mayhem Film Festival (Nottingham), Celluloid Screams (Sheffield), Brooklyn Horror Fest, and Imagine Film Festival (Amsterdam).