Went Up the Hill

Abandoned as a child, Jack travels to remote New Zealand to attend the funeral of his estranged mother Elizabeth. There he meets her widow, Jill, who has questions of her own. Over the nights that follow, Elizabeth returns and possesses Jack and Jill, using each of their bodies to speak to the other. Jill faces Elizabeth’s suicide, while Jack confronts his abandonment. As they learn she is trapped in limbo, Jack begins to doubt Elizabeth’s reason for returning. Caught in a life-threatening nocturnal dance, Jack and Jill must find a way to let go of Elizabeth’s hold before she pushes them to the edge.

WENT UP THE HILL is a psychological drama inspired by writer/director Samuel Van Grinsven’s memories of his childhood in New Zealand’s South Island. An intimate, modern ghost story that explores the extremities of grief in our pursuit of letting go.

“One of the most startlingly original ghost stories in years.”

The Hollywood Reporter

“Chilling, gripping, emotionally raw.”

Screen Rant

“Stunningly beautiful but also terrifying.”

The Wrap

awards & festivals

screenings

Venue City Opening Date
OUTshine Film Festival Miami Beach, FL 04/19/2025
Orcas Island Film Fest Eastsound, WA 04/27/2025
Frameline Film Festival San Francisco, CA 06/18/2025
= one-off screening