It has been fourteen years since writer-director Philip Ridley last made a film. Fourteen very long years. It's not that he hasn't been busy in the intervening time, it's just that he's been doing his work in live theater but as rewarding as that may be it is no help at all for fans of his work, such as myself, with the misfortune of having an ocean between ourselves and the theaters where these works are actually performed.

Ridley first burst into the public eye in 1990 with arty horror film The Reflecting Skin - which he wrote and directed - and gangster thriller The Krays - which he wrote - films he would follow up with the very Lynchian tale of religious hysteria, The Passion of Darkly Noon, in 1995. But since then? One piece of writing appearing on television and absolutely nothing else, a situation that seems a crime for a director of Ridley's skills. But he's back now with Heartless, a new supernatural thriller starring Jim Sturgess about to have its world premiere at the Film4 Frightfest. Here's how the festival describes it:

From the director of THE REFLECTING SKIN comes HEARTLESS, a menacing and magical tale of Jamie (Jim Sturgess) born with a heart-shaped birthmark on his face. Shunned by those who find him repulsive, the photographer’s son lives in a part of London’s East End notorious for gang violence. When his mother is viciously murdered, Jamie realizes the thugs aren’t wearing disguises at all; they really are demons and hell on earth is beginning to plague the capital city. Yet all is not what it seems in enfant terrible Ridley’s unique horror fantasy landscape ingeniously informed by the current climate of fear running through every strata of modern society.

If Ridley's past is any indication then expect something truly striking and unusual here and also take the casting of Jim Sturgess (21, 50 Dead Men Walking) as a sign that Sturgess' star is continuing to rise as Ridley has an unerring eye for casting talent on the rise - his previous features starred Viggo Mortensen, Brendan Fraser and Ashley Judd before any of them had really broken. As for how striking this is going to be? Take a peek at the collection of stills linked below!