Swallowed, a young gay man learns that lesson the hard way. From director Carter Smith—the filmmaker behind 2008’s squirm-inducing The Ruins—comes a shocking new indie thriller that will make you think twice before swallowing.Cooper Koch (the upcoming They/Them) stars as Benjamin, a guy who just wants to enjoy one more night of fun with his straight friend and unrequited crush, Dom (newcomer Jose Colon) before heading off to LA to pursue a career in the gay adult film industry.Things take a turn for the dangerous when they’re roped into a drug running scheme by the shady Alice (Jena Malone, reuniting with Smith and giving the film its biggest dose of star power).
But these are no ordinary street drugs—they’re slimy and strange, and when the guys are forced to swallow them to run them across the border to Canada, some shocking side effects begin to set in.Perhaps the official plot synopsis describes it best: It’s a “backwoods hell of drugs, bugs, and obscene intimacy in this queer horror nightmare.” Also starring queer horror legend Mark Patton (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge), Swallowed deftly navigates genres to deliver a fresh, wicked metaphor for trauma and queer identity.Swallowed made its world premiere last year at New Orleans’ The Overlook Film Festival.