Willem Dafoe, he of The Last Temptation of the Christ fame, has signed on to feature in Lars von Trier’s supernatural thriller “Antichrist.” He will be joined by french star Charlotte Gainsbourg, who has starred in a variety of films including 21 Grams and The Science of Sleep. Together the two will form the leads in this supernatural thriller.

The story itself revolves around a couple who retreat to an isolated island to mourn the loss of their son. Clearly judging by the title and the description of a thriller turned horror movie, the odds of them finding solace and enjoying a weekend in the sun seem pretty slim. More news on the story will doubtless follow, but we do know that the script is penned by Anders Thomas Jensen. Now this should bring hope to many sources, as he has scripted some absolute gems (and directed them as well) including writing 2 of the best dark comedies Denmark has released, in “Adams æbler” and “De Grønne Slagtere.” Many of you will not be as interested in Danish Cinema as I am, but both these stories revolve around, respectively, a priest who takes in a neo-nazi and tries to encourage him to bake an apple pie (its a reform thing) and a couple butchers who discover that the key to success is to sell human flesh in lieu of chicken. They are both comically perfect, and do have a morbid darkness to them. If he can bring half of that creativity to this script, we’re in for a treat.

 Some will also wonder if we should expect much from a director who is more famous for films like Manderlay, Dancer in the Dark, and Dogville. Not everyone will recall that he not only made quite the creatively terrifying film “Epidemic” which he starred in himself, but also created a TV-series that is still considered by many as a peak of Scanian TV in “Riget” which spanned 2 parts. He’s certainly showed that he is not only a capable and creative director, but one with a good sense for chilling horror and discomfort. Combined with a good script by Jensen and Denmark may well show us why they can make a horror film as good as any.