Hen, directed by South African filmmaker Nico Scheepers, is a psychological horror film set on a remote farm where a small family confronts isolation, trauma, and an encroaching darkness.
Produced by Nagvlug Films and Nostalgia Productions, the film is part of the kykNET Silwerskermfees 2025 lineup and showcases original Afrikaans storytelling with a stark, atmospheric tone.
Hen was the winner of the following Silwerskerm Awards in the feature film categories:
Best screenplay and best direction for Nico, best sound design for Tim Pringle, best cinematography for Chris Lotz, best editing for Regardt Botha, best makeup and hairstyling for Jolene Cilliers, best costume design for Sulet Meintjes and best actor for Stian Bam.
Scheepers, known for his emotionally resonant dramas like Nêrens, Noord-Kaap and Donkerbos, brings his signature depth and authenticity to Hen as writer and director, blending rural landscapes with haunting psychological tension.
Nico has received several awards for his work in theatre. In 2017, he won the Silwerskerm Award for best director of a short film for Die maan val bewusteloos.
“I find the silence of isolation far more frightening than a jump scare,” Nico said in an interview with Herman Eloff of Terloops. “There is a big difference between a cheap physiological fright, and something that slowly bores into your head like a maggot.”
The film explores themes of survival, grief, and the fragile boundary between life and death, using minimalism and silence to amplify dread. With its eerie setting and intimate character focus, Hen marks a bold shift into genre filmmaking for Scheepers, while retaining the emotional gravity that defines his work.
Hen is a psychological horror film about a man and woman who live alone in an almost derelict house. On a hunting trip, the man comes across a horrific scene where he finds a boy locked in a chest. He takes pity on the child and brings him home, but who is this boy who behaves so strangely?
The film is a sharp reflection on survival in the middle of nowhere, the fine line between life and death, and the eternal struggle between good and evil and hope and despair.
“The suspense thriller Hen by writer-director Nico Scheepers is probably the darkest film made in Afrikaans to date. This is not an exaggerated statement for effect. Scheepers’ debut feature film plays out on a godforsaken farm in a barren, desolate region. The physical landscape is just as bleak as the characters’ psychological interior. Religion is a sole but meagre comfort, as it appears that God and the gods are silent and have turned their backs on humanity,” writes Laetitia Pople on Netwerk24
“With its oppressive atmosphere, compelling narrative and masterful filmmaking, Hen is a cut above. It’s a powerful film that holds its own on an international level and more than earns its place alongside the work of contemporary horror filmmakers,” says Stephen Aspeling of Splingmovies.com.
The film was inspired by his deep connection to rural South African landscapes and his fascination with the emotional weight of silence, isolation, and survival
While Scheepers hasn’t publicly detailed a single source of inspiration for Hen, his previous works—like Donkerbos and Nêrens, Noord-Kaap—reveal a consistent interest in exploring trauma, family dynamics, and the psychological toll of grief. His storytelling often draws from real-life emotional experiences and the stark beauty of the South African countryside, which serves as both a setting and a character in his films.
Scheepers is known for crafting narratives that reflect the fragility of human relationships and the haunting echoes of loss. With Hen, he shifts into psychological horror, using minimalism and atmosphere to evoke dread while maintaining the emotional authenticity that defines his work. The film’s eerie tone and intimate setting suggest a desire to explore how isolation can distort reality—and how even the most ordinary environments can become sites of emotional reckoning.
Nico Scheepers is a South African screenwriter, director, and playwright known for his emotionally resonant storytelling and deep connection to rural landscapes. He rose to prominence with the critically acclaimed television series Nêrens, Noord-Kaap and the crime thriller Donkerbos, both of which showcase his talent for blending psychological depth with atmospheric tension. Donkerbos earned him the SAFTA award for Best Director in 2023 and was featured in the Berlinale Series Select. Scheepers also won the Fleur du Cap Award for Best New Director in 2018 and has received multiple Fiësta Theatre Awards for his work in stage productions. His short film Die Maan Val Bewusteloos won Best Director at the Silwerskerm Festival in 2017. As a playwright, his works have been performed at prestigious venues like the Fugard Theatre in Cape Town and The Market Theatre in Johannesburg. With Hen (2025), Scheepers ventures into psychological horror, continuing his tradition of crafting intimate, character-driven narratives rooted in South African identity and emotional truth.
South African Filmmaking
