Vera Miao’s debut feature ‘Rock Springs’ premiered in Sundance’s Midnight strand, starring Kelly Marie Tran as a widowed mother uncovering historical horrors in Wyoming. The film blends present-day ghost story with flashbacks to the 1885 Rock Springs Massacre, where at least 28 Chinese immigrant miners were killed. Benedict Wong leads the historical sequences, emphasizing racial trauma in American horror.
In ‘Rock Springs,’ Kelly Marie Tran portrays Emily, a grief-stricken cellist who relocates with her silent daughter Gracie (Aria Kim) and mother-in-law (Fiona Fu) to a remote Wyoming cottage. The move coincides with the month of hungry ghosts, heightening tensions as Emily dismisses her mother-in-law’s traditional Chinese spiritual rituals. Soon, visions of Emily’s late husband and eerie encounters, including a creepy antique doll, suggest the house is haunted. The woods nearby pose additional dangers with watchful eyes and grasping hands.
The narrative shifts dramatically midway, flashing back 140 years to the real 1885 Rock Springs Massacre. Benedict Wong plays Ah Tseng, a Chinese migrant miner enjoying a day off with his nephews when a mob of armed white miners attacks their camp. Cinematographer Heyjin Jun captures the assault with propulsive, handheld shots, mud on the lens adding to the chaos. This sequence stands out for its vivid tension, unmatched by later scenes.
Director Vera Miao, in her first feature, draws on horror tropes but distinguishes the film through Chinese mysticism and historical specificity. It explores buried hate crimes and modern microaggressions faced by Asian Americans. Supporting cast includes Jimmy O. Yang, Ricky He, Cardi Wong, and Tanja Dixon-Warren. The 97-minute film, produced by Macro Film Studios and others, features editing by David Marks and music by Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe.
Reviewed in London on January 21, 2026, ahead of its Sundance premiere, the film warns: Don’t feed the ghosts, but don’t fear them either. It fits into a subgenre of horror driven by racial trauma, benefiting from Tran’s tense performance and a moody sense of place.