Twelve Hands (TV series)

Twelve Hands
Genre	Horror Anthology
Created by	Naomi Elridge
Composers	Weston Doyle Andrea Renwick
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Naomi Elridge Jordan Brackley Samira Collins Devon Kaye
Producers	Mallory Finch Andre Huerta Tasha Lei Matthew Doran
Cinematography	Clara Mendez
Editor	Freddie Goodwin
Running time	43–58 minutes
Production companies	Elridge House Productions Blackveil Studios
Original release
Network	Netflix
Release	October 31, 2025 (2025-10-31)

Twelve Hands (TH) is an upcoming Netflix television series starring . In June 2019, it was reported that the project had been greenlit by Netflix. It will premiere on October 31, 2023.

Development began in 2018 when Elridge began forming a team of writers and directors that lasted until the series was greenlit in 2019 by Netflix.

Cast and characters

Main

Introduced in Sanctum

• Toni Collette as Dr. Miriam Harrow – A trauma psychologist sent to assess a disturbed patient in an isolated asylum, only to uncover a dark history tied to her own past.
• Dylan Minnette as Eli Crane – A mysterious young man found catatonic in the asylum's east wing, holding secrets that trigger the unraveling of reality.
• Richard Jenkins as Father Merrill – A defrocked priest living on the asylum grounds, warning of a spiritual contagion no one else believes exists.
• Jodie Turner-Smith as Detective Carla Voss – Assigned to investigate a series of disappearances linked to the facility’s former patients.
• David Dastmalchian as Dr. Lennox Reed – The asylum’s chief medical officer, whose unorthodox treatments may have unlocked something monstrous.
• Rhea Seehorn as Evelyn Sharpe – The asylum's head nurse, fiercely protective of the patients — and hiding a decade’s worth of secrets.
• Logan Marshall-Green as Tom Calder – A groundskeeper and former inmate, whose knowledge of the building’s layout proves key to survival.
• Olwen Fouéré as Sister Moira – A near-mute nun who speaks only in riddles about “the hollow hour.”

• Jamie Clayton as Maud Arlen – A reclusive artist invited to paint murals in the asylum's chapel; her work begins to mirror real murders.

Production

Conception

In June 2017, Naomi Elridge began developing a series bible for a horror anthology inspired by characters from DC Comics. However, the project failed to secure the necessary rights and funding. By September of that year, Elridge pivoted toward creating an original concept, ultimately choosing to develop a wholly independent series with no ties to existing intellectual property. The resulting project, later titled Twelve Hands, was envisioned as a character-driven anthology, with each season telling a self-contained story. In interviews, Elridge has describe d the series as her most “atmospheric” horror work to date, emphasizing psychological tension and minimalism over conventional genre tropes.

During a 2018 interview, Elridge stated that she envisioned the series as a multi-season project but did not want to follow a single continuous narrative. She ultimately chose to structure the show as an anthology, with each season featuring its own self-contained story arc—complete with a beginning, middle, and conclusion. Elridge confirmed that no characters would carry over between seasons, except in rare instances where a returning character was thematically necessary. She also revealed that each season would be accompanied by a unique subtitle reflecting its central theme.

Development

Throughout 2018, Elridge began assembling a full team of writers to complete the season’s scripts before the start of principal photography. Her approach reflected a desire for tight narrative control, ensuring that every episode contributed meaningfully to the season’s overarching theme. Among the writers brought on was Freddie Goodwin, who originally joined the production as an editor during the show’s early planning stages. Over time, Goodwin’s involvement deepened, and he was eventually confirmed to have written several episodes for the season, particularly those with a heavy psychological focus. The writing room reportedly maintained a consistent tone across episodes, guided by a thematic bible created by Elridge to ensure cohesion. The team met weekly in Los Angeles, refining character arcs, building atmosphere-driven tension, and plotting out the season’s key narrative pivots. Elridge also emphasized that the writers’ room would function democratically, with every writer encouraged to contribute story elements, even if not formally credited. By the end of 2018, all eight episode outlines had been locked in, with drafts entering their second and third passes by the time pre-production ramped up. The writing phase was closely integrated with visual planning, enabling art direction and cinematography to develop in tandem with the scripts.

Elridge began working on the pilot script in early 2018, centering the narrative around psychological horror rooted in emotional trauma, moral ambiguity, and symbolic imagery. The pilot was designed to feel self-contained yet leave thematic traces that would connect to future seasons under the planned anthology format. To bolster the pitch, Elridge collaborated with a team of independent artists and cinematographers to assemble a tone reel, consisting of original footage and atmospheric montage. Concept art was also developed alongside the script, showcasing key visual motifs such as fragmented reflections, negative space, and decaying interiors. The aesthetic leaned heavily into practical realism, suggesting grounded horror rather than overt spectacle. Friends and close industry collaborators gave early praise for the script’s emotional clarity and visual maturity, reinforcing Elridge’s instincts to pursue high-end production partnerships. Rather than present the series as a traditional horror drama, Elridge framed it as a hybrid between cinematic horror and serialized emotional narrative. Her treatment emphasized the show’s potential to attract mature audiences disinterested in gore-driven storytelling. By fall 2018, a finalized script package including episode synopses, concept art, and the tone reel was ready to be presented to potential distributors.

By late 2018, Elridge began pitching the series to multiple production houses and streaming services. Among the first to express interest was Netflix, who responded positively to the anthology format and the show's restrained horror tone. According to early development sources, Elridge’s pitch emphasized her desire to create emotionally resonant horror without leaning on exploitative violence or shock-driven storytelling. She positioned the show as an answer to the growing demand for prestige genre television that fused aesthetic ambition with social and emotional subtext. The pilot’s heavy focus on grief, memory, and paranoia was a key selling point, demonstrating the series’ ability to elevate traditional horror elements into a more humanistic frame. Other networks reportedly showed interest, but Netflix’s offer came with a development deal that included full season financing and creative control. The studio was particularly impressed by the visual materials Elridge provided, which illustrated her clear vision for tone, production design, and worldbuilding. Meetings with Netflix executives focused less on ratings targets and more on storytelling intent, a move Elridge credited with giving her the confidence to retain control over the series’ direction. The platform also saw potential in global distribution, given the show’s minimal reliance on cultural specificity and its universally recognizable themes.

Following positive early meetings, Elridge entered a script refinement phase lasting several months. Between December 2018 and March 2019, the pilot and subsequent episodes were revised for narrative clarity, pacing, and dialogue authenticity. Multiple table reads were held during this period, involving both writers and potential cast members, allowing Elridge to test tonal rhythms in real-time. Network notes encouraged trimming exposition and emphasizing subtext, while also making space for silence, dread, and reflection. Elridge remained the final voice on all revisions, but credited Goodwin with helping restructure the middle acts of the pilot to maintain forward momentum without sacrificing mood. Several scenes were reimagined to better align with the visual approach planned for production, particularly those involving confined locations and sparse lighting. These rewrites also introduced more nuanced emotional transitions for the main characters, reinforcing the show's character-first philosophy. Internal executives from Netflix praised the rewrites for retaining their creative integrity while making the show more broadly accessible. By April 2019, a finalized script package was submitted for formal greenlight review. Elridge described the period as both exhausting and affirming, citing the level of attention to detail as the primary reason for the project’s eventual success in securing backing.

In mid-2019, after several review rounds and internal evaluations, Netflix officially greenlit the show for a full eight-episode order. The announcement was made internally first, followed by a press briefing several weeks later. Elridge was granted full creative oversight and final cut approval, a rare move that underscored Netflix’s faith in her leadership. The studio cited the show’s cinematic tone, sophisticated writing, and scalable anthology structure as key drivers for the investment. Development funds were allocated for location scouting, set design, and early casting searches, while additional budget was reserved for practical effects and post-production scoring. Netflix’s internal marketing team also began planning for a global launch strategy, banking on the series to expand their horror prestige offerings. Production was scheduled to begin in late 2019, with a target premiere originally set for mid-2021, though this would later shift due to external delays. Elridge expressed gratitude for the support and cited the greenlight as validation of the show’s riskier creative instincts. By the end of 2019, all early-season scripts were finalized and pre-production entered full swing, marking the show’s transition from vision to reality.

Netflix formally joined the project in June 2019, signing a distribution and co-production agreement with Elridge’s production banner. The agreement secured exclusive streaming rights, with international licensing to be negotiated on a per-region basis depending on regional partnerships. Competing offers from two other networks were reportedly declined after Netflix committed to Elridge’s full creative independence and approved an above-average budget for a first-time showrunner. The deal also included priority development options for future seasons, allowing Elridge to explore different storylines under the same thematic umbrella. Netflix's faith in the project was evident in how quickly they moved to allocate resources, including top-tier post-production vendors and location resources in Eastern Europe. The platform added the series to its internal roster of high-priority genre debuts for the upcoming fiscal year. By July 2019, Netflix had begun assembling its marketing teams, anticipating strong engagement from both genre fans and prestige drama viewers. Elridge was officially confirmed as showrunner and executive producer, with principal photography scheduled to begin before the end of Q4 2019. As part of the rollout strategy, the show was also included in preview sizzle reels for Netflix’s upcoming original slate in early 2020, despite not having premiered yet.

Casting

Casting for the series began in early 2020, with the creative team reportedly seeking actors capable of “delivering layered performances in contained, emotionally charged settings.” While no official cast members have been announced, industry sources indicate that casting favors stage-trained performers and returning collaborators from Elridge’s past independent projects.

Filming

Principal photography for the first season began in September 2020 and concluded in June 2021. The series was primarily shot in British Columbia, with most exterior and town sequences filmed on location in and around Vancouver. Several indoor sequences and constructed sets were staged at North Shore Studios, allowing the production team to design intricate, deteriorating interiors that matched the season’s decaying psychological tone. In select cases, real abandoned sites—including a defunct hospital in Coquitlam and an unused elementary school—were used to lend realism to key locations featured in the series.

The visual tone of the series was developed in close collaboration with cinematographer Clara Mendez, who aimed to ground each episode in naturalistic lighting while amplifying dread through controlled shadow placement and restrained camera movement. Mendez used Arri Alexa Mini cameras paired with Cooke S4/i lenses to create a textured, film-like finish. Several scenes employed low-light setups with practical lanterns or flashlights used as diegetic sources, emphasizing isolation and vulnerability. Color grading emphasized cold, muted palettes, often suppressing warmth in daytime sequences to maintain a psychological unease across the narrative. Elridge and Mendez worked together to avoid excessive reliance on digital effects, instead emphasizing practical horror design. Prosthetic work, custom latex molds, and airbrushed makeup were used for key sequences, including transformation scenes and body horror elements. A specialized effects team from Alberta contributed to gore realism using biodegradable gels and edible blood compounds for safety. When visual effects were required—such as to enhance subtle hallucinations or dream sequences—they were handled by a boutique post-production studio in Toronto, using minimal CGI overlays to preserve the series’ grounded atmosphere.

Weather played a moderate role in shaping the shoot, especially during autumn exteriors in the Fraser Valley region, where rainfall caused delays across three production blocks. However, no major disruptions were reported beyond minor location rescheduling. COVID-19 safety protocols remained in place for the duration of the shoot, with regular testing, zone-based crew management, and mandatory isolation periods for cast and department heads between location changes. While the season contained minimal stunt-heavy sequences, a few psychologically intense scenes required controlled rigging, especially involving drowning effects and confined spaces. A key underwater sequence was shot in a controlled tank with medical personnel on standby. Mendez used a waterproof RED Komodo for the sequence, preserving continuity in visual tone. The production emphasized cast safety, particularly for sequences involving prosthetics, tight enclosures, and night shoots in isolated areas.

Music

The score for the series was composed by Weston Doyle and Andrea Renwick, who were selected early in the development process due to their prior collaborations with showrunner Elridge on short-form projects. The decision to bring in a dual-composer team was made to balance the show’s psychological tension with a more lyrical, character-driven soundscape. According to Elridge, Doyle was primarily responsible for the ambient and environmental sound design, while Renwick focused on the melodic themes woven throughout key character arcs.

The series' musical style blends ambient textures, analog synth layers, and minimalist string motifs. Renwick cited Bernard Herrmann’s dissonant scoring for Psycho as a key influence in shaping the show’s unsettling tonal framework, while Doyle acknowledged the structural precision and restraint of John Carpenter’s work, particularly in Halloween. The composers also incorporated unconventional elements such as distorted choral recordings, bowed cymbals, and reversed audio clips to mirror the characters’ psychological unraveling.

Rather than relying on leitmotifs for individual characters, the score was structured around emotional beats and key narrative shifts. One recurring motif — a fractured piano line layered beneath a pulsing synth bass — was used to signify moments of suppressed trauma or impending confrontation. In post-production, the composers worked closely with the sound department to integrate the music dynamically with environmental sounds, often allowing silence or low-frequency hums to dominate before the score emerged during climactic moments.

The soundtrack was recorded at Soundship Studios in Toronto, with a small ensemble for strings and live analog synth work performed by Doyle himself. A selection of the score is expected to be released digitally alongside the season premiere.

Release

Twelve Hands is scheduled to be released on Netflix on October 31, 2025.