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What You Wish For
What You Wish For is a 2023 American suspense horror film written and directed by Nicholas Tomnay. The film follows a talented but down-on-his-luck chef with gambling problems, who flees to a Latin American villa, where he reconnects with an old culinary school pal and ultimatley assumes his identity.

Cast

 * Nick Stahl as Ryan
 * Tamsin Topolski as Imogene
 * Randy Vasquez as Detective Ruiz
 * Penelope Mitchell as Alice
 * Brian Groh as Jack
 * Juan Carlos Messier as Maurice

Production
Nicholas Tomnay wrote the screenplay in the fall of 2018 through the winter of 2019. The production was filmed over 23 days in Colombia during the fall of 2021.

Release
The film made its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 30, 2023. It later screened that same year at Fantastic Fest in Austin Texas.

Magnolia Pictures released the film in a limited theatrical and digital on May 31st, 2024.

Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 32 critics' reviews are positive.

Kyle Smith at the Wall Street Journal wrote 'Without straining to make an obvious point, Mr. Tomnay uses black comedy and shocking splatters of gore to tweak the class of jaded plutocrats who are as asset-rich as they are morals-poor'. Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com also gave the film a positive review calling the experience 'terrifyingly credible'. Michael Talbot Haynes at Film Threat gave the film 8/10, writing 'What You Wish For is everything you could wish for in a well-lit plunge into the abyss.