Rock Springs’ Horror Comes from its History

Sundance Film Review: Rock Springs
Director: Vera Miao
Greenmachine Film, Tandem Pictures
Premiere: 01.26.2026

In my opinion, there is nothing more horrifying than history (except maybe our country’s future), especially when it’s a haunting that not only teaches me a different culture’s folklore but also its history — which is exactly what Sundance sleeper hit, Rock Springs does. 

Rock Springs follows a blended Chinese and Taiwanese family: mother Emily (Kelly Marie Tran), grandma, or Nai Nai, (Fiona Fu) and young Gracie (Aria Kim). The family must pick up and move to a small town in Wyoming named Rock Springs after the loss of Emily’s husband (Nai Nai’s son). While the family attempts a fresh start, they soon realize they’re not only being haunted by hungry ghosts (as Nai Nai explained it, hungry ghosts are spirits who got lost on the way to the other side and only come out during the lunar month) but by the town’s horrifying past. 

Rock Springs is based on the very horrifyingly true story of the Rock Springs Massacre that took place in Wyoming in 1885: an event where White coal miners, intentionally misplacing the blame, sought revenge on the Chinese coal miners for working at such lower wages and “stealing their jobs.” While the official record shows that only 28 died and 15 were injured, not many remains were confirmed or found, leading to the actual possible deaths being over 50. 

Rock Springs does what so many horror movies try and fail to do. It balances so many plates, yet they’re all spinning in perfect unison and deliver a perfect harmony of a plot line. Rock Springs gives you not only a meditative exploration of grief and acceptance, in varying generations of immigrants, but also showcases America’s dark history in a way that, while horrifying, never makes light of or downplays the actual events. Writer and director Vera Miao knows what she’s doing, and she does it so well. It’s hard to believe this is her feature debut. 

Another thing that Rock Springs has going for it is its incredibly talented cast. Benedict Wong not only produced the film, but might’ve actually acted his heart entirely out of his body in his performance during the film’s historical segment. Without giving too much away about his surprise character, I got choked up as he sang the ending of his story. And don’t even get me started on Kelly Marie Tran’s ferocious Taiwanese-mama-bear performance, ‘cause we’d be here all day. Another surprise knock-out performance was tiny but mighty Aria Kim, who delivers one of the film’s most heartfelt yet heartbreaking lines. 

It might be too soon to say, but Vera Miao just might be my favorite artist to come out of this year’s festival. Her work is grotesque, beautifully heartbreaking and horrific. I can think of no better way to send off Utah’s last Sundance than with a viewing of the haunting story that is Rock Springs. —Yonni Uribe

Read more of SLUG’s coverage of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.