Adam Mason Getty Images EXCLUSIVE: A Higher Standard and Nickel City Pictures are re-teaming for psychological horror The Ladder, the latest feature from Adam Mason and Simon Boyes, best known for their 2020 pandemic-themed movie Songbird. Mason, whose other credits include They Come Knocking, will direct the film, which is targeting a Q1 2026 start date in Ireland. Casting has yet to be unveiled. The horror follows Emma and her husband Clay, who move into a converted church in Ireland where they discover a secret hatch in the basement with a ladder headed straight down.