Werner Herzog’s My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? was revealed as the first surprise film, in competition, at the 66th edition of the Venice Film Festival.

The new entry will compete against Herzog’s other film already in the main competition - Bad Lieutenant: Port Of
Call New Orleans
, for the Golden Lion.

My Son tells the story of an aspiring actor performing in a Greek tragedy who commits the crime - of killing his mother - that he is set to perform in a play. Michael Shannon, Willem Defoe, Chloe Sevigny and Udo Kier star with David Lynch’s Absurda handling world sales.

Herzog said, “I wanted to make a horror film without the blood, chainsaws and gore, but with a strange, anonymous fear creeping up in you.”

The Venice Film Festival has one more surprise film to announce September 10th - which will take the total number of in-competition titles to twenty-five.

The Festival runs through September 12.