British lads' mags iconJennifer Ellison is to star in The Cottage, one of four new horror films being launched in Cannes by Four HorsemenFilms (the genre horror label of UK production company Random Harvest.)

Ellison, aged 21, leaped tofame aged 14 when she joined the long-running UK soap opera Brookside.

Ellison will be joined in TheCottage by Dexter Fletcher and NickFrost. Writer-director is Paul Andrew Williams. The project was developed withbacking from the UK Film Council and shooting is due to begin later this yearwith the Northern Ireland Film and Television Board poised to come on board.

Also on Four Horsemen'sslate is Drowning, to be directed by Phil Stoole. This is a feature-lengthversion of the award-winning short Stoole made with actor Kenneth Branagh. Shooting is due to begin in Spring2006.

Meanwhile, in conjunctionwith Peter La Terriere's First Foot Films, Four Horsemen is pushing ahead withMike Southon's thriller, Wraith.This is being set up as a UK-Canadian co-production. Kevin Zegers(Transamerica) is attached to star.

The fourth new film, Exposure, will mark the directorial debut of Jim Threapleton(former husband of Kate Winslet.) The producer is Andy Noble. The UK FilmCouncil has invested in the development of the film, a thriller about fiveex-public school boys adrift in the Scottish Highlands. Rafe Spall (Shaun OfThe Dead) is attached to the projectwhich is being exec-produced by Sarah Radcliffe. Shooting is due to begin theearly autumn.

Sales agents for all fourprojects will be announced shortly.

Four Horsemen's earlierprojects include Octane and LD50.