For those of us who’ve followed Jett Klyne’s career from his breakout roles in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Marvel’s WandaVision, his latest turn in Shaman feels like both an evolution and a revelation. While he’s no stranger to emotionally charged performances, Shaman plunges Klyne into far darker territory as Elliot, a teenager overtaken by an ancient spirit after a disturbing encounter in a forbidden cave.
The film demands a lot from Klyne, both physically and emotionally, and he rises to the occasion with a performance that is at once unsettling and deeply human. As Elliot transforms, Klyne shifts from grounded realism to full-bodied malevolence, showcasing a maturity well beyond his years. What makes his work even more impressive is the way he threads subtle differences between pre- and post-possession, a duality that anchors the supernatural chaos with an emotional core.
Set against the eerie backdrop of the Andes and steeped in cultural tension between Christianity and Indigenous spirituality, Shaman isn’t just a horror film; it’s a spiritual and psychological battleground. Klyne holds his own opposite genre veterans like Sara Canning and Daniel Gillies, crafting a believable family dynamic that heightens the emotional stakes.
Though this marks a clear shift into more intense genre filmmaking, Klyne’s earlier performance in Puppet Killer, a zany, blood-soaked horror-comedy that’s since achieved cult status, hinted at his comfort with the bizarre and unsettling. Seeing him transition from the exaggerated absurdity of that film to the somber and atmospheric dread of Shaman is a testament to his growing range.
As someone who was already a fan going into this interview, Shaman confirmed what I suspected: Jett Klyne is a young actor worth watching. Whether he’s facing off with a possessed puppet or channeling ancient evils in the mountains of South America, he commits fully, and the results are mesmerizing.
Jessie Hobson