Oat Cult launched tiramisu oats with a 1539 folk-horror ritual film

An emerging overnight-oats brand with a cult-sounding name had to launch a new flavour on a small budget while cultivating the distinctive world its name promises.

A two-minute film directed by MindsEye's Mike Upson, using folk horror and absurdity to lean into ritual, obsession and indulgence — playing on the premise that Oat Cult demands less sacrifice than other overnight-oat brands. The crew took 'art direction, but more butthole-like' into the woods with children, animals and Italian medieval peasants.

No results reported. Founder Ben da Costa, a creative of 20 years who deliberately didn't write it himself, said watching other people bring the world to life was a joy — 'then they pushed it into a hole. I've still not had it back.'

LBB reported on 5 October 2026 that Oat Cult had launched its Tiramisù-flavoured overnight oats with a two-minute film by agency Thingy & Thingy and production company MindsEye, directed by Mike Upson — 'quite literally reclaiming its cult status reputation'.

Set in Friuli, Italy, in 1539, the grainy black-and-white film shows a group of villagers sacrificing the things they love in exchange for coffee-and-chocolate overnight oats, which are spewed out at the faces of an increasingly devoted crowd. The agency says the film plays on the premise that Oat Cult does not demand as much sacrifice as other overnight-oat brands, and it was ambitious despite the emerging brand's budget.

The launch followed Oat Cult's first outside investment, £220,000 from Anotherway Ventures, earmarked to accelerate its subscription and Amazon business growth. Founder Ben da Costa said 'backing creative people, whether that's agencies, animators or someone making things in their bedroom, is part of what Oat Cult is for'; Thingy & Thingy's creative directors summarised the film as being 'about a disgusting hole that devours life in return for delicious tiramisu overnight oats'.

The brand's own name invites extremity, so a ritual-horror premise is on-brand rather than a stunt.

Black-and-white 1539 peasant ritual stands out instantly in a feed of bright food ads.

A two-minute runtime and a £220,000 budget force the spectacle into concept rather than production value.

Handing the script to other creatives kept the brand world fresh to its own founder.

A brand named Cult can literalise its name: folk horror sells a flavour through devotion and sacrifice instead of a product-benefit shot.

The film launched on 5 October 2026. The Anotherway Ventures investment is earmarked for subscription and Amazon growth; no campaign performance was reported.