Movies
‘The House of the Devil’ Finds a New Home
Some interesting news came in this morning as Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today that it has acquired U.S. rights to Ti West’s critically acclaimed horror film The House of the Devil (review). A terrifically crafted homage to 80s horror masterpieces, the film premiered at Tribeca earlier this year and is sure to be an instant classic among genre fans, expertly building a mood of mounting dread to a shockingly terrifying climax. Read on for more info on the deal.
Director West, who was recently tapped by Hollywood to direct a high profile sequel, THE HAUNTING IN GEORGIA, has been regarded as something of a horror wunderkind since 2005’s THE ROOST, and THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL unquestionably fulfills that promise.
The deal was negotiated by Magnolia’s Senior Vice President Tom Quinn with Josh Braun of Submarine and Roger Kass of RingTheJing Entertainment, on behalf of MPI Media Group, Glass Eye PIX, RingTheJing Entertainment and Constructovision.
Magnet is excited to release THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL as part of the Magnolia/Magnet Ultra VOD program, which will offer home viewers a chance to see the film a month before it debuts theatrically. Magnet plans to launch the film on VOD late September 2009, with a theatrical release timed to Halloween.
THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL stars the sexy Jocelin Donahue stars as college student Samantha Hughes who takes a babysitting job in a remote mansion with her good friend Megan (indie favorite Greta Gerwig). She’s desperate for money and the pay is good, but something feels wrong, and Samantha quickly realizes that the girls are trapped. As a lunar eclipse darkens the night sky, she realizes that her employers–cult favorites Tom Noonan (MANHUNTER) and Mary Woronov (ROCK AND ROLL HIGH SCHOOL)–have something truly terrifying in store for them.
“Ti West is without a doubt one of the biggest talents in horror right now,” said Magnet/Magnolia SVP and Head of Acquisitions Tom Quinn. “THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is smart, truly scary, and an awesome throwback to what made 80s horror great. This kind of film is what Magnet is all about.”
“Eamonn Bowles and Tom Quinn have been enthusiastic supporters of this film from the very beginning,” said Greg Newman of MPI Media Group. “We are pleased that the film has found a home with Magnet/Magnolia, a company that truly appreciates the genre and will give the film an expertly crafted release.”
“I’m psyched we found such a great home at Magnolia Pictures,” said director Ti West. “They continue to release interesting and progressive content and have one of the most impressive slates of independent film to date. They are the perfect fit for THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL.”
THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL was produced by Roger Kass, Josh Braun, Larry Fessenden and Peter Phok with Executive Producers Malik B Ali, Badie Ali, Hamza Ali and Greg Newman. Ti West wrote, directed and edited the film.
Paramount is heading to Sleepy Hollow with a brand new feature film take on the classic Headless Horseman tale, with Lindsey Anderson Beer (Pet Sematary: Bloodlines) announced to direct the movie back in 2022. But is that project still happening, now two years later?
The Hollywood Reporter lets us know this afternoon that Paramount Pictures has renewed its first-look deal with Lindsey Anderson Beer, and one of the projects on the upcoming slate is the aforementioned Sleepy Hollow movie that was originally announced two years ago.
THR details, “Additional projects on the development slate include… Sleepy Hollow with Anderson Beer attached to write, direct, and produce alongside Todd Garner of Broken Road.”
You can learn more about the slate over on The Hollywood Reporter. It also includes a supernatural thriller titled Here Comes the Dark from the writers of Don’t Worry Darling.
The origin of all things Sleepy Hollow is of course Washington Irving’s story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” which was first published in 1819. Tim Burton adapted the tale for the big screen in 1999, that film starring Johnny Depp as main character Ichabod Crane.
More recently, the FOX series “Sleepy Hollow” was also based on Washington Irving’s tale of Crane and the Headless Horseman. The series lasted four seasons, cancelled in 2017.
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