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.
Universal has been having a hell of a time getting their Universal Monsters brand back on a better path in the wake of the Dark Universe collapsing, with four movies thus far released in the years since The Mummy attempted to get that interconnected universe off the ground.
First was Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man, to date the only post-Mummy hit for the Universal Monsters, followed by The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Renfield, and now Abigail. The latter three films have attempted to bring Dracula back to the screen in fresh ways, but both Demeter and Renfield severely underperformed at the box office. And while Abigail is a far better vampire movie than those two, it’s unfortunately also struggling to turn a profit.
Where does the Universal Monsters brand go from here? The good news is that Universal and Blumhouse have once again enlisted the help of Leigh Whannell for their upcoming Wolf Man reboot, which is howling its way into theaters in January 2025. This is good news, of course, because Whannell’s Invisible Man was the best – and certainly most profitable – of the post-Dark Universe movies that Universal has been able to conjure up. The film ended its worldwide run with $144 million back in 2020, a massive win considering the $7 million budget.
Given the film was such a success, you may wondering why The Invisible Man 2 hasn’t come along in these past four years. But the wait for that sequel may be coming to an end.
Speaking with the Happy Sad Confused podcast this week, The Invisible Man star Elisabeth Moss notes that she feels “very good” about the sequel’s development at this point in time.
“Blumhouse and my production company [Love & Squalor Pictures]… we are closer than we have ever been to cracking it,” Moss updates this week. “And I feel very good about it.”
She adds, “We are very much intent on continuing that story.”
At the end of the 2020 movie, Elisabeth Moss’s heroine Cecilia Kass uses her stalker’s high-tech invisibility suit to kill him, now in possession of the technology that ruined her life.
Stay tuned for more on The Invisible Man 2 as we learn it.
[Related] Power Corrupts: Universal Monsters Classic ‘The Invisible Man’ at 90
Dev Patel’s ‘Monkey Man’ Is Now Available to Watch at Home!
Five Underseen Vampire Horror Movies to Stream This Week
‘Stream’ – Horror Movie from the Team Behind ‘Terrifier’ Sets August Theatrical Release
‘The Blair Witch Project’ – Original Stars Release a Statement Asking Lionsgate for Residuals & Recognition
‘Mountain Man’ – Joe Manganiello Will Battle Zombies in Upcoming Horror Movie
