Movies
‘History of the Occult’ – Cinedigm and SCREAMBOX Acquire Lovecraftian Horror Movie from Argentina!
Cinedigm announced today they have acquired all North American rights to one of the most successful Latin horror films of all time, History of the Occult, from FilmSharks.
Variety first reported the news this afternoon.
The film, which was successfully released across Latin America, Europe, and Asia, is now ready to make its debut in the US & Canada this December on the Bloody Disgusting-powered SCREAMBOX streaming service.
History of the Occult was notably the highest-rated horror movie of 2021 on Letterboxd‘s Year in Review roundup, as rated by Letterboxd users.
The Lovecraftian horror film, which premiered at the Cannes’ Blood Window sidebar and was also an Official Selection at the Mar del Plata & Sitges Film Festivals, has also been picked up internationally by Netflix and HBO MAX. FilmSharks snapped up worldwide and remake rights to the film with a major U.S. genre producer eyeing it for a remake. A throwback in style and setting, Cinedigm plans to release History of the Occult exclusively on its horror streaming service SCREAMBOX, which is powered by Bloody Disgusting.
From writer/director Cristian Ponce (creator of the animated series “The Kirlian Frequency”)…
“History of the Occult pulls viewers deep into a world of conspiracy and witchcraft.
“Producers of the nightly show ’60 minutes to Midnight’s have been dutifully planning a riveting final broadcast, but even they could not have predicted what their guest, Adrian Marcato, has in store. As the final frames of the legendary show flicker from televisions across the country, Marcato readies himself to expose a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of their nationhood; that the government is aligned with a dangerous supernatural coven.”
During its festival run, the bone-chilling film won the Le Film Français prize at Cannes’ Blood Window sidebar, Best Argentine Breakthrough Performance Actor and the Special Jury Award for Best Latin American First Feature at the Mar del Plata Film Festival. In addition, History of the Occult was nominated for Best Motion Picture at Sitges, Spain’s premier festival specializing in fantasy and horror films.
“Mystery, conspiracy and the supernatural, intrigues and excites something in all of us,” said Brad Miska, Managing Director of Bloody Disgusting. “Cristian (Ponce) melds these themes together in such a brilliant way, making History of the Occult the kind of film viewers can’t look away from. We are thrilled to bring this horror film, which ended up as the highest rated horror film of 2021 on Letterboxd, to our SCREAMBOX viewers!”
Says Guido Rud, CEO of FilmSharks, “History of the Occult is not the kind of film you come across every day. The old rule is now more valid than ever: it’s all about the script, and no matter the size of the film, it can immerse you in less than 10 minutes if a great story is told. When we discovered this gem and it became Spain’s #1 most-watched digital film of the year during 2021, we were able to sell this genre-defining film to major studios around the world in 45 territories. We are elated to strike this deal with one of the best genre labels in North America because of their dedication to the horror genre and its fans.”
History of the Occult stars veteran Argentine actor Germán Baudino (“Abrakadabra,” “Los Olvidados”), Nadia Lozano, Victor Díaz, Héctor Ostrofsky and Agustín Recondo. The film was produced by Pedro Saieg.
The deal was negotiated by Brandon Hill, Manager of Acquisitions, on behalf of Cinedigm and Matias Fontenla, Valeria Fanego and Guido Rud on behalf of Film Sharks.
Before updating the video nasty Faces of Death, director Daniel Goldhaber and writer Isa Mazzei explored the dangers of online life in tech-thriller Cam, their feature debut that was acquired by Netflix in 2018 after making waves on the festival circuit.
At the end of last year, the Netflix exclusive quietly departed from the streaming platform, left without another streaming home.
It’s not an isolated story; Mike Flanagan’s Hush also left streaming entirely for a period until it was finally picked up on both physical media and other streaming services.
While the tech-thriller currently isn’t available to watch on Netflix, Tubi, Hulu, or any other platforms, that’s not a problem for Cam thanks to a very cool move by Goldhaber: the director has made his breakout film accessible to watch online for free via his website.
As his site notes: “CAM is unfortunately not currently available to view on any platforms, so you can watch it here if you like :).“
No subscriptions or fees necessary, just hit play.
Cam follows Alice (Madeline Brewer), who works as an online cam girl obsessed with her ranking on the cam site. The higher her ranking goes, the more it draws unwanted attention, and Alice soon finds herself replaced on her own show with a doppelganger.
Written by Mazzei, a former camgirl, it uses the horror thriller premise to examine the life of a sex worker; Alice’s career ambition is directly at odds with the shame it brings to her family, and how she tries to spare them from it by keeping them in the dark. It only compounds her danger when the doppelganger enters the equation in Goldhaber’s engaging thriller.
For a deep dive into the treacherous world of Cam, listen to Horror Queers’ episode on it now.
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