Helena Howard (I Saw the TV Glow) stars as a screenwriter penning an ’80s horror reboot with the help of her fiance, played by Inanna Sarkis (Seance), in the meta slasher The Red Mask.
Deadline reports that Stoic has acquired worldwide sales rights and will present the film at this week’s European Film Market in Berlin.
It follows Allina Green (Howard), an outspoken screenwriter hired to reboot a beloved 1980s horror franchise. When online backlash from purist fans escalates into violent threats, Allina and her fiancée Deetz (Sarkis) retreat to a secluded Airbnb to workshop the script through immersive role-play.
What begins as creative experimentation spirals into a deadly confrontation when two unexpected intruders arrive.
Jake Abel (Malignant) and Kelli Garner (Lars and the Real Girl) round out the cast, with cameos by Dead Meat’s James A. Janisse and Chelsea Rebecca as horror influencers.
Ritesh Gupta makes his feature directorial debut from a script by Samantha Gurash and Patrick Robert Young (Bastard). Create Entertainment’s Atit Shah and Intrinsic Value Films’ Aimee Schoof & Isen Robbins produce.
“The Red Mask is a brilliantly sharp and commercially potent slasher that bridges nostalgia and contemporary cultural critique,” said McCormick. “Ritesh has delivered a film that honors the genre’s legacy while pushing it forward in a way that feels urgent and globally resonant.”
“From the beginning, our ambition was to build The Red Mask as a cultural event, not just a genre entry,” added Shah. “Horror has always been the most fearless form of storytelling, and we leaned into that tradition while ensuring the film plays big and viscerally in a theater.”
The Red Mask premiered at FrightFest London last sunmer and went on to play Screamfest.
