Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to atmospheric festival darling Never After Dark, Variety reports today.
The Japanese horror movie written and directed by Dave Boyle is expected to be released in theaters this fall.
In Never After Dark, “a medium travels deep into the Japanese countryside to perform a routine exorcism, forced to confront the most terrifying enemy of all: the living.”
Moeka Hoshi (“Shogun”), Kento Kaku (“House of Ninjas”), Kurumi Inagaki (“House of Ninjas”), Mutsuo Yoshioka (Chime), Bokuzo Masana (“Tokyo Vice”), and Tae Kimura (“All Around Us”) star.
The film premiered at SXSW and went on to win the Midnighter Audience Award. The ghost story infuses its haunted hotel with real threats in a unique way.
I wrote in my SXSW review that it’s “a conventional atmospheric haunted house with a unique approach to the supernatural. It’s that new wrinkle, along with an unwaveringly cool heroine, that sets it apart.“
“We are so thrilled that Magnolia Pictures will bring ‘Never After Dark’ to audiences across North America,” said Boyle and Kaku in a joint statement. “Their passion for the film, their commitment to a theatrical release, and their long history as exceptional stewards of great cinema make this partnership a dream come true for our team. We made this film for the big screen, and we’re delighted that audiences in North America will have the chance to experience it that way.”
Never After Dark first arrives in Japanese theaters this summer via Toho Next before Magnolia brings it to the big screen just in time for Halloween.