Here’s some fun news, via the good folks at Variety: former Shudder chief Craig Engler is joining forces with The Cartel, the production company behind Shudder’s Creepshow, to form Shiver Studios, with an eye towards financing and making “up to 10 horror films a year.” Engler’s most recent theatrical release, Skinamarink, brought in $2M on the back of a $15,000 budget, and the idea here is to continue tapping into the rabid horror fanbase that makes those indie-horror hits possible.
Adds Variety:
“The overall plan is for Shiver to follow its theatrical releases with a TVOD, SVOD, AVOD, linear and physical windowing strategy, working with partners that include both streamers and traditional distributors, the nascent studio specified in a statement.”
Yes, they’re covering all their bases here, and they’ve already got two projects in the pipeline. The first, titled Incident at Joshua Tree, “involves a trail of cryptic social media posts used as clues by a 30-year-old guidance counselor who travels to Joshua Tree to locate her fiancé who vanished while on an overnight camping trip with his three best friends.” Ah, yes, the classic “Head into the desert in the dark” gambit. That always goes well!
Shiver Studios’ second project is titled Bloody Mary, which…
“… sees six soon-to-be college students trapped in a creepy, plantation home in Louisiana during a hurricane. They decide to play the film’s titular scary game involving standing in front of a mirror in the dark holding a candle, and spinning three times saying ‘Bloody Mary’ with each spin. Soon, one by one, the teens are mysteriously murdered.”
We’re excited to hear that Engler’s remaining in the horror space, and delighted to learn that Shiver Studios not only already has projects coming together, but that they’re taking a theatrical-first approach to things. Says Engler:
“The theatrical experience has always been key to the success of great horror franchises, and with theaters back in full swing we’re seeing a huge demand from people who want to see scary movies in person again. At Shudder we focused on curating movies for the streaming audience, but Shiver Studios is going to curate films for a theater-first approach, with an emphasis on smart concepts that can create future horror franchises.”
Nothing further to report on Shiver Studios, Incident at Joshua Tree or Bloody Mary at this time, but we will of course be keeping you informed as further updates roll in. Stay tuned for those and, in the meantime, avoid saying “Bloody Mary” into any mirrors. That’s just foolish behavior.
