Here’s some exciting news for people who enjoy excellent things: genre icon Larry Fessenden’s new werewolf thriller Blackout has been acquired for distribution by the good folks at Dark Sky Films (a subsidiary of the MPI Media Group), with an eye towards releasing the film both in theaters and on digital platforms “in the first quarter of 2024!”
Prior to being acquired by Dark Sky, Fessenden’s latest enjoyed a critically-acclaimed festival run (FANGORIA head honcho Phil Nobile Jr. says: “Every aspect of Blackout — its pacing, its beautiful character work, its very specific structure — seems to gleefully abandon expectation and convention, and trusts that audiences will take this sad/funny trip crafted by a wholly original cinematic voice”), and those of us who weren’t fortunate enough to catch it in theaters during that run are delighted to hear we’ll get another chance next year.
Here’s an official plot synopsis:
Painter Charley (Alex Hurt, Minyan, TV’s New Amsterdam) wakes up in an upstate motel where he appears to have been living for some time. After he packs and leaves he encounters various people in the small town where everybody knows your name. Charley is saying goodbye to the long-suffering love of his life, Sharon (Addison Timlin, American Horror Stories), and settling his affairs with a strange urgency that culminates with a call to a friend, Earl (Motell Gyn Foster, Marriage Story, A Dog’s Way Home), saying: “You better be ready, I’m coming.”
But Charley never makes it to his friend’s house: When the sun goes down he has convulsions while driving his car, goes off the road and ends up in a ditch. Charley, it seems, is a werewolf. He attacks his rescuers and moves through the outskirts of town at night wreaking havoc. But the next day he can’t remember the things he’s done. Now the tight-knit town must rally to find out what is tearing it apart: mistrust, fear, or a vicious monster.
In addition to Hurt, Timlin, and Foster, Blackout also stars Joseph Castillo-Midyett, Ella Rae Peck, Rigo Garay, John Speredakos, Michael Buscemi, Jeremy Holm, Joe Swanberg, James Le Gros, Kevin Corrigan, Marshall Bell and (last, but certainly not least) FANGORIA fave Barbara Crampton. It’s produced by Fessenden, alongside James Felix McKenney, Chris Ingvordsen and co-producer Gaby Leyner.
Says Fessenden:
“It’s a little bit like coming home, working with MPI/Dark Sky again, especially during this tumultuous time in showbiz, when you don’t know who to trust. My goal is to get my movies out to an audience and I can count on the team at Dark Sky Films to make that happen as they have with all our previous collaborations, large and small. And a Shout Out to Yellow Veil for their work in putting this deal together. Now let’s roll up our sleeves and get busy.”
Nothing further to report on Blackout at this time, but rest assured we’ll keep you informed as further updates roll in. Stay tuned, folks!
