LOS ANGELES, Sept. 25, 2019 – RLJE Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, has acquired US rights to the horror film THE SHED. Written and directed by Frank Sabatella (Blood Night), the film stars Jay Jay Warren (“Bosch”), Cody Kostro (“City on a Hill”), Sofia Happonen (Woman of a Certain Age), Frank Whaley (Pulp Fiction), Siobhan Fallon Hogan (Men in Black) and Timothy Bottoms (The Last Picture Show). RLJE Films will release THE SHED in theaters and on VOD and Digital HD on Nov. 15, 2019.
“We are thrilled to be working with Peter Block and Cory Neal on their latest horror film, THE SHED,” said Mark Ward, Chief Acquisitions Officer of RLJE Films. “We know audiences are going to love the story, and the way the movie calls to mind everyone’s favorite genre films from their youth, while clearly being in today’s world.”
“I’m very excited for audiences to see the film! I grew up on movies like this and wanted to make a fun, scary movie while still bring a unique idea to the table,” said writer/director Frank Sabatella. “We took themes of alienated youth and neglect, wrapped them within a central horror concept, and were lucky to get a cast of great new talent and recognizable faces to bring depth and personality to the characters. I think that – plus some great scares – is what makes THE SHED so unique and surprising.”
“We always respond to story ideas that beg the question ‘what if?’ Maybe its kids stuck on a ski lift, or two guys chained up in a dingy bathroom, or scuba divers abandoned in the middle of the ocean,” said producers Peter Block and Cory Neal. “This time it was watching the news and seeing another senseless school shooting by a bullied teen and we wondered what if he didn’t have his Dad’s AR-15, but rather… and that’s THE SHED. RLJE Films is all about finding hidden gems and bringing them to audiences and when we told them what we were doing, and then showed them the results, they were super aggressive. We’re thrilled.”
In THE SHED, Stan (Warren) and his best friend Dommer (Kostro) have put up with bullies their entire lives. All of that changes when Stan discovers he has a murderous vampire living in his shed. Seeing the bloodshed and destruction the monster is capable of, Stan knows he has to find a way to destroy it – but Dommer has a much more sinister plan in mind.
THE SHED is a production of A Bigger Boat and was produced by Block (the Saw
franchise) and Neal (the Hatchet franchise). THE SHED will have its World Premiere at the 2019 SITGES International Film Festival, its UK premiere at Grimmfest, and its North American premiere at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. CMG is handling international sales.
The deal was negotiated by Ward and Jess DeLeo from RLJE Films and Block and Neal on behalf of the filmmakers.
ABOUT RLJE FILMS
A privately owned subsidiary of AMC Networks, RLJ Entertainment, Inc. is a premium digital channel company serving distinct audiences primarily through its popular OTT branded channels, Acorn TV (British TV) and UMC (Urban Movie Channel), which have rapidly grown through development, acquisition, and distribution of its exclusive rights to a large library of international and British dramas, independent feature films and urban content. RLJE’s titles are also distributed in multiple formats including broadcast and pay television, theatrical and non-theatrical, DVD, Blu-ray, UHD, and a variety of digital distribution models (including EST, VOD, SVOD and AVOD) in North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Additionally, through Acorn Media Enterprises, its UK development arm, RLJE commissions and co-produces new programs and owns 64% of Agatha Christie Limited. For more information, please visit RLJENTERTAINMENT.COM, ACORN.TV, and UMC.TV.
An RLJ Entertainment, Inc. brand, RLJE Films’ recent features include the 2018 Sundance Film Festival hit Mandy from writer/director Panos Cosmatos and starring Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough and Linus Roache; Galveston starring Ben Foster and Elle Fanning and directed by Mélanie Laurent; and The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot written and directed by Robert Krzykowski and starring Academy Award nominee Sam Elliott, Aidan Turner and Ron Livingston. us.rljentertainment.com.