Screen Media Acquires Mena Suvari-Led Horror Film ‘The Accursed’ From ‘Willy’s Wonderland’ Helmer Kevin Lewis

EXCLUSIVE: Screen Media has acquired North American rights to the horror film The Accursed, from director Kevin Lewis (Willy’s Wonderland), which stars Mena Suvari (American Beauty), Sarah Grey (Power Rangers), Meg Foster (They Live) and Alexis Knapp (Pitch Perfect). The Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company has slated the title, which is currently in post-production, for a theatrical day-and-date release this fall.

The Accursed follows a young woman who is forced to return home following the death of her mother. Consumed by guilt and desperate to escape the haunting visions playing out in her head, she takes a temporary caregiver position for a comatose, old lady living alone in the woods. It does not take long before she realizes that not all is as it seems, and that the old lady harbors a demonic secret; an evil secret that the old lady’s daughter is intent on passing on.

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Head Gear Films and TPC provided production financing, with the latter also providing brokerage and post accounting services. Marcus Englefield and George Lee produced for Blood Red Films alongside Ntropic Films, which also handled VFX and post-production. Executive producers included Norman Harbert, Merritt Harbert, Scott Harbert, Jeremy Ross, Robyn Klein, Fred Hedman, Michael Ryan, Phil Hunt, Viviana Zarragoitia, David Gendron, Nate Robinson, Rob Kennedy, Edward Kennedy and Oliver Yi.

GFM Film Sales is handling worldwide sales for the title and will be showing first footage for international distributors during the 2022 virtual European Film Market, which is now underway.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Screen Media to bring ‘The Accursed’ to US audiences,” said GFM Film Sales’ director Hedman, who exec produced on behalf of Evolution Pictures. “This is classic horror storytelling at its very finest, brought to life by a world-class creative team led by Kevin Lewis.”

“Hot off the success of Willy’s Wonderland, Screen Media is thrilled to work with director Kevin Lewis on another highly original horror film,” added Screen Media in a statement. “The Accursed is a haunting, twist-filled story that we can’t wait to share with our audiences.”

Screen Media also recently acquired Phillip Noyce’s hitman thriller Fast Charlie, starring Pierce Brosnan, and is set to release the Zac Efron starrer Gold in March. It claimed rights to crime thriller La Soga Salvation following its world premiere at the 2021 Toronto Film Festival, picking up Casey Tebo’s Black Friday, starring Devon Sawa and Bruce Campbell, upon its Fantastic Fest debut. Other recent releases from the company include Brent Wilson’s documentary Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road; James Nunn’s One Shot, starring Scott Adkins and Ryan Phillippe; Lina Roessler’s Best Sellers, starring Aubrey Plaza and Michael Caine; and Chase Palmer’s Naked Singularity, starring John Boyega and Olivia Cooke.

GFM Film Sales’ 2022 EFM slate also includes the thriller Damaged from director Howard J Ford; the completed action-thriller No Mercy; and the forthcoming heist thriller Severance to be directed by Andy Morahan.

Seth Needle, EVP of Global Acquisitions and Co-Productions at Screen Media, negotiated the deal to acquire The Accursed with Hedman on behalf of the production.

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