FilmDistrict Acquires Horror Film ‘Oculus’

FilmDistrict's latest acquisition, based on a Mike Flanagan short film, looks at a family torn apart by a haunted mirror

Do you believe in haunted mirrors? Film District will try to make you.

The financing and distribution company has acquired Intrepid Pictures’ horror flick “Oculus,” which is based on Mike Flanagan’s short film of the same name.

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Flanagan will direct from a script he co-wrote with Jeff Howard with production starting later this summer.

Trevor Macy and Marc D. Evans will both produce and finance the project. Focus Features International is shopping its international rights at Cannes.

"Mike's ability to tell atmospheric and truly frightening tales is evident in both his 'Oculus' short and especially his feature film 'Absentia,' which won numerous awards at horror film festivals," Macy said in a statement.  "We're excited to work with him to bring his storytelling to an even broader audience and believe that in the United States, FilmDistrict is just the right partner to do that."

The film portrays a brother and sister whose family was killed 10 years earlier. Though the brother was blamed for the incident, his sister is intent on proving that a haunted mirror was responsible.

Also read: James Cromwell Joining 'American Horror Story' for Season 2

"When we read the script for 'Oculus' and saw Mike's short, we were excited about his potential to create a film that would deliver real scares to horror fans," Peter Schlessel, CEO of FilmDistrict, said in a statement. "We look forward to working with Trevor and Marc and their team at Intrepid on the project."

FilmDistrict has a series of films opening later this year, including “Safety Not Guaranteed,” “Looper,” “Red Dawn” and “Playing the Field,” starring Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel and Dennis Quaid.

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