Will premiere on VOD in late September
The Wagner/Cuban Companies’ Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today that it has acquired U.S. rights to Ti West’s horror film The House of the Devil. An homage to ’80s horror masterpieces, the film premiered at Tribeca earlier and builds a mood of mounting dread to a shockingly terrifying climax. Director West, who was recently hired to helm The Haunting in Georgia, also directed 2005’s The Roost.
Magnet will release The House of the Devil as part of the Magnolia/Magnet Ultra VOD program, which will offer home viewers a chance to see the film a month before it debuts theatrically. Magnet plans to launch the film on VOD late September 2009, with a theatrical release timed to Halloween.
The House of the Devil stars Jocelin Donahue as college student Samantha Hughes who takes a babysitting job in a remote mansion with her good friend Megan (Greta Gerwig). She’s desperate for money and the pay is good, but something feels wrong, and Samantha quickly realizes that the girls are trapped. As a lunar eclipse darkens the night sky, she realizes that her employers–Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov–have something truly terrifying in store for them.
“Ti West is without a doubt one of the biggest talents in horror right now,” said Magnet/Magnolia SVP and Head of Acquisitions Tom Quinn. “‘The House of the Devil’ is smart, truly scary, and an awesome throwback to what made ’80s horror great. This kind of film is what Magnet is all about.”
“Eamonn Bowles and Tom Quinn have been enthusiastic supporters of this film from the very beginning,” said Greg Newman of MPI Media Group. “We are pleased that the film has found a home with Magnet/Magnolia, a company that truly appreciates the genre and will give the film an expertly crafted release.”
“I’m psyched we found such a great home at Magnolia Pictures,” said director Ti West. “They continue to release interesting and progressive content and have one of the most impressive slates of independent film to date. They are the perfect fit for ‘The House of the Devil.'”
The House of the Devil was produced by Roger Kass, Josh Braun, Larry Fessenden and Peter Phok with Executive Producers Malik B Ali, Badie Ali, Hamza Ali and Greg Newman. Ti West wrote, directed and edited the film.
Source: Magnet Releasing
