Dark Sky Films has acquired all North American distribution rights to BLACKOUT, the acclaimed new film from independent horror master Larry Fessenden. The thriller, about a fine arts painter convinced he is a werewolf wreaking havoc on a small American town, will be released in the first quarter of 2024 in theaters and on digital platforms. Yellow Veil Pictures is representing worldwide rights at this year’s American Film Market in Santa Monica, where the announcement was made.
The distribution agreement was negotiated by Giles Edwards, Head of Development & Acquisitions for Dark Sky Films and Hugues Barbier, Justin Timms and Joe Yanick of Yellow Veil Pictures, the NYC and LA-based film sales and distribution company that focuses on boundary-pushing genre cinema. Negotiations on behalf of Glass Eye Pix were conducted by Jerry Dasti and Mel Pudig.
BLACKOUT marks the long-awaited reunion of Dark Sky Films and Larry Fessenden’s Glass Eye Pix, two iconic horror companies that brought us contemporary classics such as Ti West’s The House of The Devil and The Innkeepers, Jim Mickle’s Stake Land and Late Phases, directed by Adrian Garcia Bogliano.
Writer-director Larry Fessenden has created some of the most original and memorable independent horror films of the last 25 years, from Habit and Wendigo to The Last Winter, Skin and Bones, Beneath and Depraved. His latest, BLACKOUT, ranks among his most chilling and thought-provoking works with a cast that includes: Alex Hurt, Addison Timlin, Motell Gyn Foster, Joseph Castillo-Midyett, Ella Rae Peck, Rigo Garay, John Speredakos, Michael Buscemi, Jeremy Holm, Joe Swanberg, James Le Gros, Kevin Corrigan, Marshall Bell and Barbara Crampton. Producers on the project are Fessenden along wih James Felix McKenney, Chris Ingvordsen and co-producer Gaby Leyner.
BLACKOUT has received rave critical reviews during its festival run. “Blackout has a compelling, truly disarming earnestness,” said Nick Allen at Rogerebert.com. While Craig Ian Mann from OurCulture calls BLACKOUT “one of the most intelligent and interesting werewolf movies of the 21st century.” “…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.” said Phil Nobile from Fangoria.
MPI’s Giles Edwards said, “Larry Fessenden is a gifted filmmaker whose one-of-a-kind vision and style has always set his movies apart. We’re thrilled to bring his remarkable BLACKOUT to the screen.”
Greg Newman, Executive Vice President of Dark Sky Films added, “Larry Fessenden and Glass Eye Pix have had an indelible impact on the indie genre world. Our association with Larry goes back many years and we are thrilled to once again be working with him in releasing this most recent entry within his truly amazing body of work.”
Says Fessenden: “It’s a little bit like coming home, working with MPI/Dark Sky again, especially during this tumultuous time in show biz, 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.”
Official Film 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, Submission, TV’s 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.
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