In August of 2020, the Fangoria brand was acquired by Tara Ansley and Abhi Goel. Now the owners have launched the Fangoria Studios production shingle with the intention of developing and producing horror films, television shows, and podcasts. The first film in development at Fangoria Studios is the creature feature Sitora, which is inspired by the lost 1964 Malaysian horror film Sitora Harimau Jadian.
Diffan Sina Norman is set to make his feature directorial debut on the project, which will center on
a tyrannical shaman who puffs up the threat of a supernatural half-man, half-tiger as a means of preserving his feudal control.
Wan Hanafi Su has signed on to play a character called Sir.
Tara Ansley, Abhi Goel, and Armen Aghaeian are producing Sitora for Fangoria Studios. The company released the following statement:
Sitora is a perfect example of who we are. [Our] mission is to celebrate genre filmmaking by providing a platform for scary stories with deep roots in culture, folklore, legends and the macabre on the international stage. We believe that horror is truly global and has cross-demographic appeal. Fear is universal. When it comes to horror, everyone screams in the same language."
Sitora will be filmed on location in Malaysia.
The 1964 film Sitora Harimau Jadian was directed by and starred P. Ramlee. It was apparently only shown once on Malaysian television before the film reels were destroyed due to improper storage conditions. According to Fangoria, the film reels were destroyed in a flood. Malaysian film repair company Repair Gambar Lama has offered a reward to anyone who can bring them an intact copy of Sitora Harimau Jadian.
I always want to see Fangoria succeed, so I hope this film endeavor will go well for the brand's new owners. We'll keep you updated on Sitora as the project moves forward.
Fangoria's previous owners put the brand name on the films Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich, Satanic Panic, Porno, and VFW.