The Drownsman will give you another reason to fear the water

October 30th 2013, 1:51pm

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

We've been keeping a close eye on ANTISOCIAL, the social-media-saavy horror film from director Cody Calahan and producer Chad Archibald that premiered at Fantasia earlier this year. But there's no rest for the wicked as Twitch is reporting that Calahan and Archibald are already in production of their next feature, THE DROWNSMAN, and it sounds like the duo have come up with a frightening new character that could rank up there with the icons of the genre.

Currently shooting in Ontario, THE DROWNSMAN reunites a few from the ANTISOCIAL team. Michelle Mylett will take the lead again, this time as Madison. ANTISOCIAL writer Chad Archibald gets back behind the camera while writing partner and ANTISOCIAL director Cody Calahan assumes the writing role. Ry Barrett, who has worked with Archibald on ANTISOCIAL and NEVERLOST will be the titular Drownsman.

After almost drowning in a lake, Madison finds herself bound to a life of fear. Unable to describe what happened to her during the moments she was underwater, she begins to develop hydrophobia: an abnormal fear of water. Crippled by her post trauma, Madison attempts to shut out the world but her fear intensifies and she is faced with the vision of a dark figure that haunts her day and night.

After watching her struggle for one year with the phobia and visions, Madison's four friends attempt an unconventional intervention in which they accidentally open a floodgate to a dark place where none of them are safe. As Madison and her friends dive deeper into the dark history of this figure that haunts them, it reaches out and begins dragging them to a horrifying place that they can never come back from.

In the vein of classic supernatural villains like Freddy Kruger, Michael Myers, and Candyman, this film creates a new iconic villain that will make audiences fear running their bath water.

Executive Producers Breakthrough Entertainment have worldwide distribution rights. They and the filmmakers hope to have the film read for presentation at EFM in February during Berlinale.

An axe-wielding still from ANTISOCIAL