The found footage horror anthology series V/H/S/ was launched in 2012, with the sequels V/H/S/2 and V/H/S: Viral following in 2013 and 2014. There was a spin-off called SiREN in 2016, then the franchise went dormant for a few years… before being revived by the Shudder streaming service, which has had great success delivering a new V/H/S/ movie every year. There was V/H/S/94 in 2021, V/H/S/99 in 2022, V/H/S/85 in 2023 (with another spin-off, called Kids vs. Aliens, also dropping in 2023), V/H/S/Beyond in 2024, and V/H/S/Halloween last year. All of the recent movies have been produced in partnership with Studio71, and Spooky Pictures got involved with the last two films. Now, Variety reports that Spooky Pictures has teamed with Image Nation Abu Dhabi to acquire the rights to the franchise from Studio71.
Variety notes, “The deal to jointly produce forthcoming titles within the franchise marks a further step in the six-year partnership between the U.S. genre label Spooky Pictures, headed by Steven Schneider (Pet Sematary) and Roy Lee (The Ring), and the deep-pocketed UAE-based studio.“
Statements
Image Nation CEO Ben Ross had this to say about acquiring the franchise: “It’s a natural evolution.: This is a piece of IP that we all were very fond of that became available and we’re very excited about it, because one of our mantras is we like to work with emerging talent.” Ross went on to say that V/H/S/ movies could provide an opportunity for Arab filmmakers to get into genre work, and “we are looking to find new filmmakers around the world, including that region.“
Steven Schneider added, “Horror anthologies are generally difficult to mount. The fact that the V/H/S/ brand and franchise has not just persevered, but thrived — and continues to grow in popularity because of the consistent level of quality control — that was an amazing opportunity for us to get into. Like Ben said, we really love the opportunity to work with and help break, nourish, foster up-and-coming filmmakers. And this platform for them is incredible.“
Lee noted that “the shorts created for the V/H/S/ franchise can be like a proof-of-concept that could potentially turn these shorts into feature films.“
Spooky Pictures and Image Nation previously collaborated on Late Night with the Devil, The Plague, and The Vile, as well as the upcoming films Hokum, The Shepherd, Menace, and Archangel.
Are you a fan of the V/H/S/ franchise? What do you think of Spooky Pictures and Image Nation Abu Dhabi acquiring the rights? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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