Studios touched down at the Toronto International Film Festival this year on the prowl for the next Curry Barker or Kane Parsons. Have they found it in Josh Giuliano, whose feature directing debut “River” premiered on Thursday as part of TIFF‘s Midnight Madness section?
The film follows three estranged siblings whose attempts to scatter their dad’s ashes end with them adrift along a rural waterway while being stalked by a masked killer. That sounds pretty friggin’ terrifying.
Well, Blumhouse Atomic Monster, Focus Features, Divide/Conquer, and Spooky Pictures have signed on for Giuliano’s next film, “Occupant” on the strength of that debut. In case you forgot, Focus and Blumhouse Atomic Monster snapped up Barker’s “Obsession” out of TIFF last year and saw it go on to gross $512.6 million globally… so that bet paid off.
The company promptly set up Barker’s next project “Anything but Ghosts” at Focus, doubling down on the Curry business. Blumhouse Atomic Monster also produced Parson’s “Backrooms,” which racked up $394.1 million worldwide, though A24 distributed that film.
So what is “Occupant” all about? Well, it’s probably scary … and other than that, mum’s the word. The logline is “being kept under wraps,” according to a release.
The plot may be a mystery, but the film’s trajectory isn’t dissimilar to the journey “Obsession” took to screens. Barker came to the company through Greg Gilreath and Adam Hendricks of Divide/Conquer after “Obsession” premiered at TIFF last year. The duo have produced numerous films with Blumhouse, including “Freaky” and “M3GAN.”
Giuliano got on everyone’s radar thanks to Sam Zimmerman, who joined Blumhouse Atomic Monster from Shudder earlier this year to oversee the company’s indie slate. He was familiar with Giuliano’s short films, and connected him with Gilreath and Hendricks. And the rest is history.
The deal is good news for the Independent Film Company, which has distribution rights to “River” and will release it in theaters. And Shudder, which was Zimmerman’s former home, is part of Independent Film Company. The big point is, TIFF now has a reputation for highlighting emerging talent thanks to “Obsession,” and Giuliano is the latest beneficiary of Hollywood’s mad dash to find the next big thing in horror.
