The Blood List: Hollywood Executives Name Their Favorite Unproduced Horror Projects
By Matt Donnelly
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – It’s an historically lucrative time to be in the horror business, and not just because the 11th installment of “Halloween” has made $128 million at the domestic box office on a reported $10 million budget.
Last year was the genre’s highest earning ever, as titles like New Line’s “It” and Jordan Peele’s groundbreaking “Get Out” raked in cash ($327 million and $176 million, respectively). Streaming series like Netflix’s “The Haunting of Hill House” and “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” have been showing impressive staying power on social media after the initial binge rush.
Naturally, the industry is seeking similar content across mediums to fill their pipelines — and an annual industry survey of the hottest unmade horror projects has just been released.
The Blood List surveyed 71 C-suite level executives in film and television for the “most-liked screenplays and pilots in the horror, thriller, sci-fi and dark-comedy genres,” according to Blood List creator Kailey Marsh, whose day job is as literary manager and producer at Brillstein Grey.
Now in its 10th year, the Blood List not only highlights available screenplays but also emerging and unsigned talent. Here’s the 2018 list, along with respective production status:
Cobweb
Writer: Chris Thomas Devlin
Logline: Peter has always been told the voice he hears at night is only in his head, but when he suspects his parents have been lying, he conspires to free the girl within the walls of his house.
Genre: Horror
Reps: UTA & Bellevue Productions
Status: Set up at Lionsgate with Roy Lee, Andrew Childs and Jon Berg attached to produce.
The Devil’s Flame
Writer: Robert Zappia
Logline: Based on true events. In response to this “astonishing” increase in demand for exorcisms, the Vatican opens a secret exorcism training academy where a young, gifted nun defies the church leadership to join her colleagues in the battle of good versus ultimate evil.
Genre: Supernatural Horror
Reps: UTA
Status: Optioned.
The Broodmare
Writer: Michael Voyer
Logline: A man goes with his fiancée to right his wrongs at his ex-girlfriend’s horse ranch, only to find sinister happenings.
Genre: Horror / Drama
Reps: Verve and Good Fear
Status: XYZ is attached to produce with Dark Castle and The Fyzz.
Get Home Safe
Writer: Christy Hall
Logline: On Halloween in NYC, a young woman is targeted and must attempt to flee her pursuers.
Genre: Thriller
Reps: CAA and LBI
Status: Eric Heisserer, Lawrence Grey and Christy Hall are attached to produce.
The White Room
Writer: Bryce McGuire
Logline: Deep in the winter woods of upstate New York, a retiring public school teacher uncovers a carefully guarded secret in an abandoned house.
Genre: Horror
Reps: Gersh
Status: Rod Blackhurst is attached to direct. Evan Hayes is attached to produce.
29 Mole Street
Writer: Skylar James
Logline: A victim of domestic violence herself, a dedicated social worker enters the peculiar home of an adoptive single father of six to check on a recently placed foster child. However she soon discovers that the family is keeping a deadly secret as the action crescendos into a demented game of hide-and-seek where the stakes are life and death. Based on actual events.
Genre: Thriller Reps: Paradigm and Grandview
Status: In development with Bazelevs.
The Wake (Pilot)
Writer: Holly Brix
Logline: A cop finds herself in an unexpected time warp, with unexpected ties to one of the most notorious missing persons case ever.
Genre: Horror
Reps: Verve
Status: Available
Aramantha (Pilot)
Writer: Alan van Dyke
Logline: In a future where our most important memories are backed up via cybernetic implants, a hard-luck “memory repo man” stumbles upon evidence of crimes in which he appears to have played a role – problem is, he doesn’t remember them.
Genre: Sci-fi
Reps: Stacey Testro Int.
Status: Available.
The Last Will and Testament of Charles Abernathy
Writer: Chris LaMont and Joe Russo
Logline: On the eve of his 75th birthday, billionaire Charles Abernathy invites his four estranged children back home out of fear that tonight someone – or something – is coming to kill him. To ensure his family will help protect him from whatever’s coming, Abernathy puts each of their inheritances on the line – they’ll get nothing if he’s found dead by dawn.
Genre: Horror Reps: Gersh and Fictional Entity
Status: Available.
Aperture
Writer: Steeve Léonard and Caroline Labrèche
Logline: After losing his wife Elise in a car accident, Lewis Markham stumbles upon a device that lets him travel to a parallel universe, seemingly similar to his own. There he finds living versions of himself and his beloved Elise. Fueled by grief, Lewis manages to kidnap his double and successfully take over his life… for a while at least.
Genre: Sci-fi / Thriller
Reps: Circle of Confusion
Status: Available.
