Shudder Snags Trio of Female-Led Horror Flicks from Fantasia: LUCKY, SLAXX & HUNTED

Josh Millican |

Sep 3, 2020

Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium subscription streaming service for horror, thriller, and the supernatural, recently announced the acquisition of three bold, female-forward horror films that screened as part of the virtual Fantasia International Film Festival. Vincent Paronnaud’s Hunted and Elza Kephart’s Slaxx will have their world premieres, while Natasha Kermani’s Lucky—previously set to premiere at the canceled SXSW festival—celebrated its international premiere as part of the Canadian geo-locked event.

“Fantasia is one of the world’s top showcases for genre cinema, and in a challenging year for all festivals, they’ve done an impeccable job programming a bold lineup that we’re excited to be a part of. We’re also thrilled to be working with the talented filmmakers behind Lucky, Slaxx and Hunted, and we look forward to sharing their movies with our members around the world early next year,” said Craig Engler, Shudder’s General Manager.

“Brea and I are thrilled to be releasing Lucky with Shudder,” said Natasha Kermani. We love Shudder’s curation and their commitment to finding unique, conversation-starting genre films and filmmakers, and know that Lucky will have a great home with the Shudder community. The film is a surreal and satirical genre story with real-life horrors just below the surface, and after a very crazy year, we can’t wait to share it with the world in 2021. We couldn’t be happier to be joining the Shudder family!”

“I’m so thrilled that Slaxx will be part of the Shudder line up!”, said Elza Kephart. “ I remember when Shudder began, hoping one day my films would be part of its great horror family. Now it is!”

Putting a fresh spin on the home invasion subgenre, Lucky stars Brea Grant (After Midnight, Heroes) who also penned the script directed by Kermani, whose previous credits include the festival darling Imitation Girl. The surreal feminist thriller follows a self-help book author who suddenly finds herself stalked by an elusive and dangerous man and becomes caught in a struggle to regain control over her life. Shudder has acquired all rights to Lucky in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

The outrageous horror-comedy Slaxx is the third feature from Canadian director Elza Kephart, who co-wrote with Patricia Gomez Zlatar, and stars Romane Denis (Slut in a Good Way). A possessed pair of jeans is brought to life to punish the unscrupulous practices of a trendy clothing company. Shipped to the company’s flagship store, Slaxx proceeds to wreak carnage on staff locked in overnight to set up the new collection. Shudder has acquired all rights to Slaxx in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

Directed by acclaimed French filmmaker and comic artist Vincent Paronnaud, co-director of Cannes Jury Prize and Academy Award nominee Persepolis, and co-written by him and Léa Pernollet, Hunted is an exhilarating, transcendent take on survival horror that blends primal violence with the timeless quality of myth and fairytale. The film stars Lucie Debay (The Confession) as Eve, a woman who encounters a seemingly charming man (Arieh Worthalter, Girl) at a bar, only to uncover his true sociopathic nature, sparking a dire, life-or-death chase through the wilderness. Shudder has acquired all rights to Hunted in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

Lucky is produced by Epic Pictures (Dread Central’s parent company) and DREAD in association with Illium Pictures. Slaxx is the latest collaboration between Anne-Marie Gélinas’s EMA Films and Shaked Berenson’s Entertainment Squad’s genre label The Horror Collective. Gélinas and Berenson previously collaborated on the cult hit Turbo Kid, which is also available on Shudder in North America. Hunted is produced by Alexandre Perrier on behalf of Kidam (France), Benoit Roland on behalf of Wrong Men (Belgium) and Conor Barry on behalf of Savage Production (Ireland). It is co-produced by Yohann Comte on behalf of Charades, Norio Hatano on behalf of Longride, BNP Paribas Fortis Film Finance, Wallimage, Screen Scene, Voo/Betv and Telenet.

The deals were done by Emily Gotto for Shudder, and by CEO Patrick Ewald on behalf of Epic Pictures and Dread for Lucky, by CAA Media Finance and Executive Producer Shaked Berenson for Slaxx, and By Carol Baraton on behalf of Charades for Hunted.

Are you excited to see these fierce female-fronted horror flicks when they hit Shudder? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.

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