NEW YORK, NY (FEBRUARY 5, 2019) – IFC Midnight announced today that it is acquiring U.S. rights to I TRAPPED THE DEVIL (formerly titled “A Man in the Dark”), written and directed by debut filmmaker Josh Lobo, who also produced alongside Spence Nicholson, Rowan Russell, and Scott Weinberg. The cast includes Chris Sullivan (THIS IS US, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2), Jocelin Donahue (THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, DOCTOR SLEEP), AJ Bowen (YOU’RE NEXT, THE SACRAMENT), Susan Burke (STAN AGAINST EVIL), and Scott Poythress (HOMELAND, TURN: WASHINGTON’S SPIES). IFC Midnight will release the film day and date on April 26, 2019.
It’s the Christmas season, a time of peace and joy with friends and family. But when Matt (AJ Bowen) and his wife Karen (Susan Burke) show up unannounced at the home of his estranged brother Steve (Scott Poythress) to celebrate the holidays, they are instead greeted with a disturbing surprise. Held hostage in Steve’s basement is a man—though not just any man. Or perhaps not a man at all. Steve believes that he has captured the human manifestation of the Devil himself.
As shock and skepticism turn to fear and paranoia, Matt and Karen find themselves caught in a spiral of terror and doubt. Could this mysterious stranger really be evil incarnate? Or is Steve dangerously unhinged? In the dark, bloody tradition of the best holiday horror films, I TRAPPED THE DEVIL sets the stage for a true Christmas from hell.
Josh Lobo commented, “IFC have really been at the forefront in the resurgence of thoughtful, filmmaker driven genre films. I can’t think of a better home for my film.”
The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, EVP of Acquisitions and Productions and Adam Koehler, Coordinator of Acquisitions and Productions at IFC Films/Sundance Selects/IFC Midnight with Yellow Veil Pictures on behalf of the filmmakers.
Yellow Veil Pictures will host a market screening of I TRAPPED THE DEVIL at the European Film Market at Berlinale on February 9th for international buyers.
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ABOUT IFC MIDNIGHT
Established in 2000 and based in New York City, IFC Films is a leading U.S. distributor of independent film. Its unique distribution model makes independent films available to a national audience by releasing them in theaters as well as on cable’s Video On Demand (VOD) platform, reaching nearly 50 million homes.
Upcoming releases include Emma Tammi’s THE WIND and Jennifer Kent’s THE NIGHTINGALE. Some of the company’s successes have included Andy Nyman’s critical darling GHOST STORIES, André Øvredal’s follow up to TROLLHUNTER and box-office success THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE, Peter Strickland’s modern giallo BERBARIAN SOUND STUDIO, Duncan Skiles’ THE CLOVEHITCH KILLER, Lucile Hadžihalilović’s EVOLUTION, Johnnie To’s Hong Kong revenge thriller VENGEANCE, Sean Byrne’s THE DEVIL’S CANDY, John McNaughton’s THE HARVEST, and the award-winning and cultural phenomenon THE BABADOOK. IFC Midnight is a sister label to Sundance Selects and IFC Films, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.
ABOUT YELLOW VEIL
Formed in 2018 by Hugues Barbier, Justin Timms, and Joe Yanick, Yellow Veil Pictures is a New York City and Los Angeles-based worldwide film sales company. Focusing exclusively on boundary pushing genre cinema, Yellow Veil seeks to highlight emerging filmmakers who exist on the cusp of commercial, arthouse cinema, while maintaining a unique focus on festival strategy and production and packaging.
Launching out the 2018 Frontières market at the 2018 Fantasia International Film Festival, with Tilman Singer’s debut LUZ. Yellow Veil have since worked on debuts from Josh Lobo (I TRAPPED THE DEVIL), A.T. White (STARFISH), as well as boarding films by Rob Grant (HARPOON) and Joel Potrykus (RELAXER). In addition, Yellow Veil are packaging Sam Marine and Michael Borowiec’s second feature, Desert Witch, and act as the festival agent for Jenn Wexler’s The Ranger and Sonia Escolano’s House of Sweat and Tears.