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Los Angeles-based genre label Spooky Pictures and Image Nation Abu Dhabi have acquired rights to the popular found-footage horror anthology series “V/H/S” from Studio71.
The deal to jointly produce forthcoming titles within the franchise — which debuted at Sundance in 2012 and became a launch pad for up-and-coming genre talents — marks a further step in the six-year partnership between the U.S. genre label, headed by Steven Schneider (“Pet Sematary”) and Roy Lee (“The Ring”), and the deep-pocketed UAE-based studio.
“It’s a natural evolution,” said Image Nation chief content officer Ben Ross, who noted: “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 specified that the “V/H/S” franchise would provide an opportunity for Arab filmmakers to get into genre, but that “we are looking to find new filmmakers around the world, including that region.”
The “V/H/S” franchise began in 2012, with the first installment including short found-footage films from Adam Wingard, Ti West, Joe Swanberg and more. Various installments along the way have tweaked the format, including 2014’s viral-video centered “V/H/S: Viral,” year-specific groupings like 2022’s “V/H/S/99” and 2023’s “V/H/S/85,” and last year’s sci-fi horror collection “V/H/S/Beyond.” There have also been two feature-length movies based on short films from the series: 2016’s “SiREN” and 2022’s “Kids vs. Aliens.”
“Horror anthologies are generally difficult to mount,” Schneider said. “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.”
He continued: “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 further 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.”
Previous horror titles spawned by the Spooky Pictures and Image Nation partnership include hit “Late Night With the Devil,” helmed by Australian writing/directing duo Colin and Cameron Cairns; Charlie Polinger’s “The Plague” starring Joel Edgerton, which world premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes last year; and groundbreaking polygamy-themed Arab horror movie “The Vile,” directed by Majid Al Ansari, which won the top prize at the 2025 Fantastic Fest in Austin.
The Spooky Pictures and Image Nation upcoming slate includes supernatural horror “Hokum” from Irish writer-director Damian McCarthy, which will be released in May; “The Shepherd” from John Hyams (“Sick”) and starring David Dastmalchian and Georgina Campbell; Randall Okita’s “Menace” starring Isabel May; and Bryan Edward Hill’s “Archangel.”
English (US) ·