EXCLUSIVE: IFC Midnight is acquiring U.S. rights to I Trapped the Devil, a Christmas horror film written and directed by first-time filmmaker Josh Lobo. This Is Us‘ Chris Sullivan, Jocelin Donahue, AJ Bowen, Susan Burke and Scott Poythress star, and the genre label plans an April 26, 2019 day-and-date release.
Film sales company Yellow Veil Pictures, which negotiated the deal for the filmmakers, will next screen the pic, formerly known as A Man in the Dark, for international buyers February 9 at the European Film Market in Berlin.
Penned by Lobo and set during the Christmas season, the plot kicks into gear when when Matt (Bowen) and his wife Karen (Burke) show up unannounced at the home of his estranged brother Steve (Poythress) to celebrate the holidays, but instead they are greeted with a disturbing surprise: Held hostage in Steve’s basement is a man — though not just any man. Steve
believes 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?
Lobo produced alongside Spence Nicholson, Rowan Russell and Scott Weinberg.
“IFC have really been at the forefront in the resurgence of thoughtful, filmmaker-driven genre films,” Lobo said. “I can’t think of a better home for my film.”
Arianna Bocco and Adam Koehler made the deal for IFC Films/Sundance Selects/IFC Midnight.
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