IFC Films and the AMC Network-owned digital platform Shudder purchased North American rights to “Watcher,” an eerie thriller that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
IFC Midnight, the company’s genre division, plans to release the film in theaters and on VOD (beginning with the horror-centric streamer Shudder) in 2022. The exact date has not been set yet.
Chloe Okuno directed “Watcher,” a suspenseful story about a young woman who moves into a new apartment with her fiancé gets the creepy sense that she’s being observed. Maika Monroe (“It Follows,” “Greta”), Karl Glusman (“Love”) and Burn Gorman (“Torchwood”) star in the film, which Okuno co-wrote with Zach Ford.
“Chloe Okuno’s exceptional vision uses horror and thriller elements in a masterful way that will resonate with any person looking for a singular cinematic experience, even further emboldened by a star-turning performance from Maika Monroe,” Arianna Bocco, IFC Films president, said in a statement. “We’re honored to introduce Chloe’s stunning feature debut ‘Watcher’ to audiences across North America, announcing her as a director to watch.”
Okuno, who directed the film in her feature debut, added, “It was a hard-fought battle to make ‘Watcher during the pandemic,’ and I’m so proud of everyone who worked to get us to this point. I am beyond delighted to partner with IFC Midnight and Shudder to continue this journey together and cannot wait to share the movie with a wider audience.”
“Watcher” producers include Roy Lee and Steven Schneider of Spooky Pictures, Derek Dauchy, Mason Novick, John Finemore, Aaron Kaplan and Sean Perrone. Executive producers were James Hoppe, Elizabeth Grave, Ben Ross, Rami Yasin and Gabi Antal.
The deal for the film was negotiated by IFC Films’ head of acquisitions and production Scott Shooman with UTA Independent Film Group and Cinetic on behalf of the filmmakers.