A vampire-themed love story starring Saya Minami and Whitney Duff heads a slate unveiled by Australia’s Black Forest Films and New Zealand genre powerhouse Black Mandala. “Haunted & Devoted,” targeting festival premieres in mid-2025, anchors a four-picture deal between the companies.
The partnership continues with “Grand Finale: A New York Odyssey,” a neo-giallo starring drag performer Love Connie, set to lens in November. Also in development: horror-comedy whodunit “Bubblegum” and an untitled survival horror project drawing inspiration from John Carpenter’s “The Thing” and Japanese gaming franchises “Resident Evil” and “Silent Hill.”
“We are incredibly excited about this new partnership with the talented team at Black Forest Films. Their innovative approach to storytelling and their dedication to creating outstanding films make them a perfect addition to our growing slate. We are confident their unique projects will resonate with audiences globally and further enhance our reputation for delivering exceptional genre content,” said Black Mandala’s Michael Kraetzer, whose company maintains outposts in Argentina, the U.K. and Spain. The company has been building momentum with genre festival favorite “1978,” which bowed at Sitges in 2024.
Melbourne-based Black Forest, which first made waves with underground hits “Under a Kaleidoscope” and “Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla,” alongside Tokyo-set revenge thriller “The Viper’s Hex,” the 80s slasher homage “My Cherry Pie,” and the U.S. road trip crime caper “An American Masquerade,” sees the tie-up as a major milestone. “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Black Mandala. As longtime fans of their incredible work, we couldn’t be more excited to join forces and be part of their team,” said Black Forest co-director/writer Addison Heath.
Popular on Variety
Fellow co-director Jasmine Jakupi noted the four-film slate “has been brewing for quite a while,” with Black Mandala’s backing providing fresh momentum.
In recent months, Black Mandala has picked up rights to survival horror film “Play Dead” and creature feature “Lake Jesup: Bonecrusher’s Revenge.”