By MICHAEL GINGOLD
Spines and many other body parts are removed, destroyed and otherwise mishandled in a film with a genre-stellar voice cast.
RLJE Films and Shudder have announced their acquisition of North American rights to THE SPINE OF NIGHT, following its world premiere at this month’s SXSW Film Festival. RLJE plans a theatrical release later in 2021, followed by a Shudder premiere for the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand in 2022. Written and directed by Philip Gelatt (THEY REMAIN) and Morgan Galen King, the movie features the voices of Richard E. Grant, Lucy Lawless (ASH VS. EVIL DEAD), Patton Oswalt, Betty Gabriel (GET OUT, UPGRADE), Joe Manganiello (TRUE BLOOD), Jordan Douglas Smith, Patrick Breen and Larry Fessenden. The synopsis: “In THE SPINE OF NIGHT, an ultraviolent fantasy epic, ancient dark magic falls into sinister hands and unleashes ages of suffering onto mankind. A group of heroes from different eras and cultures must band together in order to defeat it at all costs.”
“THE SPINE OF NIGHT is like the insane love child of HEAVY METAL and MANDY,” says RLJE’s chief acquisitions officer Mark Ward. “The audience response out of SXSW proves this is an instant classic that will be playing on midnight movie screens for years to come.” Adds Shudder GM Craig Engler, “THE SPINE OF NIGHT absolutely shreds. It’s a fantasy-horror epic that rides lightning directly into the hearts of genre and cult film fans.” See our review of THE SPINE OF NIGHT here.
