SAW II – IV director Darren Lynn Bousman is currently in post-production on his latest film ABATTOIR,which was based on a Radical Publishing comic book he wrote, inspired by recurring nightmares he's had throughout his life.
A new spin on the haunted house genre, ABATTOIR
centers on a real estate reporter who unearths an urban legend about a house being built from rooms where horrific tragedies have occurred. The investigation ultimately leads to the enigmatic Jebediah Crone and the answer to the terrifying question, "How do you build a haunted house?"
Even as Bousman puts the finishing touches on the film, plans are already in place for him to return to its world and characters. It has been announced that Bousman will write and direct a prequel to ABATTOIR entitled THE DWELLING.
In "The Dwelling," Dayton Callie will reprise his "Abbatoir" role of Jebediah Crone, the enigmatic and evil man who buys homes where horrific tragedies have occurred. "The Dwelling" will take place some time before the franchise’s first film and will center on Crone’s character, unveiling some of his dark secrets and motivations.
If all goes well, the plan is for these films to be just the beginning of an iconic horror franchise in the vein of FRIDAY THE 13TH and HALLOWEEN.
Bousman says:
"What is most exhilarating as a filmmaker about the universe of 'Abattoir' is that it is steeped in a captivating mythology with our villain as the central character. This allows us so many different ways to tell stories in this world, each with its own unique point of view."
ABATTOIR producers Jesse Berger of Radical Studios and Brent C. Johnson will be producing THE DWELLING as well. Paris-based company Versatile is representing the projects at Cannes, where they'll be showing a 10 minute promo of ABATTOIR sometime today.
Here's hoping that a distributor picks up the rights at Cannes, I'm looking forward to checking ABATTOIR out as soon as possible. The premise is very intriguing, it was already a given that I'd be watching the movie, but this talk of expanding its mythology into a franchise has made it even more interesting to me.
ABBATOIR star Jessica Lowndes