Sometimes the fine line between a western thriller and outright horror is not as evident as it seems, although the western setting can certainly deliver brutal and dangerous situations. Look at films like DEAD BIRDS or THE BURROWERS, which utilized the western settings to create creepy and unsettling terror. But even without a supernatural or monstrous nemesis a well done western thriller can be as terrifying as any horror tale you can dream up. Now The Wrap is reporting that Drafthouse Films has acquired North American distribution rights to Julia Hart’s powerful Black List Western feature THE KEEPING ROOM after its acclaimed world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival.
Directed by HARRY BROWN helmer Daniel Barber, the film stars Brit Marling (SOUND OF MY VOICE), Hailee Steinfeld, Muna Otaru and Sam Worthington and follows three women in post-Civil War America who must defend themselves and their home from a sadistic renegade soldier who aims to kill them and lay waste to their property. Sounds pretty intriguing, right? Here's the synopsis:
The film focuses on the violent resilience and dramatic camaraderie of three Southern women as their home is besieged during the purges at the close of the American Civil War. Forced to defend their land and fight for their lives, the women take up arms against their male oppressors, shattering gender and genre conventions in the process.”
Drafthouse Films often delivers excellent genre films (CHEAP THRILLS, BORGMAN, etc.) so I'm certain that THE KEEPING ROOM is more than just your typical western.
THE KEEPING ROOM will open in an expansive theatrical release across North America in September 2015 and will be released on a variety of VOD platforms and digital, DVD, and Blu-ray formats after its theatrical run.