IFC Midnight announced today that they are acquiring the rights to writer-director Josh Lobo‘s debut film I Trapped the Devil (formerly known as A Man in the Dark).
The all-star cast includes Chris Sullivan (“This is Us”, Guardians of the Galaxy 2), Jocelin Donahue (The House of the Devil, Doctor Sleep), AJ Bowen (You’re Next, The Sacrament), Susan Burke (Stan against Evil), and Scott Poythress (“Homeland”).
It’s the Christmas season, a time of peace and joy with friends and family. But when Matt (AJ Bowen) and his wife Karen (Susan Burke) show up unannounced at the home of his estranged brother Steve (Scott Poythress) to celebrate the holidays, they are instead greeted with a disturbing surprise. Held hostage in Steve’s basement is a man—though not just any man. Or perhaps not a man at all. Steve believes that he has captured the human manifestation of the Devil himself.
As shock and skepticism turn to fear and paranoia, Matt and Karen find themselves caught in a spiral of terror and doubt. Could this mysterious stranger really be evil incarnate? Or is Steve dangerously unhinged? In the dark, bloody tradition of the best holiday horror films, I Trapped the Devil sets the stage for a true Christmas from hell.
Josh Lobo commented, “IFC have really been at the forefront in the resurgence of thoughtful, filmmaker-driven genre films. I can’t think of a better home for my film.”
The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, EVP of Acquisitions and Productions and Adam Koehler, Coordinator of Acquisitions and Productions at IFC Films/Sundance Selects/IFC Midnight with Yellow Veil Pictures on behalf of the filmmakers.
Yellow Veil Pictures will host a market screening of I Trapped the Devil at the European Film Market at Berlinale on February 9th for international buyers.
IFC Midnight will release the film day and date on April 26, 2019.