Voltage Pictures’ president and COO Jonathan Decker announced today Voltage has acquired worldwide rights to Ben Jagger’s (Gravitas Venture’s Corbin Nash, The Paddy Lincoln Gang) highly anticipated new horror film, Room 203.
Adapted from Nanami Kamon’s Japanese novel published by Kobunsha and currently in post-production, the English-language J-Horror follows two female roommates who are tormented by the vengeful spirits dwelling in their gothic-style, rented apartment, which contains an ornate centerpiece.
The cult genre, also known as Japanese Horror, is identified by its suspenseful, folk-religious themes and focus on psychological horror, and its English-language remakes have gone on to become global box office phenomenons: The Ring starring Naomi Watts took over $250m worldwide, and The Grudge starring Sarah Michelle Gellar took over $187m worldwide.
The screenplay is written by John Poliquin (Shudder’s Spiral), Jagger, and Nick Richey (Low Low). The cast features rising talent Francesca Xuereb (Murmur, Forever & Always), Viktoria Vinyarska (“The Real Drakoolvas”, Highway to Havasu), and Eric Wiegand (Hulu’s Outsiders, “Boys Will Be Bastards”).
Room 203 is produced by Ammo Entertainment’s Annmarie Sairrino and Ammo Inc.’s Moeko Suzuki, alongside Kat McPhee, Ben Anderson, and Eric Gibson. Voltage’s Babacar Diene is the executive producer.
English adaptations of the J-horror genre have produced some of the most iconic and successful horror films of the past 20 years, and Room 203 absolutely delivers on the well-crafted thrills of its predecessors,” said Deckter. “We’re thrilled that our friends at Ammo have entrusted us in sharing this tense and taught horror with our international buyers, who know first hand the box-office power of an elevated horror of this quality.”