Two of the most successful franchise in modern history, the Saw franchise, and The Conjuring franchise, are uniting for a new franchise based on the true horrific events that took place at the infamous property known as The Lalaurie Mansion, still considered one of the most haunted houses in the world.
We first reported the news back in October of 2019, but today, it was officially announced that brilliant filmmaker Darren Lynn Bousman (Spiral, Saw franchise) will be in the director’s chair and that Chad and Carey Hayes, the creators of The Conjuring franchise, are teaming with Faster Horse Pictures, the film and TV production and financing outfit founded and run by Cindy Bond, Doug McKay, and Michael Whalen, to build the new horror film franchise. Talk about a horror dream team.
Bousman’s most recent addition in the Saw universe, Spiral, starring Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson, opened as the #1 film in the U.S. and held the top of the box office for its first two weeks in theaters, ushering the franchise across its billion-dollar box office milestone in the process.
Joining this project is a dream come true for me. For as long as I can remember I have been obsessed with the paranormal. Anyone who studies the supernatural knows the legends and lore of the LaLaurie Mansion. It’s the holy grail of these types of environments. Recently I was allowed access to the house, and was able to stay there with the Hayes brothers. There is no way to articulate my 72 hours inside those walls. The house consumes you. It’s history cripples you. The Hayes Brothers have crafted such an emotional, suspenseful, and scary narrative that I cannot wait to introduce the world to this unbelievable location,” Bousman said after his recent stay in the infamous mansion.
Chad and Carey Hayes, the creators of the mega-successful Conjuring Universe, which has grossed nearly $2 billion dollars, making it the most successful horror franchise of all time, will be producing. The newest installment, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, opened last weekend as the #1 film at the box office, bringing in $24 million in ticket sales, exceeding projections.
The stories will unfold in multiple installments covering the history of the house from the recent horrific events of modern-day all the way back to the terrifying origins of the house’s history and its crazed owner, Madame Delphine LaLaurie.
Though well known in popular culture the story of the infamous Madame LaLaurie has never been given the detailed, extensive deep dive that this film has planned, including the exclusive right to the home itself, which is owned by producer Michael Whalen.
The LaLaurie Mansion films are being produced by Cindy Bond, Doug McKay, and Michael Whalen as well as Chad and Carey Hayes. Joshua Ryan Dietz and Dylan Bond will executive produce. Local historian Andrew Ward is consulting on the project.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring together the forces behind two of the most successful horror franchises ever to shepherd what we see as the next great horror franchise. An unbelievable number of horrific true events have taken place in the house during the last 200 years and it’s high time the victims of these crimes have their story told,”added producer Doug McKay.
The house has a sinister and infamous reputation thanks to its former owner Madame Delphine LaLaurie. The truth of LaLaurie, known for her lavish parties, was discovered when a fire broke out in the mansion in 1834. When neighbors and firemen came in to put out the blaze, they discovered the slave who started the fire chained to the stove and multiple slaves in the attic that had been mutilated and tortured in grotesque ways. Soon the city learned that Madame was a serial killer who tortured and killed the slaves for her own entertainment.
The Hayes Brothers wrote the screenplay in the actual house, and the production will shoot portions of the film on-site as well, including an extensive amount of behind-the-scenes footage, giving the public an intimate look into the terrifying house that has captured the attention of so many.
Bousman is represented by Verve, management company Wonder Street, and Skrzyniarz & Mallean.
