Universal Pictures has won the rights to Portrait of God, a high-concept horror spec from filmmaker Dylan Clark, Deadline reports. The project, which expands upon Clark’s viral short of the same name, marks a monumental occasion in modern horror cinema. For the first time, Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele are teaming up.
Raimi and Peele are joining forces to shepherd the feature adaptation. This instantly elevates Portrait of God into one of the most anticipated genre titles on the horizon.
The Terrifying Question: “What Does God Look Like?”
While the plot of the feature film remains under wraps, the acclaimed short has amassed over 8.6 million views on YouTube since its August 2022 premiere, providing a deeply unsettling foundation.
The menacing short centers on Mia, a religious young woman who attempts to answer a terrifying, existential question: What does God look like?
The short opens with a quote from the Old Testament: “No man shall see Me and live.” It then finds Mia preparing a presentation about a piece of art dubbed the “Portrait of God.” She explains that to some viewers, the painting appears entirely black and formless. However, others report seeing a distinct person in the darkness—a figure described time and again, in chilling, consistent detail. The power of the short lies in its counterpoint to the idea of a purely benevolent creator. This vision of a divine presence destroys the mortal mind. The message is clear: for viewers of the portrait, terrifying clarity comes at the cost of sanity.
A Union of Horror Titans
The collaboration between Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead franchise and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) and Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us, and Nope) is a monumental development for the genre. It promises a feature film that synthesizes both the psychological dread and the high-concept visual spectacle that define both producers’ legacies.
Dylan Clark, who wrote and directed the original short, is co-writing the feature screenplay with Joe Russo (The Inheritance).
Peele and Win Rosenfeld will produce through Monkeypaw’s first-look deal with Universal, alongside Raimi and Romel Adam for Ghost House Pictures, and co-writer Russo. The project will be executive-produced by Chris Rosati, with Sam Evenson co-producing. The feature will be overseen by Jose Cañas for Ghost House, with Sara Scott guiding the project for Universal.
To get a taste of the horrors to come, watch the seven-minute, thirty-second-long short film below.
