‘Elise’ Sets Chris Alexander to Direct Psychological Horror as Big Canary Expands Slate
Canadian producer Kim Yu is expanding the development and production slate of Big Canary Productions with Elise, a new psychological horror project that has already secured Canadian distribution through Equinoxe Films.
Big Canary, an offshoot of Yu’s Toronto-based production services company Blue Moon Communications, has optioned the original screenplay from Guyanese Canadian screenwriter Amir Bacchus, with filmmaker and former Fangoria editor-in-chief Chris Alexander attached to direct.
Currently in development in Canada, Elise will blend psychological and supernatural horror around a story of grief, obsession and the potentially destructive consequences of refusing to let go.
The film follows Marlon Reid, who is recovering in a hospital following near-fatal heart surgery when he forms an unexpected connection with fellow survivor Elise Carter. Their lives become increasingly intertwined, but after that relationship is shattered by loss, Marlon’s grief appears to open the door to something considerably darker.
Haunted by memories, guilt and an unknown presence, Marlon is forced to confront what his inability to let go of Elise may have unleashed.
“What drew me to Elise was the way Amir uses the language of horror to explore something painfully universal, the fear of losing someone and the dangerous places that pain can take us,” Alexander said. “There’s a tragic romance beating at the heart of this story, but surrounding it is something increasingly strange, surreal and nightmarish.”
Alexander has built much of his filmmaking career around independent and experimental genre cinema, with credits including Blood for Irina, Queen of Blood, Necropolis: Legion, Space Vampire, Parasite Lady and Drakulon. His background in horror also includes his tenure as editor-in-chief of Fangoria.
The project marks another step in Yu’s increased focus on Big Canary Productions following a career spanning publicity and distribution, production and unit management, line producing and producing across film and television.
“Shifting more of my focus to Big Canary feels like a natural next chapter for me,” Yu said. “My career has allowed me to work across so many different parts of the filmmaking process, and I’ve always enjoyed working closely with filmmakers and helping build projects from the ground up.”
Yu described Elise as representative of the type of material she intends to develop under the Big Canary banner.
“Elise represents exactly the kind of project I want Big Canary to champion: distinctive, character-driven storytelling with a strong creative point of view and the potential to connect with audiences well beyond Canada,” she said.
The deals surrounding the project were reached during the inaugural TIFF: The Market at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, with Equinoxe Films acquiring Canadian distribution rights.
The distributor is targeting a theatrical release in the fourth quarter of 2027.
“Elise is a chilling and moving story and I am excited to be a part of this journey, with this team,” Equinoxe Films president Michael Mosca said. “Equinoxe is looking forward to sharing this dark, elegant film with audiences across the country.”
Yu’s recent credits include Finch & Midland, a Hong Kong-Canadian collaboration written and directed by Timothy Yeung and starring Anthony Wong, Nina Paw and Patrick Tam. The film premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival before opening in the Top 5 at the Hong Kong box office and subsequently receiving a Canadian theatrical release in 2026.
Her other credits include unit management on the Netflix limited series I Will Find You, line producing The Swearing Jar and producing a slate of Tubi Originals.
With Elise, Big Canary is positioning character-driven genre filmmaking as part of its expanding production strategy. Rather than approaching grief simply as the foundation for another supernatural haunting, Bacchus’ screenplay appears poised to make the inability to accept loss part of the horror itself, with Alexander bringing his background in surreal and independent genre cinema to the material.
Casting and additional production details have not yet been announced.
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