‘RISE OF THE RATS,’ ‘LANDLORD’ and ‘THE RULES OF THE GAME’ Lead Black Mandala’s Eight-Film AFM Horror Slate
‘RISE OF THE RATS,’ ‘LANDLORD’ and ‘THE RULES OF THE GAME’ Lead Black Mandala and Red Owl’s Eight-Film Horror Slate at AFM
New Zealand-based genre sales company Black Mandala and its Red Owl label are bringing eight independent films to the American Film Market (AFM), assembling an international lineup of horror, psychological thrillers, supernatural mysteries and dark fantasy.
As first reported by Variety, the slate is divided between four titles represented by Black Mandala and four additional features under Red Owl. The projects range from a British creature feature involving a deadly rat infestation to a dark-web survival thriller built around a lethal game of chess, alongside vampire horror, supernatural mysteries and a tribute to Italian giallo cinema.
Leading Black Mandala's lineup is RISE OF THE RATS, a British horror feature directed by Stephen Roach.
The film follows Kayla Thornhill, a young punk who reluctantly accompanies her estranged father to Ditchfield, the rural village where he grew up. What initially appears to be an uncomfortable family visit becomes a fight for survival when a rat infestation exposes the community's violent history and long-buried secrets.
As tensions escalate, a mysterious figure known as the Rat-Man unleashes a bloodthirsty swarm upon the village, leaving Kayla caught between the town's disturbing past and an increasingly dangerous present.
Grace Gallagher, Adrian Annis and Mark Collier star in the film, which combines creature-feature horror with rural isolation and generational conflict.
Black Mandala is also representing LANDLORD, a vampire thriller directed by Remington Smith that places its supernatural antagonist within the confines of a deteriorating apartment building.
Set during an oppressive summer, the story follows a Black bounty hunter attempting to recover a stolen briefcase. His assignment takes an unexpected turn when he encounters Alex, a young boy threatened by the building's owner, a white vampire whose control of the property allows him to bypass one of the genre's most recognizable supernatural restrictions: the need for an invitation to enter.
Following the murder of Alex's mother, the bounty hunter and the boy form an unlikely alliance against the vampire and the human accomplices operating under his control.
Adama Abramson, Cohen James Cooper and William McKinney lead the cast.
The film's premise incorporates established vampire mythology into a story involving property ownership, exploitation and survival, using the apartment building as the central setting for its supernatural conflict.
The company's third horror title, HAUNTED, is directed by Myles McEwen and Ripley Stevens.
Set in the remote Australian town of One Season, the film begins with a violent storm and an unexplained incident on October 19, 2003. Four years later, a series of disappearances involving local teenagers forces a reclusive resident to confront a supernatural presence connected to the town's traumatic history.
With his home scheduled for demolition, the man must abandon his isolated existence as the mystery surrounding the disappearances begins revealing disturbing connections to his own identity.
David Daradan, Joseph Baronio and Nathaniel Kelly star in the Australian supernatural feature.
Rounding out Black Mandala's four-film selection is THE REALM OF ELDERVIN: GALLOWMERE, a British dark fantasy directed by Oliver Hollingdale.
The story takes place in Gallowmere, a woodland village suffering from a mysterious illness caused by dark magic. Seeking to uncover the source of the affliction, Jonas the Mage assembles a group consisting of Dagon, Nimue and Solomon.
Their investigation develops into a dangerous journey through a world where redemption and second chances carry significant consequences.
Martin Portlock and Craig Standen star, with Jason Flemyng providing voiceover narration.
The film expands Black Mandala's AFM offerings beyond conventional horror into supernatural fantasy, incorporating magical mythology, adventure and darker thematic material.
Meanwhile, Red Owl's lineup is led by THE RULES OF THE GAME, a psychological survival thriller directed by Lani Castle and Jon Cohen.
The film centers on Evie, a talented chess player who is abducted alongside her chronically ill sister and forced to participate in a deadly competition broadcast through the dark web.
Evie and seven other prisoners are assigned roles corresponding to chess pieces. Whenever a piece is captured during the game, the person representing it is executed.
As the prisoners become increasingly desperate and suspicious of one another, Evie must use her understanding of chess to navigate the competition while attempting to protect her sister.
Lola Merewether, Gezel Bardossi and Alyson Rudlin star.
The premise combines the strategic mechanics of chess with the psychological pressure of captivity, turning a familiar board game into a series of potentially fatal decisions.
Red Owl is also presenting MISTER SANDMAN, a supernatural horror-comedy directed by Chad Costen.
The story follows a group of former summer camp outcasts who reunite at an abandoned campsite to investigate a ghost story they remember from their youth.
As the investigation progresses, each character encounters terrifying manifestations of personal trauma, with their experiences structured around the five stages of grief.
Elodie Doumenc, Justine Warrington and Amy King star in the film, which combines supernatural encounters with psychological themes involving memory, loss and unresolved emotional experiences.
Another title on Red Owl's slate is SATURNALIA, a period horror film directed by Daniel Lerch that draws inspiration from Italian giallo cinema.
Set in 1979, the story follows Miriam Basconi, a young woman sent to the prestigious Alstroemerias Academy following the mysterious deaths of her parents.
Under the authority of the oppressive Headmistress Hemlock, Miriam discovers that students have been disappearing after dark while suspicious figures move throughout the school's grounds.
Her investigation gradually exposes a surreal hidden world where the distinction between dreams and reality becomes increasingly unstable.
Sophia Anthony, Velvet and Dante Blake star.
With its late-1970s setting, mysterious disappearances and psychologically disorienting narrative, SATURNALIA draws upon the visual and thematic traditions associated with European horror cinema.
Completing Red Owl's lineup is THE DRIFTLESS, a supernatural horror anthology directed by Tim Connery and inspired by folklore from the American Midwest.
An enigmatic antique dealer serves as the connecting figure for four separate stories involving cult activity along the Mississippi River, a musician who encounters a cursed bottle of liquor, a motel pool attendant who discovers objects capable of altering time, and a woman seeking violent revenge after death.
Ira Amyx, Torrey Hanson and Justin Marxen star.
The anthology format allows THE DRIFTLESS to explore several different supernatural concepts while maintaining a regional identity rooted in Midwestern folklore and unusual local legends.
Together, the eight projects demonstrate the range of independent genre filmmaking represented by Black Mandala and Red Owl.
From the creature-feature violence of RISE OF THE RATS and the urban vampire mythology of LANDLORD to the psychological survival mechanics of THE RULES OF THE GAME and the giallo-inspired mystery of SATURNALIA, the lineup offers buyers several distinct approaches to contemporary horror.
Black Mandala has established an international presence through its representation of independent horror and genre productions, while Red Owl provides an additional platform for projects operating across psychological thrillers, supernatural storytelling and experimental genre concepts.
Representatives from both companies are expected to meet with international buyers, distributors, streaming platforms and festival programmers during AFM as they seek distribution opportunities for the eight films.
Release dates and distribution arrangements for the individual titles have not yet been announced.
Source: Variety.
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