Shudder Acquires Sports Horror Thriller Bloody Tennis Ahead of Locarno World Premiere

Bloody Tennis heads to Shudder in the U.S. following its upcoming world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival. / Courtesy of Augenschein Filmproduktion / Variety

Shudder Acquires U.S. Rights to Sports Horror Thriller Bloody Tennis Ahead of Locarno Premiere

Shudder continues to strengthen its international horror slate, acquiring the U.S. rights to Nikias Chryssos’ English-language horror film Bloody Tennis ahead of its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival.

The acquisition comes alongside a wave of international sales that will see the film distributed by Umbrella Entertainment in Australia, BestFilm.eu in the Baltics, Plaion Pictures in Italy, Extreme Film in Japan, 9th Plan in Poland, and Njutafilms throughout Scandinavia. U.S. rights were negotiated by CAA on behalf of Augenschein Sales, while The Playmaker Munich handled several of the remaining international territories.

Bloody Tennis stars Sandra Guldberg Kampp (Foundation), Helena Zengel (News of the World, The Legend of Ochi), Tracy Gotoas, Lucie Zhang, Lily Taieb, Elina Löwensohn, and Zlatko Burić.

Set inside an elite tennis academy hidden in Southern Europe, the film follows Sophie, a young athlete who earns admission into the prestigious program only to discover that winning comes at a horrifying cost. As competition intensifies, the academy’s increasingly sinister methods blur the line between discipline and survival. Combining elite athletics with body horror, blood-sucking leeches, and psychological terror, Bloody Tennis promises a distinctive spin on the sports horror subgenre.

The score comes from Jim Williams, whose previous genre work includes Titane, Raw, and Possessor.

Adam Koehler, Director of Acquisitions and Productions at IFC Entertainment Group, praised the project following the acquisition.

“Bloody Tennis serves up an unexpectedly wild ride that will keep viewers exhilarated from start to finish. Distinctive, elegant, and gleefully offbeat, it’s exactly the kind of bold, boundary-pushing horror we strive to champion at Shudder. We’re thrilled to give this unforgettable film a home on our platform.”

Producer Jonas Katzenstein called the Locarno premiere a major milestone after years of development, adding that securing distribution across multiple territories before the festival makes the moment even more rewarding.

Directed by Nikias Chryssos, whose previous features include Der Bunker and A Pure Place, Bloody Tennis continues the filmmaker’s tradition of blending unsettling psychological themes with unconventional storytelling. Horror fans may also recognize Der Bunker as the winner of the Next Wave Award at Fantastic Fest.

Following its world premiere at Locarno, Bloody Tennis will make its North American debut on Shudder, with additional release dates expected to be announced at a later time.