Steven Schneider Joins SXSW Sci-Fi Thriller Imposters

A couple questions reality after their missing child returns in the sci-fi thriller Imposters. / Blue Finch

‘Paranormal Activity’ Producer Steven Schneider Joins SXSW Sci-Fi Thriller Imposters

A breakout SXSW title is gaining serious genre backing. Steven Schneider—known for Paranormal Activity and Insidious—has boarded the sci-fi thriller Imposters as executive producer under his banner Spooky Pictures.

Directed and written by Caleb Phillips, Imposters first drew attention at SXSW, where Phillips continued to build on the momentum from his award-winning short Other Side of the Box. The feature marks his debut and positions him firmly within the emerging genre filmmaker space.

The premise leans into one of horror’s most effective pressure points—domestic unease. The story follows a couple whose infant son disappears, only for the mother to find a way to bring him back. But as time passes, the father becomes convinced that what returned isn’t their child.

That tension—grief versus instinct, belief versus suspicion—drives the film into psychological and sci-fi territory, blurring the line between emotional desperation and something far more unnatural.

The film stars Jessica Rothe (Happy Death Day), Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll), and Yul Vazquez (Severance), bringing together a cast with experience navigating high-concept, character-driven material.

Production comes from Broken Pig Productions alongside Marylous’ Boys, with world sales handled by Blue Finch Films—a company with a strong track record in pushing genre titles into the international market.

Schneider’s involvement adds another layer of credibility. Through Spooky Pictures, co-founded with Roy Lee, the label has built a focused slate of genre-driven projects including Late Night With the Devil, Strange Darling, and the upcoming Hokum starring Adam Scott.

In a statement following the SXSW screening, Schneider pointed to the film’s “international potential” and “genre-bending storyline,” emphasizing the project’s ability to connect with horror audiences while expanding beyond traditional boundaries.

Imposters continues a trend of elevated genre films emerging from festival circuits—projects that rely less on spectacle and more on concept, performance, and sustained psychological tension.

With Schneider now attached and sales underway, the film is positioned to expand its reach beyond the festival circuit as it moves toward a wider release.