Following his recent well-received return to the Saw franchise with Spiral, filmmaker Darren Lynn Bousman is now set to direct a new horror film about the real-life LaLaurie Mansion in New Orleans.
Written by Chad and Carey Hayes (The Conjuring), the Lalaurie Mansion movie will be filmed partly at the actual mansion (the same location where Hayes brothers wrote the film's screenplay) and is the first film in a planned franchise.
We have the official press release with more details below, and in case you missed it, check out Heather Wixson's Sundance interview with one of the film's producers, Doug McKay!
Press Release: Stewards of two of the most iconic and successful horror franchises of all time (“Saw” and “The Conjuring”) are uniting as its being revealed today that Darren Lynn Bousman (“Spiral,” “Saw” franchise) will direct the leadoff film in a horror franchise built around around the infamous house and property known as The Lalaurie Mansion – one of the most haunted houses in the world. Chad and Carey Hayes, creators of “The Conjuring” franchise, teamed with Faster Horse Pictures, the film and TV production and financing outfit founded and run by Cindy Bond, Doug McKay, and Michael Whalen, to build this new horror film franchise.
Bousman’s most recent addition in the Saw universe, SPIRAL (Lionsgate), starring Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson, opened as the #1 film in the U.S. and held the top of the box office for its first two weeks in theaters, ushering the franchise across its billion dollar box office milestone in the process.
“Joining this project is a dream come true for me. For as long as I can remember I have been obsessed with the paranormal. Anyone who studies the supernatural knows the legends and lore of the LaLaurie Mansion. It’s the holy grail of these types of environments. Recently I was allowed access to the house, and was able to stay there with the Hayes brothers. There is no way to articulate my 72 hours inside those walls. The house consumes you. Its history cripples you. The Hayes Brothers have crafted such an emotional, suspenseful, and scary narrative that I cannot wait to introduce the world to this unbelievable location,” added Bousman after his recent stay in the infamous mansion.
Chad and Carey Hayes are the creators of the mega-successful Conjuring Universe, which has grossed nearly $2 billion dollars, making it the most successful horror franchise of all time. The highly anticipated next chapter THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT opened last weekend as the #1 film at the box office, bringing in $24 million in ticket sales, exceeding projections.
“Not only is Darren an incredibly creative director, but he also knows how to build a franchise. We are beyond thrilled to have him on this one, and can’t wait to see what he brings to the screen,” added the Hayes Brothers.
Despite there being no public access inside the property since 1932, thousands of people travel to New Orleans each year just to get a roadside glimpse of the notorious home known as one of the most active paranormal sites in the world. It has captured the imagination and curiosity of everyone who’s heard its disturbing story.
The stories will unfold in multiple installments covering the history of the house from recent horrific events of modern day all the way back to the terrifying origins of the house’s history and its crazed owner, Madame Delphine LaLaurie.
Though well known in popular culture the infamous Madame LaLaurie has never been given the detailed, extensive deep dive that this film has planned, including the exclusive right to the home itself, which is owned by producer Michael Whalen.
The LaLaurie Mansion films are being produced by Cindy Bond, Doug McKay and Michael Whalen as well as Chad and Carey Hayes. Joshua Ryan Dietz and Dylan Bond are executive producers. Local historian Andrew Ward is consulting on the project.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring together the forces behind two of the most successful horror franchises ever to shepherd what we see as the next great horror franchise. An unbelievable number of horrific true events have taken place in the house during the last 200 years and it’s high time the victims of these crimes have their story told,” added producer Doug McKay.
The Hayes Brothers wrote the screenplay in the house, and the production will shoot portions of the film on-site as well, including an extensive amount of behind-the-scenes footage, giving the public an intimate look into the terrifying house that has captured the attention of so many.
About Faster Horse
Faster Horse Pictures is a company dedicated to developing, financing and producing motion pictures and television content that live at the intersection of prestige and commercial appeal. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Faster Horse has the ability to swiftly join creatives and producers to provide the support needed at nearly any point in the production process. From providing development funding to arranging production financing and producing projects from start to finish, Faster Horse supports creatives by bringing to life the stories they care about most.
Cindy Bond is a globally recognized leader and pioneer in the production, distribution, sales, marketing and finance of faith-inspired films having worked on over 200 films to date. In 1996, Bond and Interstate Batteries Chairman Norm Miller, co-founded Norann Entertainment and in 1999 Providence Entertainment. In 2002, alongside Paramount Pictures President/MGM Co-Chairman Frank Yablans, Bond co-founded Promenade Pictures. In 2008, Bond co-founded Mission Pictures International. In 2009 Bond created then produced A+ CinemaScore "I Can Only Imagine" which grossed over $86M worldwide and is the 7th highest grossing music biopic of all time. In December 2018, alongside former Phoenix Pictures Vice President of Production and Development Doug McKay, Bond co-founded Faster Horse Pictures. Bond's most recent production is "Redeeming Love" (directed by D.J. Caruso) which will release wide theatrically in early 2022.
Doug McKay served as Vice President of Production and Development at Mike Medavoy’s Phoenix Pictures for a decade, working as a production executive on such acclaimed projects as “Shutter Island” (directed by Martin Scorsese), “Black Swan” (directed by Darren Aronofsky) and “Zodiac” (directed by David Fincher). McKay also developed and produced “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” starring Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks and Chris Rock. After Phoenix, McKay co-founded Rubicon Entertainment and led the company for four years.
Michael Whalen has been a longtime energy trader for his primary career. He founded the natural gas fund National Trading LLC in 2004. Whalen was an executive producer on 3-time Academy Award Winning film, Dallas Buyers Club. In 2018, he partnered with Cindy Bond and Doug McKay to form the production company Faster Horse Pictures. He purchased the infamous LaLaurie Mansion in 2010. He resides in Houston, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Faster Horse Pictures executive team includes Joshua Ryan Dietz as Director of Development, Dylan Bond as Manager of Development, Ashley Grifka as Director of Operations and David Boyle as Head of Business Affairs and Legal.
[Photo Credit: Above photo courtesy of Reading Tom.]
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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