EXCLUSIVE: Poor Greg Drowning creator Jeffrey Scott Collins is penning an elevated horror film as part of a development partnership forged by producers Ian Dawson, Gaby Whyte-Hart and Ru Hollier.
Inspired by true events, Caged follows a family who move into a cottage in Essex but before long realize the old house contains a dark presence as they find themselves repeatedly terrorized. Uncovering the ancient history of the residence, they discover its previous life as the site of a medieval prison set aside for those accused of witchcraft, including England’s most notorious witch, hanged in 1582.
Written by Collins, the film will shoot later this year and formally launch at Cannes. It comes from Dawson, Whyte-Hart and Hollier’s respective Sparky Pictures, Filmtrax and Fearless Features banners and is one of a number of genre films in development from the trio.
Collins said Caged will nod to the likes of The Witch, Hereditary and The Conjuring.
“We plan to a deliver a tension-filled terrifying thrill ride for audiences built around ratcheting scares set in a real-world environment with a premise grounded in true events,” he added.
Collins directed, wrote and produced romcom Poor Greg Drowning, which was narrated by Cedric the Entertainer and followed a love addict whose girlfriend left him for their couples therapist. He recently signed with Stride Management for representation.