EXCLUSIVE: Following its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and subsequent North American launch at Fantastic Fest, where it earned both the Next Wave Best Director Award and the Audience Award, Paolo Strippoli‘s The Holy Boy has been acquired by Shudder for release in North America, the UK, and Ireland.
A menacing horror fable marking the Italian filmmaker’s third feature, The Holy Boy will debut on the streamer in 2026. The story follows Sergio (Michele Riondino), a teacher tormented by his past who is transferred to Remis, a secluded village known as the happiest town in Italy. But Sergio soon discovers that behind the town’s joyful facade lies a disturbing secret: Each week, the villagers gather to hug Matteo (newcomer Giulio Feltri), an introverted 15-year-old whose embrace can free one of all pain and sorrow. As Sergio uncovers that the village’s devotion to Matteo is far from benevolent, his attempt to rescue the boy known as the Angel of Remis ignites the community’s vengeful nature.
The film is produced by Laura Paolucci, Domenico Procacci, Stefano Sardo, and Ines Vasiljevic.
Prior to The Holy Boy, Strippoli teamed with Roberto De Feo to direct A Classic Horror Story, a Netflix pic which won Best Director at the 67th Taormina Film Festival. He then went on to helm the psychological horror film Piove, which competed at the Sitges Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, and Alice Nella Città.
In a statement to Deadline, the director said, “Shudder is a guiding light in visionary genre cinema, and I am beyond thrilled they will bring THE HOLY BOY to a wider, passionate audience. The film explores our relationship with pain—the shortcuts we take to avoid it, and the way in which pain itself makes us fully human. We imagined a town that does not exist but could, and a ritual that does not exist but could: an uncanny embrace that takes away all suffering. Soon, new audiences will embrace THE HOLY BOY, and discover its terrifying consequences.”
Shudder’s Vice President of Programming Samuel Zimmerman added, “We were blown away by THE HOLY BOY. Paolo Strippoli crafts an eerie and provocative horror film, one that builds to an astonishing finish. We knew instantly this belonged with Shudder.”