“Traumatika,’ an experimental and visually bold new horror film, has sold to Saban Films for North American distribution.
The project hails from co-writer and director Pierre Tsigaridis (“Two Witches”) and co-writer and producer Maxime Rancon. Saban is plotting a theatrical release for 2025. Rancon also serves as executive producer.
“Traumatika” played Australia’s FrightFest and others on the indie horror circuit, earning positive early reviews for genre-blending and featuring multiple points-of-view in a terrorizing tapestry of scenes. The film follows Mikey, whose night terrors become reality when his mother begins showing signs of demonic possession. What he’s about to experience will haunt him for the rest of his life and claim countless lives across generations.
“[This] is not a movie you see, it’s a movie you experience. And there’s no better way to experience it than on the big screen,” Saban Films co-presidents Jonathan Saba and Shanan Becker said. “It’s hard to prepare yourself for the highly disturbing film that Pierre and Maxime have created. They are truly mad genius storytellers. Consider yourself warned.”
Tsigaridis reunites with his “Two Witches” star Rebekah Kennedy in a cast that also includes AJ Bowen (“You’re Next,” “House of the Devil”), Sean Whalen (“The People Under the Stairs”), Ranen Navat (“Lucy and the Lake Monster”), Emily Goss ( “The Accident”) and Susan Gayle Watts (“To Hell and Gone”).
The director said the film “blends the terror of demonic possession with the visceral intensity of slasher films and the realism of found footage.” Rancon added that “Traumatika” was a “love letter to the horror subgenres we grew up watching and obsessing over. It’s a twisted, relentless ride.”
Saba negotiated the acquisition on behalf of Saban, with Andrew van den Houten of 79th & Broadway Entertainment on behalf of the filmmakers.
Following FrightFest last year, the film screened at and screened at festivals worldwide including the San Sebastian Horror and Fantasy film Festival, Morbido Film Fest, Fantaspoa and GrimmFest.
