The horror genre is returning to the extreme sports arena with the upcoming supernatural body horror movie Bloody Tennis, which Variety reports has been acquired by Shudder for the US.
Bloody Tennis marks the English-language debut of Greek-German filmmakerNikias Chryssos(Der Bunker).
In the film, “After being admitted to an elite tennis academy hidden deep in the south of Europe, Sophie (Guldberg Kampp) must contend not only with the fierce brutality of her teammates but with the school’s increasingly sinister undercurrents, where competitive sports are taken to their extreme and only the hungriest survive.”
The cast also includesHelena Zengel (The Legend of Ochi), Lucie Zhang (Paris, 13th District), Lily Taieb (The French Dispatch),Tracy Gotoas,Elina Löwensohn (Schindler’s List), and Zlatko Burić (Triangle of Sadness), with an original score from Jim Williams (Titane, Raw, Possessor).
Adam Koehler, director, acquisitions and productions at IFC Entertainment Group, said, “ ‘Bloody Tennis’ serves up an unexpectedly wild ride that will keep viewers exhilarated from start to finish. Distinctive, elegant, and gleefully offbeat, it’s exactly the kind of bold, boundary-pushing horror we strive to champion at Shudder. We’re thrilled to give this unforgettable film a home on our platform.”
Katzenstein said, “After years of hard work, we’re incredibly excited to finally bring ‘Bloody Tennis’ to audiences with its world premiere in Locarno. This film would not exist without the extraordinary vision of Nikias, our wonderful cast and the dedication of everyone involved. Knowing that it has already found partners in so many territories—and that it will begin its journey with Shudder in North America—makes this moment even more special. We can’t wait for audiences to finally enter the strange and unsettling world we have created together.”
Bloody Tennis has also secured several international deals, nabbing distribution for Australia (Umbrella Entertainment), Baltics (BestFilm.eu), Italy (Plaion Pictures), Japan (Extreme Film), Poland (9th Plan), and Scandinavia (Njutafilms).
Stay tuned.