Slasher Terror, Cartel Nightmares and a British Folk Monster Join Black Mandala’s New Horror Slate (EXCLUSIVE)
New Zealands’s Black Mandala has acquired five horror features for its international sales slate: “The Tree House,” “Babybacks,” “The Driftless,”...
Key points
- New Zealands’s Black Mandala has acquired five horror features for its international sales slate: “The Tree House,” “Babybacks,” “The Driftless,” “Saturnalia” and “The Shug,” spanning psychological terror, survival horror, Midwestern folklore, supernatural giallo and British creature horror.
- Shot in Spain’s Basque Country, it has already picked up honors for best international feature, best production and best horror film at various festivals.
- The film has been selected for the 2026 International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival.
- Its cast includes Ira Amyx, Torrey Hanson and Justin Marxen, and the film has collected 18 festival awards to date, among them honors from Eerie Horror Fest, Grimmfest and Midwest WeirdFest.
What happened
New Zealands’s Black Mandala has acquired five horror features for its international sales slate: “The Tree House,” “Babybacks,” “The Driftless,” “Saturnalia” and “The Shug,” spanning psychological terror, survival horror, Midwestern folklore, supernatural giallo and British creature horror. Shot in Spain’s Basque Country, it has already picked up honors for best international feature, best production and best horror film at various festivals. The film has been selected for the 2026 International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival. Its cast includes Ira Amyx, Torrey Hanson and Justin Marxen, and the film has collected 18 festival awards to date, among them honors from Eerie Horror Fest, Grimmfest and Midwest WeirdFest. The film had its world premiere in 2025 at the Raindance Film Festival, then crossed to Dances With Films New York for its North American premiere. Inspired by reported real-life sightings, the film has already won best indie film at the Boston Indie Film Festival and best screenplay and best practical or visual effects at the Catacombs Film Festival, along with recognition from several other genre festivals.
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