Magnolia Pictures just locked down North American rights to Never After Dark, bringing Japanese horror mastery to US screens this fall.
The SXSW-premiered chiller, written and directed by Dave Boyle, snagged the Midnighter Audience Award there and kept the wins coming with a grand jury prize at Overlook Film Festival plus the Golden Raven at Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival. Now it’s primed for a theatrical rollout stateside — a big step for this Japan-US fusion project from XYZ Films.
At its core is Moeka Hoshi as Airi, a haunted medium who escorts spirits from our world but meets her match in a grotesque entity at a remote country house. Digging into the property’s shadows uncovers a human threat far worse than any ghost, flipping her usual supernatural battles on their head.
“Dave Boyle and crew have delivered an incredibly beautiful and terrifying experience,” said Magnolia Pictures co-CEOs Eamonn Bowles and Dori Begley. “We can’t wait to share this truly exceptional film with audiences.”
“We are so thrilled that Magnolia Pictures will bring Never After Dark to audiences across North America,” said Boyle and Kaku in a joint statement. “Their passion for the film, their commitment to a theatrical release, and their long history as exceptional stewards of great cinema make this partnership a dream come true for our team. We made this film for the big screen, and we’re delighted that audiences in North America will have the chance to experience it that way.”
Produced by Signal 181 — the Tokyo outfit from Boyle and Kento Kaku, hot off their Netflix smash House of Ninjas — the film boasts a killer Japanese cast including Hoshi (Shogun), Kaku (House of Ninjas), Kurumi Inagaki (House of Ninjas), plus Mutsuo Yoshioka (Chime), Bokuzo Masana (Tokyo Vice), and Tae Kimura (All Around Us). It’s already set for wide Japanese theaters via Toho Next on June 5, but this Magnolia deal opens the door for American genre fans to catch it big.
