Surviving Christmas with a big family is difficult enough, but the holiday horror film Unholy Night is inviting undead relatives to the festivities. Writer-director Michael Gabriele makes his feature debut on the project, which recently wrapped production in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Variety has learned that Blue Finch Films has acquired the worldwide sales rights, […]
Surviving Christmas with a big family is difficult enough, but the holiday horror film Unholy Night is inviting undead relatives to the festivities.
Writer-director Michael Gabriele makes his feature debut on the project, which recently wrapped production in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Variety has learned that Blue Finch Films has acquired the worldwide sales rights, excluding Canada, and will launch sales at the European Film Market in Berlin next week.
The film centers on Gino, whose traditional Italian family Christmas Eve celebration descends into chaos when his deceased grandmother returns from the dead and embarks on a killing spree.
As more dead relatives begin appearing throughout the neighborhood, Gino must find a way to eliminate the holiday revenants and make it through the family gathering alive.
Marc Bendavid (“Dark Matter”) and Shailene Garnett (“Shadowhunters”) star with Al Sapienza (“The Sopranos”), Ron Lea (“Orphan Black”), Toni Ellwand (“Hannibal”), Cristina Rosato (Mother!), Jacqueline Robbins (“A Series of Unfortunate Events”), and Joe Pingue (Antiviral).
Gabriele produces alongside Jenna MacMillan of Club Red Productions and Jason Levangie & Marc Tetreault of Shut Up & Colour Pictures (Kids vs. Aliens). Executive producers are Tina Carbone, Jef Burnham, Mike Chapman, and Fatima Hayward.
“We all know holiday family gatherings can feel like a survival horror, but Unholy Night takes that relatable tension to an extreme,” Gabriele said. “Growing up in my Italian family, Christmas Eve was always a huge event that was loud and full of love, but also incredibly intense.”
Gabriele continues, “I wanted to take those real pressures we all feel with family and combine them into a visceral, festive nightmare. Audiences can expect a violent ride that is hilarious, heartfelt, and frightening – as it explores the burden of family traditions and overcoming regret – amidst total chaos.”
Chapman added, “Unholy Night is an impressive debut from Michael, taking the idea of unwanted family guests for Christmas to a whole new level. Mixing bold horror, dark humor, and heart, he has created a seasonal slam dunk.”
