Sean Byrne’s Serial Killer Thriller ‘The Mannequin’ Adds ‘Forbidden Fruits’ Star Lili Reinhart

I’ve been a Sean Byrne fan since day one. I was absolutely obsessed with him as a filmmaker after his indie darling, The Loved Ones, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. In fact, I courted him several times to direct a segment of our V/H/S franchise, but he was always busy working on something else. As you can see, the time and energy he puts into his work has delivered some phenomenal films beyond The Loved Ones.

The Devil’s Candy is a huge favorite among horror fans and delivers full-blown heavy metal and punk rock horror energy. After that, we took a fairly long break between films, but it was worth it when we finally got Dangerous Animals, one of the most underrated films of last year. It’s a serial killer thriller with a shark as the device, so you get a little bit of both worlds in there. Phenomenal film.

Thankfully, we won’t have to wait too long for his next project, and StudioCanal is getting behind him through their new label, Sixth Dimension.

As THR previously reported, Academy Award winner Melissa Leo (Prisoners, I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore) was cast in Byrne’s serial killer thriller The Mannequin, while Deadline adds Forbidden Fruits star Lili Reinhart will lead the film.

Byrne will direct from his own script. Production is due to begin this summer on the “serial killer procedural,” described as “an original, violent and blistering high-stakes thriller.”

“There have been other serial killer procedurals, but this is its own thrillingly deranged beast — twisted, intense, propulsive, and anchored by a fearless performance from Melissa Leo, building to a shocking twist you won’t see coming,” hyped Byrne. “It’ll put you on the edge of your seat and keep you there.”