‘Controllers’ Is a Modern Take on the Infected

Variety reports that Budapest-based production outfit Hero Squared is at the Cannes Market looking to woo partners to Love Cubed, its service label focusing on commercials, music videos and independently financed feature films.

The first feature is Controllers, a horror-thriller set in the aftermath of a devastating outbreak that has driven a small family into isolation on a remote farm.

The setup pulls from zombie classics such as Romero’s Night of the Living Dead.

“Raised to fear the mysterious Controllers — infected people capable of manipulating others through touch — two sisters have spent their lives cut off from the outside world, surviving behind fences, traps and strict rules meant to keep them alive.

“But when a stranger is brought into their home, old fears begin to surface and the fragile dynamic holding the family together starts to crack.

“As tension mounts and trust erodes, the sisters are forced to question everything they’ve been taught about the world beyond their borders.”

The film will mark the feature directorial debut of Canadian filmmaker Adam Azimov.

Describing it as “atmospheric, intimate and unsettling,” the producers say Controllers “blends psychological horror with grounded dystopian suspense, exploring themes of family, isolation and the fear of losing control over the people we love.”

Love Cubed is led by former Focus Features exec Jonathan Halperyn and former Korda Studios exec Daniel Kresmery.

The company is now gearing up for the Canadian-Hungarian co-production Controllers alongside Jonathan Vanger at Wishing Tree, Veronica Ferres’ Construction Films and Arielle Elwes and Oscar winner Cassian Elwes at Elevated, with support from Telefilm Canada.

Previous releases include Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool for Neon and Focus Features International, and Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, released by Focus Features worldwide.

International sales are being handled by Myriad Pictures.