Aaron Fradkin’s new horror comedy, Val, is scaring up some buzz on Wednesday with a first look photo which you can view below. The film, starring John Kapelos (Netflix’s “The Umbrella Academy”), Kyle Howard (Paramount Pictures’ Orange County), SAG Award nominee Sufe Bradshaw (HBO’s “Veep,” Netflix’s Murder Mystery), Erik Griffin (Netflix’s The Sleepover), Misha Reeves (Electric Love), and Zachary Mooren (CBS’ “Criminal Minds”), and will have a release on digital through Epic’s horror shingle, Dread, on October 5. Epic will sell the film internationally at this year’s Marche Du Film.
In this fun horror, FIN is a criminal on the run, wanted for the murder of his boss and the accidental shooting of an officer. He breaks into the home of a high-class escort, only to discover that you get more than you bargain for with VAL, short for “Valefar” – a demon who offers to make all his problems disappear if he agrees to follow her rules. But in Val’s world there are no accidents, and as Fin meets her other “customers”, he learns that Val was expecting him all along, and it isn’t easy to escape Val’s dungeon.
Fradkin directed Val from a script he co-wrote with filmmaker and social media personality Victoria Fratz. The two recently collaborated on Electric Love which Fradkin also directed, and won Best World Premiere at San Diego Film Festival. The film was released in the US by Gravitas Ventures.
“As fans of the thriller and horror genres, we have built a reputation for spotting the most original and fresh content for this market. Val is a fun horror with a very unexpected and refreshing sense of humor that will captivate international and domestic audiences alike. Aaron did a fantastic job directing the film with a top-class cast. He and Victoria wrote a brilliant script that truly comes together in the most amazing way,” said Epic Pictures’ CEO Patrick Ewald.
Val is a Social House Films production, produced by Jonathan Carkeek (Lionsgate’s The Prince), Paul Kim (Paramount Pictures’ Mighty Oak), Jeremy Meyer (Intimate Apparel), and Caitlin O’Connor (Electric Love). Victoria Fratz is the executive producer.
Kalani Dreimanis, Director of International Sales at Epic Pictures, negotiated the worldwide rights deal on behalf of Epic Pictures with with Ty Leisher at Exit 44 Entertainment on behalf of the producers.
Epic’s Cannes slate will also include the recently announced horror title Slapface which just won the audience award at Cinequest, and the highly anticipated horror film The Cellar starring Elisha Cuthbert and Eoin Macken. Epic will be debuting first look footage for the film during the market.