By a Front Row Features Staff Reporter
XLrator Media has acquired North American distribution rights to the suspense thriller “The Windmill” and will release the film this October on its “Macabre” genre label. The film is slated to have its world premiere at FrightFest next month.
“The Windmill” marks the directorial debut of Nick Jongerius (producer of “Frankenstein’s Army” and “Dead End”), based on his original idea with screenplay by Suzy Quid and Chris W. Mitchell. Noah Taylor (“Game of Thrones,” “Peaky Blinders”), Charlotte Beaumont, Patrick Baladi, Tanroh Ishida and Ben Batt star. Daniel Koefoed (“Frankenstein’s Army”), Nick Jongerius, Guirec Van Slingelandt (“Kidnapping Mr. Heineken”) and Eric Brenner (“Amnesiac”) produced.
“Halloween is going to be a lot scarier this year!” said XLrator Media CEO Barry Gordon in a statement.
A group of unsuspecting tourists awaken a mysterious evil whilst on a trip through the Dutch countryside. When their tour bus breaks down, the strangers are forced to seek shelter in an abandoned barn beside a sinister windmill where, legend has it, a devil-worshipping miller once ground the bones of locals instead of grain. As members of the group start disappearing, secrets are revealed that seem to mark them all for doom.
The horror film is a nostalgic throwback to edge-of-your-seat horror classics like “Friday the 13th” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” from the producers of “Frankenstein’s Army.”
“It’s been a dream come true to shoot my feature film debut with an international cast like Noah Taylor and Charlotte Beaumont, and I’m thrilled to have it released in North America by XLrator Media,” said Nick Jongerius. “It was my aim from the beginning to use Dutch heritage and locations as the film’s backdrop. I’ve always been fascinated—and scared—by windmills. I can assure you that people will look at them differently after seeing the film.”
The deal was negotiated by XLrator Media’s Barry Gordon with Blue Fox Entertainment’s Todd Slater on behalf of the filmmakers.
