The Conjuring Creator Launching New Horror Franchise The Haunted

Fans of The Conjuring have gotten a lot of exciting news in recent months, which includes the reveal that the franchise would expand as a TV series and that a fourth film in the proper narrative was on the way, with today bringing another exciting update. Tony DeRosa-Grund, who developed the original film and crafted the overall trajectory for the concept, is creating an all-new horror franchise with The Haunted. Similarly to how The Conjuring films are inspired by true events, The Haunted will also draw inspiration from real-life encounters with spirits from beyond and display the victims who suffered through these harrowing experiences.

Per press release, “Cinedigm announced today that the Company will be partnering with horror heavyweight Tony DeRosa-Grund, creator of The Conjuring (over $2 billion in box office to date), to develop The Haunted, a new paranormal horror franchise based on verifiable actual events. While the story details are being kept under wraps, Cinedigm can confirm that The Haunted franchise starts with one family’s dark and terrifying real-life preternatural experiences which intersect with historical facts and legends surrounding a young pregnant woman accused by her own father of being a witch. That convergence places the family in impending mortal danger.

“DeRosa-Grund, who previously wrote the original story for The Conjuring, named it, and created the ‘road map’ for that franchise, aims to emulate that prior success by similarly building The Haunted universe through sequels, historical prequels, and spinoffs. The franchise’s initial focus will be on the real events experienced by a multi-generational family under siege from malevolent, and extremely violent, supernatural forces.The Haunted also focuses on its extremely rare circumstances which occurred when the living persons involved suffered significant, and repeated, real physical harm — even a death — from these dark forces that plagued them. The fact that these events could happen to anyone, combined with the ‘you can run but you can’t hide’ aspect of the family’s very real plight, plumbs new depths of the horror genre.”

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with Tony DeRosa-Grund, a modern master of the horror genre, on The Haunted franchise,” Tom Owen, Managing Director of Cinedigm/Bloody Disgusting, shared. “Based on the true-life events, these films will take audiences on a wild and terrifying journey into the world of the paranormal, unlike any other ever seen before in film. We are confident The Haunted, will set a new bar for horror movies and will absolutely resonate with horror enthusiasts, as well as every other audience quadrant.”

“Having created, produced, and written the story for the original The Conjuring, I can say, with absolute clarity and certainty, that The Haunted is exponentially better, truer, and more terrifying,” DeRosa-Grund added. “I am truly excited to be working with Tom and Brad [Miska of Cinedigm/Bloody Disgusting] who ‘got it,’ and embraced the project right from our very first pitch meeting. I want to also thank Cinedigm Chairman Chris McGurk, who not only backed my very first feature film, but also convinced me to come out of my retirement for this project.”

Stay tuned for details on The Haunted.

Are you looking forward to this new franchise? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!