BlumNews: More 'Welcome To The Blumhouse' On The Way; John Ridley Directing New Paranormal Movie

By Chris EvangelistaOct. 29, 2020 3:00 pm EST

BlumNews! Today, during BlumFest, a Blumhouse-themed virtual experience, we got new info regarding upcoming Blumhouse projects. First: there are even more Welcome to the Blumhouse movies headed our way. Also: John Ridley, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of 12 Years a Slave, is teaming up with Blumhouse for an Untitled Paranormal Project inspired by a true story.

Welcome to the Blumhouse...Again

Welcome to the Blumhouse brought four very lackluster Blumhouse movies to Amazon Prime Video this month, and the Blumhouse/Amazon partnership isn't over yet. There are four more Welcome to the Blumhouse titles headed our way: The Manor, written and directed by Axelle Carolyn; Black as Night, from director Maritte Lee Go; Madres, directed by Ryan Zaragoza; and Bingo, from director Gigi Saul Guerrero. Here are more details about those titles:

The Manor is written and directed by Axelle Carolyn, and stars Barbara Hershey, Bruce Davison, Nicholas Alexander, Jill Larsen, Fran Bennett and Katie Amanda Keane. After suffering a stroke, Judith Albright moves into a historic nursing home, where she begins to suspect something supernatural is preying on the residents. In order to escape she'll need to convince everyone around her that she doesn't actually belong there after all. Executive produced by Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Marci Wiseman, Lisa Bruce, Sandy King and Richard J Bosner.

Black as Night is directed by Maritte Lee Go and written by Sherman Payne. The cast stars Asjha Cooper, Fabrizio Guido, Craig Tate, Keith David, Mason Beauchamp, Abbie Gayle and Frankie Smith. A teenage girl with self-esteem issues finds confidence in the most unlikely way, by spending her summer battling vampires that prey on New Orleans' disenfranchised with the help of her best friend, the boy she's always pined for, and a peculiar rich girl. Executive produced by Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Marci Wiseman, Lisa Bruce, Maggie Malina and Guy Stodel.

Madres is directed by first-time feature director Ryan Zaragoza and written by Marcella Ochoa & Mario Miscione. Starring Tenoch Huerta, Ariana Guerra, Evelyn Gonzalez, Kerry Cahill, and Elpidia Carrillo. A Mexican-American couple expecting their first child relocate to a migrant farming community in 1970's California. When the wife begins to experience strange symptoms and terrifying visions, she tries to determine if it's related to a legendary curse or something more nefarious. Executive produced by Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Marci Wiseman, Lisa Bruce, Sanjay Sharma and Matthew Myers.

Bingo is directed by Gigi Saul Guerrero and written by Shane McKenzie & Gigi Saul Guerrero, along with Perry Blackshear. In the Barrio of Oak Springs live a strong and stubborn group of elderly friends who refuse to be gentrified. Their leader, Lupita, keeps them together as a community, a family. But little did they know, their beloved Bingo hall is about to be sold to a much more powerful force than money itself. Executive produced by Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Marci Wiseman, and Raynor Shima.

"Coming off the successful launch of the first four films of the program, which has surpassed our expectations, we are excited to reveal the next chapter coming in 2021," said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. "The spine-tingling, edge of your seat thrills continues in this next collection of titles that will surely entertain, surprise and shock our global customers."

Jeremy Gold, President Blumhouse Television, added: "We're thrilled to see how audiences around the world have responded to the films in the Welcome to the Blumhouse" slate. We couldn't be prouder of the work of these talented filmmakers, cast and crew on all the movies. And we're excited to introduce the next wave of films and the incredible filmmakers at their helm."

I tend to enjoy Blumhouse stuff, but as I mentioned above, the first four Welcome to the Blumhouse entries were very lacking. Fingers crossed these next four fare better.

Untitled Paranormal Project

John Ridley, writer of 12 Years a Slave, U-Turn, and much, much more, is writing and directing a new Untitled Paranormal Project for Blumhouse. The film is based on the article Project Poltergeist, which you can read here. The story is based on true events and focuses on "unexplained events that terrified a young boy in New Jersey in the 1960's, the first alleged haunting in a public housing project."

"This is an incredible true-life narrative of a young man dealing with horrors – both paranormal and racially systemic – in a community that is scarred by hate, yet ultimately brought together by hope," Ridley said. "I really appreciate Blumhouse's commitment to telling stories that seek to entertain audiences even as it challenges them."

Jason Blum added: "The best scary movies are always based on a real event, and we were very compelled by the material this story is based on. I also know that John Ridley is as good as you get as a dramatic storyteller, among contemporary artists, so we're confident that infusing this story with John's brand of drama is a great bet."

I haven't read the story yet, but now that I'm aware of it, I can't wait to check out it, and I'm very interested to see what Ridley does with the material.