‘Satanic Panic’ Movie on the Way From ‘We Are Still Here’ Director

We Are Still Here made a bit of a splash on the horror scene this year, holding the number one spot on the iTunes horror charts following its debut at SXSW back in March. The director of the indie throwback horror flick has set his next project, with a title that conjures more of the retro vibes from his first film, and deals in the genre’s current favorite topic: Satanic Panic.

According to Variety, director Ted Geoghegan is re-teaming with genre producer Travis Stevens (Cheap Thrills, Starry Eyes) and Greg Newman for Satanic Panic, based on a script by Grady Hendrix, author of the novel Horrorstor, which is being developed into a TV series with Gossip Girl creator Josh Schwartz.

The new film centers on an underpaid delivery girl whose visit to a wealthy neighborhood puts her at odds with its upper-class residents, leading her to discover their secret satanic cult. Geoghegan described the project as “Equal parts supernatural horror and survival thriller, the film hinges on smart, funny dialogue and a clever, surprisingly badass female hero.”

Satan has been revived as a trend in the horror genre, with festival favorites The Witch, The Devil’s Candy and February all dealing in devilish themes. This year’s unofficial motto at Fantastic Fest (Austin’s annual genre film festival) quickly became “Hail, Satan!” due to the prevalence of the unholy one in this year’s horror selections.

Geoghegan is a film publicist who made his directorial debut with We Are Still Here, starring cult favorites Barbara Crampton and Larry Fessenden. The supernatural film relied heavily on practical effects and incorporated subtle (and some not-so-subtle) elements in sound and set design to evoke similar films of the ’70s and ’80s. Geoghegan proved himself as a solid director with his debut, making his follow-up one to keep an eye on.