EXCLUSIVE: SC Films is launching worldwide sales at the upcoming TIFF market on action-horror Cotton Eye Joe, which began shoot this week in Illinois.
Starring are genre vets Bill Moseley (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2) and Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) with Cassidy Terracian, Brian Dole, Eloise Lola Gordan and Moses Jones.
Pic is written and directed by Nick Merola, and co-written by Brandon Weavil whose latest feature Dolly was recently acquired by IFC.
The story follows the journey of “four friends that break down on a deserted country road and seek refuge in desolate farmland only to awaken the brutal legend of Cotton Eye Joe. As night falls, survival becomes a desperate game of cat and mouse at the hands of a relentless serial killer.”
According to producers, Merola “reinvents traditional folklore with the project to craft a fun-slasher that brings a violent and modern edge to the legend popularised by the Rednex Euro-hit song of the same name.”
SC Films’ CEO Simon Crowe negotiated the deal with producers Casey McEnry and Colin Olsen. Crowe also serves as an executive producer alongside Fin Crowe.
Nick Merola said: “I started making horror movies in the second grade using my dad’s VHS camera, so to be stepping onto the set of my first feature with this incredible cast and crew is beyond a dream come true. Cotton Eye Joe is exactly the kind of movie that made me fall in love with the horror genre as a kid – incredibly bloody, suspenseful, and most importantly, fun..”
Simon Crowe described the project as “a cool script, fast-paced and great concept”.
