Viral AI Horror Short To Get New Movie Adaptation at Neon

Neon and a viral horror filmmaker joined forces to bring a chilling internet sensation from YouTube screens to movie theaters. The independent studio tapped the creator behind one of horror’s most-watched short films to expand his vision into a feature debut.

Sam Evenson’s viral short to be adapted into a feature film

Neon has tapped Sam Evenson to adapt his viral short film Mora into a feature, Variety reports exclusively. The independent studio will develop the project with Evenson writing and directing his feature debut. The film follows a displaced artist haunted by a mysterious woman after using an AI model corrupted by dark web images.

Evenson also works as a VFX artist and runs Grimoire Horror, a genre YouTube channel with over 195,000 subscribers. His viral short films have attracted tens of millions of views on YouTube and gained wide traction across social platforms. He has contributed visual effects work on the Academy Award-winning Dune: Part Two, HBO’s The Last of Us, and Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder.

Steven Schneider and Roy Lee of Spooky Pictures will produce alongside several other production companies. Ken Kao and Josh Rosenbaum of Waypoint Entertainment’s Cweature Features will also produce the film. Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple’s Iron Ocean Productions round out the producing team on Mora.

Ben Ross of Image Nation and Addison Sharp of Iron Ocean Productions will executive produce the project. Neon holds the worldwide rights to Mora as it moves into feature development. Untitled Entertainment and UTA represent Evenson for the upcoming film.

Mora marks Neon’s third partnership with Spooky Pictures after Alex Ullom’s 4×4 The Event and Damian McCarthy’s Hokum. Hokum stars Adam Scott and opens on May 1 as a supernatural horror film. The project also continues Neon’s ongoing slate with Waypoint’s Cweature Features following Shelby Oaks and Longlegs.

Neon previously released Longlegs, which became the highest grossing independent film of 2024 at $75 million domestically. The studio also distributed The Monkey and remains known for backing acclaimed titles like Parasite and Anora.

Source: Comingsoon.net