By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The Screenlife scare film has won strong reviews at the Telluride and Chattanooga fests.
Welcome Villain Films has announced that it has picked up worldwide rights to MIND BODY SPIRIT, with a digital release set for May 7 following a showing at San Francisco’s Unnamed Footage Festival on Sunday, March 31. Directed by Alex Henes and Matthew Merenda from a script they wrote with Topher Hendricks, it stars Sarah J. Bartholomew, Madi Bready, Kristi Noory, KJ Flahive and Anna Knigge. The synopsis: “MIND BODY SPIRIT follows Anya [Bartholomew], an aspiring yoga influencer, as she embarks on a ritual practice left behind by her estranged grandmother. What starts as a spiritual self-help guide quickly evolves into something much more sinister. As Anya becomes obsessed with the mysterious power of the practice, she unwittingly unleashes an otherworldly entity that begins to take control of her life–and her videos. Now Anya must race to unlock the truth, before her descent into madness threatens to consume her mind, body and spirit.”
“It has been an immense privilege bringing our first feature film to life,” say Henes and Merenda. “MIND BODY SPIRIT is the kind of midnight movie we grew up watching and loving. It’s freaky, it’s funny and it will definitely fuck you up.”
“Alex, Matt, and myself come from the entertainment marketing world,” says Dan Asma, who produced the film with Jesse McClung, “so we relished the opportunity to flex all of our experience and storytelling prowess by crafting a film that embodies everything we love about the genre. We’re beyond excited to partner with Welcome Villain Films and to get our twisted creation in front of a wider audience that’s eager for original storytelling.”
“MIND BODY SPIRIT is such a creative blend of wellness and horror, and really feels fresh and exciting for the genre, which makes it a perfect fit for the Welcome Villain family,” says Luke LaBeau, the company’s head of development. “We’re thrilled to be working with Alex, Matt and team, and we can’t wait to unleash this nightmare on audiences on May 7th.”
