Neon, the independent studio behind Parasite and Anora, has commissioned Sam Evenson to adapt his viral short film Mora into a feature film. The film, written and directed by Evenson, centers on a displaced artist who becomes possessed by a mysterious woman after using an AI model corrupted by dark web images.
In addition to his work as a filmmaker, Evenson is also a VFX artist and creator of Grimoire Horror, a genre-based YouTube channel with over 195,000 subscribers. His viral short films have amassed tens of millions of views on YouTube and are widely viewed across social platforms. He has worked on visual effects for the Academy Award-winning Dune Part 2, HBO’s The Last of Us, and Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder.
Mora is Evenson’s feature debut. Spooky Pictures’ Steven Schneider (The Long Walk, Late Night with the Devil) and Roy Lee (Weapons, It), Waypoint Entertainment’s Queer Films Ken Kao and Josh Rosenbaum of The Chars (“Long Legs”) and Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple’s Iron Ocean Productions (“The Sinner,” “Candy”) will co-produce with Neon. Image Nation’s Ben Ross and Iron Ocean Productions’ Addison Sharp will serve as executive producers.
The neon sign represents the worldwide rights of “Mora”. It’s the latest horror feature from Neon, the studio behind “Long Legs” and “The Monkey,” which became the highest-grossing independent film of 2024 with $75 million domestically. This is Neon’s third partnership with Spooky Pictures, following Alex Woolom’s “4×4 The Event” and Damian McCarthy’s supernatural horror film “Hokum” starring Adam Scott (released May 1). This is the next film in Waypoint’s partnership with Cweature Features, following on from Hokum, Chris Stuckman’s Shelby Oaks, and Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs. “Keeper”
Evenson is repped by Untitled Entertainment and UTA.
