Circlite Pictures acquired the U.S. rights to The Monitor from filmmakers Matt Black and Ryan Polley following the horror film’s SXSW debut.
The film’s premise hinges on the question, “What if the worst things on the Internet were never meant to be seen?” The story follows a demonic entity stalking a social media content moderator after he blocks a disturbing video that appears online. Despite their efforts, the synopsis teases, “Something begins to spread – moving from screen to screen, targeting those watching. There’s no escape, no warning. Once you see it… it’s too late.”
“The Monitor” also stars Brittany O’Grady (“The White Lotus,” “It’s What’s Inside”), Taz Skyler (“One Piece”), and Vivek Kalra (“Blind by the La The cast includes Ines Whisetter-Atherson (Harajuku), Gunnar Willis (Boonsman), Sarah Alexander (Call the Midwife), and Camila Bejarano. Wahlgren (The Sandhamn Murders).
The feature film was produced by Nostromo Pictures and Temple Hill, creators of the Smile series, and had its world premiere in SXSW’s Midnighter section last month.
“Matt and Ryan have delivered a truly wild ride, crafting a visceral, contemporary thriller that taps directly into our shared fears of what lurks around the edges of the screen. We can’t wait to take this to audiences,” Searchlight Pictures president Matthew Greenfield said in a statement announcing the acquisition. Searchlight will also be distributed in the UK and Southeast Asia.
The film is scheduled for release in 2027. Details of the rollout will be announced at a later date.
“When we made our original short film, The Monitor, eight years ago, we never imagined it would one day be picked up by Searchlight Pictures,” Black and Polley added. “We’re thrilled to partner with them to bring this monster to theaters. It’s truly worthy of the big screen.”
They continued, “The Monitor was always intended to be a scary experience for a roomful of people together. We are incredibly grateful to our entire cast and crew, and to our partners at Temple Hill and Nostromo Pictures who have supported this project from the beginning and helped make this moment possible.”
Producers are Temple Hill co-founders Marty Bowen, Wyke Godfrey, Isaac Klausner, John Fisher and Adrian Guerra of Nostromo Pictures. Executive producers include Nuria Valls of Nostromo Films, along with Hal Sadoff, Ben Levin, Dave Bishop, and George Hamilton.
“The Monitor is a get-under-the-skin horror experience: sublime, insightful, and most of all, horrifying,” the producers added. “We are proud to partner with Searchlight to bring Matt and Ryan’s bold and original directorial vision to the screen.”
Head of Acquisitions Chan Hung and Vice President of Business Ben Wilkinson negotiated the deal with Temple Hill Entertainment and UTA Independent Film Group on behalf of Searchlight. Protagonist Pictures handled international sales.
The Monitor is one of a number of films that explore the “horrors of content moderation,” writes Variety’s William Earle. Just this spring, three movies centered around online moderators were released. In addition to “Montior,” Ed Doherty and Brea Grant’s comedy anthology “Grind” includes a key segment in which a moderator’s purgatory existence drives him insane, while Daniel Goldhaber’s “Faces of Death,” starring Barbie Ferrera, also features a meta-narrative set in the world of content moderators, a job Goldhaber once held for a summer.
