Demon House looks set to be an impressive next project for the collaborators. Daniels rewrote the screenplay for the film, which is based on a supposedly true story about a family who endured horrific incidents in an Indiana home in 2011 and 2012. Daniels first became interested in the story when it was published in 2014, but Deadline reports that the rights expired when Relativity filed for bankruptcy. A few rewrites later, the script suddenly became a hot commodity, with Netflix buying the rights for a whopping $65 million this January.
Mo’Nique has had a successful career as a comedian, actress and host in the years since she last worked with Daniels, earning an Emmy nomination for her role in the biopic Bessie and securing a residency in Las Vegas. She also sued Netflix — the streamer that will air “Demon House” — for gender and racial discrimination in what she described as an opportunity “to stand up for those who came before me and those who will come after me.”
With a newly healed director-artist relationship at its core and the budget to make its ambitions a reality, Demon House could be Netflix’s answer to hit horror franchises like The Conjuring and Paranormal Activity. The film already has a promising supporting cast, including Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday), Glenn Close (Damages), Caleb McLaughlin (Stranger Things), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Rob Morgan (“Don’t Look Up”).