EXCLUSIVE: Compelling Pictures is coming on t produce and finance the high-concept psychological horror thriller The Blur, written and being directed by emerging director Joe Miale. Denis O’Sullivan and Jeff Kalligheri are producing for Compelling, alongside Scott Carr and Josh Crook. Carr brought the project to Compelling back in 2020 as a pitch and Miale wrote the script.
The film follows a visually-impaired family tormented by a ghost only seen by those who have severe myopia. It introduces a villain named Smudge to the horror pantheon, and will use innovative visual techniques–largely in-camera–to bring the terrifying character to life. Producers cited a 2021 study by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness estimated that 43 million people worldwide are considered legally blind, while 295 million people worldwide live with moderate-to-severe visual impairment. And also noted the World Health Organization has estimated that approximately 2.2 billion people worldwide have some level of near or distance vision impairment.
In the vein of A Quiet Place, the film aims to employ actors in key roles who are legally blind or otherwise differently abled.
“Joe is an incredible talent who places the same premium on character and emotion as he does on innovative thrills and chills. Having the opportunity to depict differently abled characters on screen as heroes in their own story is something that means a lot to all of us involved, for our own personal reasons,” O’Sullivan and Kalligheri said on behalf of Compelling.
The production is targeting a late Fall start in Boston, pending the WGA and SAG labor actions. Executive producers are Marina Cappi, Dennis Casali, and Josh Kushner.
Miale previously co-wrote and directed the sci-fi actioner Revolt starring Lee Pace, Berenice Marlohe, and Jason Flemyng for Voltage Pictures and Automatik Entertainment. That film is currently streaming on Peacock. Prior to Revolt, Miale was an award-winning director of shorts as well as an accomplished commercial director. Miale is repped by Scott Carr and UTA. Compelling is repped by Evan Krauss of Eisner Law.
Compelling Pictures is currently in post-production on The Collaboration starring Jeremy Pope and Paul Bettany