Award-winning filmmaker Deon Taylor (“Fatale,” “The Intruder,” “Black and Blue”) is writing and directing “Don’t Open the Door” with his Hidden Empire Film Group partner, Roxanne Avent Taylor, producing. Tommy Oliver’s Confluential Films, the award-winning, Black-owned and Black-founded production company and financier, is producing and co-financing the project under Confluential’s recently launched horror label, “New Fear Unlocked.”
With his signature clarity and conviction, Deon Taylor said, “Returning to the director’s chair with a story this bold is a moment I’ve been waiting for. This partnership with Tommy Oliver and Confluential Films isn’t just timely—it’s a powerful move rooted in vision, ownership, and the evolution of horror through a Black creative lens.”
“The combination of Confluential and Hidden Empire is going to be straight fire. Deon is an artist, an entrepreneur, and a marketing genius who I’m incredibly excited to work with. We’re also proud to be shooting this, and another film in the fall, in Los Angeles, where we can support the local economy and get to sleep in our own beds!” said Oliver.
Set against the raw, atmospheric backdrop of South Central L.A.’s West Adams district, “Don’t Open the Door” is an elevated horror rooted in real-world trauma and dread. The film fuses cerebral tension with existential fear, continuing Taylor’s tradition of pushing the genre beyond jump scares and into the emotional and intellectual depths of human experience.
Currently slated to shoot in Los Angeles this July, the film also features a comic book element that expands its narrative universe. While some plot details remain under wraps, the project promises to be an innovative genre statement pairing Taylor’s high-stakes thriller instincts with Confluential’s commitment to culturally resonant storytelling.
Tommy Oliver and Gerren Crochet are producing for Confluential Films alongside Roxanne Avent Taylor and Omar Joseph for Hidden Empire Film Group, with Malcolm Spellman and Lexx Fusco executive producing. Two-time Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Dante Spinotti (“Heat,” “L.A. Confidential”, “The Insider”) brings his legendary eye as Director of Photography, while acclaimed casting director Kim Coleman (“BlacKkKlansman”, “Dear White People”) leads casting.
Hidden Empire Film Group continues to expand its cultural footprint with a powerful slate of projects in development, including the reboot of the blaxploitation horror classic, Blacula (MGM/Amazon Studios), the untold story of civil rights icon John Lewis, and a four-part docuseries on boxing legend Floyd Mayweather. Known for creating Fatale, The Intruder, Black and Blue, and the Meet the Blacks franchise, Hidden Empire has built a reputation for delivering elevated, genre-bending content that both entertains and empowers.
Confluential Films’ recent slate includes the 2024 Emmy and Sundance Grand Jury Award-winning “Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” (HBO); “Fancy Dance,” starring Lily Gladstone (Apple TV+); the AFI Fest-winning documentary “Juice WRLD: Into The Abyss” (HBO, and the Tribeca Audience Award-winning and Gabrielle Union and Keith Powers starring film “The Perfect Find” (Netflix). The company’s new horror imprint, New Fear Unlocked, recently wrapped “Goons,” starring Michael Rainey Jr. and Chloe Bailey, and is currently developing an adaptation of the graphic novel “Killer Bee,” starring DeWanda Wise. Confluential is also in post on “Hamlet” starring Riz Ahmed.
Both Hidden Empire and Confluential Films are known for making high-quality, culturally rich films on lean budgets, delivering box office results that rival blockbuster titles. Hidden Empire has repeatedly landed top-five box office debuts, proving the audience’s appetite for smart, Black-led, independent cinema. This partnership between two of the industry’s most dynamic, Black-owned studios is a powerful alignment, underscoring the value of ownership, vision, and cultural truth in today’s entertainment landscape.
