Emma Roberts (Scream 4, Nerve, The Blackcoat’s Daughter), one of modern horror’s most bankable and recognizable scream queens, will star in the genre feature A Body in the Woods, it was announced today by Yvette Zhuang and Zach Glueck, co-CEOs of Manifest Pictures.
This elevated and nightmarish folklore tale hails from producer Dave Caplan of C2 Motion Picture Group, and arrives with strong marketplace momentum following Caplan’s recent producing run, including Longlegs, which became the highest-grossing independent horror film of the past decade, and The Monkey starring Theo James. C2 Motion Picture Group will fully finance.
The film is written and to be directed by Stephen Cognetti, the creator of the cult-favorite Hell House franchise. Production is set to begin in September.
Manifest Pictures will launch international sales at the upcoming European Film Market.
Emma Roberts will play Alice Lincoln, a woman at the turn of the century living deep in the Marshall Woods, a place long-plagued by legends of a menacing witch. When Alice is left alone at her remote cabin to keep vigil over the body of an unidentified mine worker, unsettling disturbances in the dark lead Alice to fear the corpse may not be fully at rest. The appearance of a silent woman at the edge of the forest road traps Alice in a waking nightmare between the growing evil within and the nameless terror waiting beyond her door.
Says Caplan: “Stephen has consistently proven he can create terrifying, elevated immersive horror experiences. With Emma in the lead, A Body in the Woods is an undeniable package.”
“Emma brings an intelligence and emotional fearlessness that amplifies everything she touches,” adds writer-director Stephen Cognetti. “She understands horror on a cellular level—how to balance vulnerability, strength, and terror.”
Cognetti continued, “My goal with A Body in the Woods is to deliver a high-concept horror film that tests the limits of fear—not just for our lead character, but for the audience sitting in the dark with her. I want people to leave the theater unsettled, questioning what they saw, and feeling like they survived something.”
Manifest added, “We’re honored to be working with a producer that has the pedigree of Dave Caplan and a director with a consistent track record of terrifying audiences around the world.”
Roberts is best known for her work on Ryan Murphy’s smash hit horror-anthology “American Horror Story,” with additional credits including Holidate, “Scream Queens,” We’re the Millers, The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Nerve, and Scream 4. Through her production banner Belletrist Productions, Roberts also serves as a co-producer on the Hulu series “Tell Me Lies.”
Roberts is repped by Sweeney Entertainment; Cognetti is repped by Anonymous Content.
