The Conjuring franchise is perhaps one of the scariest movie series of the past decade, and has increased audience expectation levels for modern horrors.
This is largely due to the writing of Chad and Carey Hayes, a pair of identical twin wordsmiths with a shared gift for crafting icily atmospheric dialogue.
Eschewing the weak characterisation and cheesy lines of many a horror screenwriter before them, the Hayes brothers have a way of building almost unbearable tension. Now they are turning their pens to a new franchise and – perhaps unsurprisingly – it sounds scary as hell.
Remind yourself of the dark world of The Conjuring with the following trailer:
The Hayes brothers are now joining forces with Cindy Bond and Doug McKay’s newly launched outfit, Faster Horse Pictures, for a full-blown haunted mansion movie series, Deadline reports.
And this isn’t just any haunted mansion. The series will draw from the dark history of the LaLaurie Mansion, the notorious former residence of the evil Madame Marie Delphine LaLaurie.
Those familiar with American Horror Story will recall Kathy Bates’ portrayal of the hideously cruel Madame LaLaurie; a socialite who viciously tortured and murdered slaves at her opulent New Orleans home.
Following a fire at the property in 1834, the extent of Madame LaLaurie’s sadism was revealed, to the horror of the American public. She fled to France with her family, however solid details of her later life are few and far between.
The Hayes brothers will develop and produce the LaLaurie Mansion movies alongside McKay, Bond and Michael Whalen, with Joshua Ryan Dietz and Dylan Bond serving as executive producers. Local historian Andrew Ward will act as a consultant on the project.
According to Deadline, the Hayes brothers have made the following comment on this upcoming franchise:
We love writing films in which we get to tell true stories – incorporating moments that people can look up and discover did in fact happen,
With the LaLaurie House we get to do exactly that. There is a wealth of documentation of very dark and frightening past of true events. Not to mention that after spending some time there, what we personally experienced was truly unnerving.
Bond said:
Building a horror franchise starts with the IP, and for us to be able to tap the LaLaurie Mansion, and its twisted history, is a major coup for Faster Horse.
McKay added:
The LaLaurie Mansion is as scary a place as there is in the world and we won’t hold back in giving audiences the full effect. Chad and Carey will have their hands full, but they are true masters in cinematic retellings of disturbing material.
There has been no public access to the eerie property since 1932, however the team are reportedly hoping to shoot at least some of the scenes at the location.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.