Haunted House Film ‘The Occupant’ Tapped for Development, Penned by Blair Butler and Produced by Zach Cregger

Earlier this year, New Line Cinema secured the rights to a short horror story titled “The Occupant.” Now, Blair Butler, known for her work on films like “Hell Fest” and “The Invitation,” has been tapped to write the screenplay for the project. As previously announced, Zach Cregger, of “Barbarian” fame, will serve as the film’s producer.

The original horror story, penned by Victor Sweetser, spans just 39 pages. While New Line is keeping the specific details of the film under wraps, it is said to be a fresh take on the classic haunted house tale. The story revolves around a family that moves into a mysterious old house that has been relocated to a small town, bringing something sinister along with it.

Roy Lee and Scott Glassgold are also set to produce the film adaptation alongside Zach Cregger.

Deadline previously provided the following synopsis of the story:

“The story begins cleverly with texts back and forth between a husband and a wife, who cannot get over their good luck to be chosen to take the house. Naturally, we learn there is no such thing as a free house. The narrator is a teen named Chloe, who lives in the town where the home is being moved. She and her boyfriend Mason are disappointed to see it’s going to be plopped onto The Shole, their nickname for the shithole empty lot where the neighborhood kids go to drink, smoke and lose their virginity. They decide to explore the structure before the homeowners move in. In a yarn that is one part Poltergeist mixed in with Stephen King, they learn the house is haunted, and its supernatural occupant begins to turn itself loose on members of its new neighborhood, with horrifying results. It becomes a full-fledged scare fest.”