‘Starry Eyes’ Directors Set to Helm Visceral Exorcism Horror ‘Thriving’

Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kölsch, the directors behind Starry Eyes and Pet Sematary, are set to helm a new exorcism horror film, Thriving, Deadline reports.

The story follows a heartbroken young woman whose escape to Ibiza’s hedonistic paradise takes a dark turn. When an amateur exorcism goes wrong, she must confront whether the terrifying forces she faces are born of her own unraveling mind—or if she is becoming the monster herself.

Production is slated to begin in early 2026 in the Canary Islands, Spain, with casting currently underway. The screenplay is penned by Lily Drew and Stephen Andrew Martin.

Thriving is one of the first projects from Nina Pictures, a new Dublin-based film company founded by producers Cameron Lawther and Gavin Kilduff. Nina has partnered with Capstone Pictures (The Guilty, Fall) on a five-picture co-financing slate. The €20M fund aims to back elevated, commercial genre films with budgets in the €3–5M range.

Widmyer and Kölsch also have the survival horror film The Swallow set for release in 2026, further cementing their reputation as modern horror auteurs.