Olivia DeJonge (M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit), Levi Miller (Pan, Jasper Jones, Terra Nova, Blue Dog) and Ed Oxenbould (The Visit, Paper Planes, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) star in the thriller SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD which commences production this week in Fox Studios Australia.
When a babysitter (Olivia DeJonge) defends a twelve-year-old boy (Levi Miller) from strangers breaking into the house, she discovers that this is far from a normal home invasion.
Set in a 'safe neighborhood’ in a quiet American suburb on the lead up to the festive season, production has created an iconic white Christmas - in the heart of Sydney.
A Storm Vision Entertainment and Best Medicine production, the thriller is being directed by Chris Peckover (Undocumented) and was written by Zack Kahn and Peckover. The film is being produced by Storm Vision’s Brett Thornquest and Sidonie Abbene (Infini, Terminus and SFv1) and Best Medicine Productions’ Brion Hambel and Paul Jensen (Scenic Route, Natural Selection), and executive produced by Steven Matusko, Shane Abbess and Lorenzo De Maio.
Producer Brett Thornquest said, “SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD is Home Alone meets Scream. Chris and Zack have written a killer script and this film will be equally smart and stylish, scary and tense … a surefire white-knuckle ride that pushes the thriller genre in a whole new terrifying direction.”
Producer Brion Hambel said, “With a taut whip-smart script, Chris’ vision and passion for the material and our incredible partnership with Storm Vision, we have a feeling this film will be on every genre fan’s bucket list around the world for years to come.”
When describing the project, director Chris Peckover said: “Imagine taking the awkward, genuine teenagers from a John Hughes story and then royally scorching their evening. This is my favorite kind of thriller, where bad decisions snowball into horrible ones with ghastly consequences."
XYZ Films will be representing North American rights on the film and Versatile is handling international sales.