XLRATOR MEDIA Acquires “SUN CHOKE” for North American Distribution on its Acclaimed MACABRE Label

XLrator Media has acquired North American distribution rights to the thriller SUN CHOKE and will release the film this Summer on its acclaimed “MACABRE” genre label. The film has played over a dozen festivals including FrightFest and the Stanley Film Festival.

Written and directed by Ben Cresciman (Negative Space), SUN CHOKE stars iconic horror film actress Barbara Crampton (You’re Next, Re-Animator, Lords of Salem), Sarah Hagan (“Freaks and Geeks,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) and Sara Malakul Lane (17 & Life: Jailbait, the upcoming Kickboxer: Vengeance) along with Evan Jones, Joe Nieves and Jim Boeven. The film features a haunting score by noted musician/producer Boom Bip (aka Bryan Hollon).

“SUN CHOKE is a deeply unsettling psychological thriller in the vein of Roman Polanski’s Repulsion that will leave audiences emotionally shaken and questioning the line between reality and nightmare. It’s an impressive, assured work that marks Ben Cresciman as an important filmmaker to watch,” said XLrator Media CEO Barry Gordon.

ABOUT SUN CHOKE
Janie (Sarah Hagan) is just trying to get well. As Janie recovers from a recent violent psychotic break, she’s subjected each day to a bizarre holistic health and wellness regimen designed, and enforced, by her lifelong nanny and caretaker, Irma (Barbara Crampton). Janie begins to veer off the road to recovery when she develops an obsession with a young woman, Savannah (Sarah Malakul Lane), whom Janie feels an inexplicable yet profound connection to. The obsession turns increasingly invasive and wedges all three women into an ever-tightening and terrifying struggle for control. Will Janie pull herself back from the precipice of insanity? Or will she go over head-first, taking everyone down with her?

SUN CHOKE is produced by George Kallert, Rob Schroeder and Peter J. Nieves of Lodger Films with Wandie Kabule, Leigh Jones and Ian Keiser.

Lodger Films Begins Production on SUN CHOKE

Source: Press Release
Lodger Films in association with Easy Open Productions today announces the production start of writer/director Ben Cresciman’s “SUN CHOKE”

CAST:
Iconic horror film actress and previous Diner guest, Barbara Crampton (You're Next, Re-Animator, Castle Freak) anchors an amazing cast starring
Sarah Hagan (Freaks and Geeks, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Jess + Moss),
Sara Malakul Lane (17 & Life, Sharktopus),
and featuring Evan Jones (Jarhead, 8 Mile, A Million Ways to Die in the West),
Joe Nieves (How I Met Your Mother, the Mentalist, the Bling Ring)
and Jim Boeven (The Canyons).

CREW:
Written and directed by Ben Cresciman (Negative Space), a recent USC M.F.A. grad,
with cinematography by Mathew Rudenberg (Mr. Jones, Blue Mountain State, Behaving Badly)
and a score by Bryan Hollon (Boom Bip, Neon Neon),
Produced by Georg Kallert, Rob Schroeder, and Peter J. Nieves of Lodger Films
with Wandie Kabule, Leigh Jones and Ian Keiser.
Production design is provided by Andreis Costa,
with costumes and styling by BJ Panda Bear,
and Jason Jones is editing.
the film promises to be riveting, unnerving and psychologically penetrating.

SYNOPSIS:
Janie (Hagan) is just trying to get well. As Janie recovers from a recent violent psychotic break, she’s subjected each day to a bizarre holistic health and wellness regimen designed, and enforced, by her lifelong nanny and caretaker, Irma (Crampton). Janie begins to veer off the road to recovery when she develops an obsession with a young woman, Savannah (Lane), which Janie feels an inexplicable yet profound connection to. The obsession turns increasingly invasive and wedges all three women into an ever-tightening and terrifying struggle for control. Will Janie pull herself back from the precipice of insanity? Or will she go over head-first, taking anyone nearby down with her?

In the vein of Polanski's REPULSION and contemporary psychological films such as DOGTOOTH and MELANCHOLIA, SUN CHOKE will leave you haunted and questioning the line between reality and nightmare.

About LODGER FILMS:
Lodger Films is a Los Angeles based production company founded by Rob Schroeder and Georg Kallert. After 9 years of sharpening their skills making music videos, branded web series, movie marketing promos, short films and last year their first feature - they are now embarking on a new initiative - a slate of Midnight Movies. They are excited to present SUN CHOKE as the first entry on the slate. Lodger is headquartered in Silverlake.
For more information, please visit www.lodgerfilms.com, and follow Lodger on Twitter @Lodgerfilms.

About EASY OPEN PRODUCTIONS:
Easy Open Productions is a film production company focused on financing and digitally distributing independent feature length films. Leigh Jones and Ian Keiser started Easy Open to provide content for the increasing demand for niche films in the rapidly growing digital space.