Genre: Horror

Length: 90 minutes

References: The Cabin in the Woods, Saw & Martyrs

Tagline: What do you see?

LOGLINE

A festive group of friends are expecting a fun

and scary night. Not to be trapped in a sadistic

game, where their suffering is entertainment for

initiates of a secret cult.

SHORT SYNOPSIS

A traveling horror house-themed attraction (the House from now on), infrequently and randomly appears in different European countries, offering visitors the opportunity to experience extreme terrors. For most visitors, a terrifying, but non-dangerous, night is offered. But for an unlucky few, a horrible destiny awaits.

We meet Lisa at her brother’s funeral. Her brother died in a tragic car accident after visiting the House. She suspects that the House is somewhat connected to her brother’ suicide. She discovers that the House soon will appear nearby, and with her brother’s old ticket, she visits the House in search of answers.

At the same time, we get to know a group of young people, who have tickets for the same show. They are students in their early 20s. The friends are unaware that they have been specially selected for a night at the House.

LONG SYNOPSIS

The film is based on a traveling Horror House (hereinafter referred to as the House), which appears at irregular intervals in European countries, and which offers visitors extreme horror experiences. For most participants, a terrifying but harmless experience awaits. For a few unlucky ones, however, a horrific fate awaits.

We meet Lisa at the funeral of her brother, who died in a tragic car accident shortly after visiting the House. Lisa is a psychology student in her early 20s. She is tough and determined. She feels guilty for her brother's death, and she gradually suspects that the House may have been involved in her brother's alleged suicide. The little information she finds about the House both reinforces and weakens her suspicion that the House is not what it claims to be. After researching, she finds out that its next stop is in Oslo, and with her brother's old ticket, she visits the House in the hope of getting answers about what happened to her brother.

At the same time, we get to know a group of friends who also have tickets to the performance in Oslo. They are all students in their early 20s. Didrik; alpha male and handsome. His new flame, Åste; a sweet and friendly girl recently arrived in Oslo. Petter; a somewhat socially challenged and involuntarily funny buddy. And Pia; Didrik's childhood friend and ex-girlfriend, and Petter's dream girl. However, the group of friends do not know that they have been handpicked for tonight's horror night.

The group and Lisa arrive at the House, unaware of the horrors that await some of them. The House offers selected and well-off clients/members the opportunity, after a bidding round, to witness sadistic torture carried out on unsuspecting participants, via private streaming online. The client can either direct the torture themselves, or let the House set up torture based on the selected participant's own fears, which are revealed in a psychological interview that all participants must complete before the start.

In the house, a staged game awaits, where what you see is not what happens. Both spectator and participant are manipulated and tricked, to witness and participate in, respectively, the most sadistic acts. It is only near the end of the film that we become aware of what is happening in the house. This makes the revelation of who has led the gang into the waiting hell, and whether, and possibly in what condition, they will escape alive, even more intense and shocking.

ESTIMATED BUDGET (EUR)

1390161

FINANCING IN PLACE (EUR)

16964

DIRECTOR BIO

Stig Frode Henriksen was born 1975. He was not very old when he discovered his first true, and everlasting love; movies. From he could talk, and first make himself understood, his highlight in life was going with his parents to rent a moviebox, and preferably as many movies as they could afford. Often accompanied by his grandmother he spent countless hours watching movies of all genres. His favorite duo as a kid was Bud Spencer and Terence Hill. Stig Frode wanted to work in the movies ever since he saw his first Bud Spencer and Terence Hill movie at age nine.

His childhood was a happy one. He watched movies, and he played soccer. With an open mind he watched everything from Barboni’s «My name is Trinity», to «Melville’s «Le Samourai». «The Goonies», «The Omen», «The Umbrellas of Cherbourg», «A Bout de Souffle», «Seconds», etc, etc, these where all movies which made an impact and stuck with him.

Together with acclaimed director Tommy Wirkola, Stig Frode wrote the hit movie «Dead Snow» which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. A movie that made the director, Tommy, a big international name.

After acting in, and writing several successful films, Stig Frode is now ready to make the transition to directing. Stig Frode Henriksen is never happier than when he is working on a filmset.

PRODUCER BIO

Rein Film AS is based in Finnmark and Oslo, and has produced a number of Norwegian and international TV drama, feature films, documentaries and short films such as Egil Pedersens groundbreaking Sámi youth feature “Biru Unjárga” (My Father’s Daughter), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024, and film veteran Knut Erik Jensen’s war-feature “Longing for the today” in 2023.

Rein produced the TV drama “Saving the fucking planet” directed by av Rebecca Kjellmann in 2022 and co-produced the TV drama “The Seed” (dir. Alexander Dierbach) and “Reindeer Mafia (dir. Mika Kurvinen)” in 2023.

The company was started in 2009 by producers from Finnmark, and with the “know how” of how to produce in the Arctic Rein Film focuses on developing and producing stories from Northern Norway, Barents-region and Sápmi.

KEY TALENTS

Stig Frode Henriksen will play one of the minor roles himself. Here is his showreel (not an updated one, but you get the idea) https://vimeo.com/1065773891/e62b90737e?ts=0&share=copy

DOP
Matt Weston https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1972939/

PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Liv Ask https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2507992/?ref_=fn_all_nme_1

COMPOSER
Christian Wibe https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3135847/?ref_=fn_all_nme_1

DIRECTORS NOTE

I have written the script together with to other scriptwriters- two of the biggest horror geeks I know, if I may add. We have aimed to build a recognizable universe, with an engaging story, and characters the audience can relate to, and care about.

The movie challenges, and surprises, and has an antagonist that’s really scary, because we want to introduce a bigger enemy. A cynical and brutal evil systemized. A «big brother» of evil for deprived entertainment if you will.

It’s a suspenseful, and intense story, but with glimpses of hope and humor. We have deliberately toned down the depiction of graphic violence, even if we are going to create scenes that will sit in for a while. The scariest images are the ones we create in our heads, and we will help the audience to do so.

Even though it is a commercial movie with a broad impact, the film also wants to challenge the viewer. The movie wants more than to scare. We have taken our starting point in man's fascination with, and attraction towards, fear, violence and phobias.

«Cosmic Carnival» tricks and manipulates both the film's characters and the viewer into venturing into a darkness where they are unaware of what is unfolding. The participant must become a player in our voyeuristic universe. The film will stay in the body and mind after screening and inspire and encourage discussion.

Another main goal for this movie is for the audience to really care for, and hopefully even love our characters. Ada, the protagonist is a strong young woman who is hiding who she really is from her parents. She is proving to be even stronger than she could imagine herself to be when she is looking for the truth about her brother.

Ada has heart, a lot of heart. Like Ada this film will have a lot of heart, and there will be no doubt that the people behind «Cosmic Carnival» really have a deep and profound love for movies. I already have a list of reference films for the film. I think that the style, and the tone of specially this film something

PRODUCERS NOTE

It is a great pleasure for us to start a film together with Stig Frode Henriksen. We have had the pleasure of collaborating with him on many film projects. He is an experienced and talented filmmaker, and an important voice in the northern Norwegian film community.

We think this project, "Cosmic Carneval", is particularly exciting. We think the scriptwriters have created a terrific script.

Our collaborations with Stig Frode have so far been with him as an actor. Most recently on the feature film "A happy day" directed by Hisham Zaman, a film we co-produced with Snowfall Cinema and that premiered at Toronto International Film Festival.

Before that, we collaborated on the TV series "Saving the fucking planet" directed by Rebecca Kjellmann, and which we co-produced with Fenomen Film og TV.

He was also in the feature film "Kurt Josef Wagle and the Murder Mystery on the Hurtigruta" directed by Tommy Wirkola, which we co-produced with Tappeluft Pictures, and in the feature film "Børning 2" which we co-produced with Filmkameratene.

In 2014, Stig Frode played in our own short film "Borderland" directed by Aleksander Olai Korsnes.

Before that, we worked together on films produced by Tappeluft Pictures such as "Dead snow", "Dead Snow 2" and "Kill Buljo: The Movie" where we at Rein Film were then part of the film crew.

In this phase, we want to develop this project so that financiers, distributors and sales agents can assess the project. We believe in getting into a market to get partners on board. Therefore, we are currently defining and clarifying the level of ambition and potential for the story.

We hope is to get co-producers, sales agent and distributor on board as quickly as possible through participation in the market.

We have got development support from the Norwegian Film Institute, and Filmcamp studios in Northern Norway has given us a LOI and is ready to invest in the production.

We also have on board an experienced crew, many of which has worked with Stig Frode and Tommy Wirkola before, such as DOP Matt Weston and production designer Liv Ask.

Casting is important, so we are currently working on this, Henriksen already has good suggestions.

We at Rein Film Finmark are proud that we produce a lot of northern Norwegian films, and experience that both Norway and the rest of the world are opening their eyes to Norwegian film.

Aleksander Olai Korsnes and Mathis Ståle Mathisen
Producers at Rein Film Finnmark AS