Dark Sky Films has secured North American distribution rights to the folk horror feature Blood Shine, with a theatrical and digital release slated for later this year.

The acquisition follows a strong festival run that included screenings at FrightFest London, Sitges Film Festival, and Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, where the film built buzz for its unsettling blend of arthouse aesthetics and visceral terror.

The cast is stacked with genre heavyweights, including Brendan Sexton III (Session 9), Emily Bennett (Shelby Oaks), David Call (Insidious: The Red Door), Larry Fessenden (You’re Next), and Toby Poser (Hellbender).

The story centers on Brighton West (Call), a troubled horror filmmaker who retreats to upstate New York to finish his screenplay. There, he encounters Clara (Bennett), a devout zealot devoted to worshipping the light through solitary and increasingly extreme rituals. As Brighton becomes entangled in her sadistic spiritual ceremonies, he’s pulled into a hallucinatory spiral of faith, flesh, and transcendence — convinced the rites will transform him into something godlike.

Bennett co-wrote and co-directed the film with her husband and creative partner Justin Brooks, the duo previously behind Along with You. The film’s practical gore effects come courtesy of Brian Spears (Smile 2, “American Horror Story”), promising plenty of blood to complement its psychological unease.

Producers include Aaron B. Koontz for Paper Street Pictures, alongside Alexander Schepsman, Garrett Fennelly, and Zeus Kontoyannis for Zeus Pictures. Ashleigh Snead and Cameron Burns co-produce for Paper Street, with Michael McFadden, G. Riley Mills, and Matt Sullivan serving as executive producers.

“Blood Shine is a film that balances an arthouse sensibility with extremely visceral horror, and Dark Sky Films immediately understood that,” said Bennett and Brooks. “We’re incredibly excited to partner with them to unleash this bloody folk horror film to worldwide audiences.”

Dark Sky executive vice president Greg Newman echoed the enthusiasm, praising the filmmakers for crafting “a daring and visually arresting film that expands the boundaries of folk horror and really delivers.”

International sales are being handled by MPI Media Group, the sales arm of Dark Sky’s parent company, with additional territories represented at Berlin’s European Film Market.