Shudder Snags Period Horror Film ‘The Last Thing Mary Saw’ Ahead of its Fantastia Fest Premiere

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It is definitely safe to say, that the streaming network Shudder is on an outright tear right now. Because not only is the network enjoying critical acclaim for its brilliant ‘Summer of Chills’ event, but it’s also preparing to launch a new season of Slasher: Flesh & Blood and season three of Creepshow is right around the corner and to top it off… they’re scooping up a bevy of new and incredible films to showcase to the world in 2022.
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For just days after acquiring the rights to Hellbender, earlier today Shudder announced it has snagged another hot horror film to add its impressive lineup by way of the period horror piece, The Last Thing Mary Saw and well, here are the details of this acquisition, courtesy of Shudder.

‘Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, has acquired the period horror feature The Last Thing Mary Saw ahead of its August 15 world premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival. Shudder will release the film, which is written and directed by Edoardo Vitaletti, in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand in early 2022.

Said Craig Engler, general manager of Shudder, “We are excited to bring Edoardo’s chilling and unique directorial debut to Shudder. Full of twists and turns that will keep viewers guessing until the very end and featuring an immensely talented cast and crew, The Last Thing Mary Saw is a gripping tale we can’t wait to share with our members.”

“It is such an honor to join Shudder’s incredible slate of films. For years they have been raising the bar for thought-provoking genre storytelling, and I’m thrilled to partner with them in releasing The Last Thing Mary Saw”, added writer-director Edoardo Vitaletti.

The Last Thing Mary Saw begins in Southold, New York, 1843: Young Mary (Stefanie Scott, Insidious: Chapter 3), blood trickling from behind the blindfold tied around her eyes, is interrogated about the events surrounding her grandmother’s death. As the story jumps back in time, we witness Mary, raised in a repressively religious household, finding fleeting happiness in the arms of Eleanor (Isabelle Fuhrman, Orphan), the home’s maid. Her family, who believe they are seeing, speaking, and acting on God’s behalf, view the girls’ relationship as an abomination, to be dealt with as severely as possible. The couple attempt to carry on in secret, but someone is always watching, or listening, and the wages of perceived sin threaten to become death, with the tension only heightened by the arrival of an enigmatic stranger (Rory Culkin, Waco, Halston) and the revelation of greater forces at work.

The acquisition deal was negotiated by Emily Gotto and Samuel Zimmerman on behalf of Shudder and XYZ Films (Pip Ngo, Nate Bolotin) and CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmaker.

The Last Thing Mary Saw is produced by Isen Robbins and Aimee Schoof (Tesla, Blue Caprice) of Intrinsic Value Films, Harrison Allen and Madeleine Schumacher of Arachnid Films, Stephen Tedeschi (Blue Caprice) and Executive Produced by Scoop Wasserstein (The Outfit). The film will have its world premiere virtually August 15 as part of the 25th Fantasia International Film Festival, which kicked off August 5 as a hybrid event with in-person screenings in Montreal, Quebec and the virtual slate geo-locked to Canada. Following Fantasia, the film will have its UK premiere August 28 at FrightFest in London.’

So, as you can see, Shudder has once again acquired a thought-provoking and poignant horror film. One that will undoubtedly stay with us for days as we try to unpack all of its themes while we reconcile its scares and truly, we here at NTG cannot wait to see this movie when it arrives on Shudder in 2022.

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