EXCLUSIVE: Shudder has acquired Mike Wiluan’s historical horror film Orang Ikan (also known as Monster Island) for North America, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand release.
SC Films International handled sales for the WWII-set film, which received its world premiere last year at the Tokyo International Film Festival, in the Gala Selection.
The Singapore-Indonesia-Japan-UK co-production stars Japanese actor Dean Fujioka (Fullmetal Alchemist) and British actor Callum Woodhouse (All Creatures Great & Small).
Partially inspired by Malay folklore as well as the classic 1954 film Creature from the Black Lagoon, Orang Ikan opens in 1942 and follows a Japanese ship transporting prisoners of war (POWs) to occupied territories for slave labour. After being torpedoed by allied submarines, a Japanese soldier and a British POW are stranded on a deserted island, and soon discover that they are being hunted by a ferocious mythological creature, the Orang Ikan. Both the soldier and POW realize that they must work together to survive the unknown, despite their differences.
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“I’m very proud to have Shudder present the film in territories that have a rich history and appreciation for creature films,” said writer-director Wiluan. “The ‘Fish Man’ folklore is a globally recognised phenomenon that has enjoyed several re-incarnations. Orang Ikan is a pan-Asian interpretation of the genre that also questions the nature of humanity during times of war.”
Wiluan previously co-produced Crazy Rich Asians, and produced Losmen Melati as well as Buffalo Boys, among others.
Orang Ikan is produced by Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo (Spirit World) and Tan Fong Cheng (Ramen Shop) at Zhao Wei Films alongside Freddie Yeo (Westworld, Crazy Rich Asians) at Infinite Studios and Fumie Suzuki Lancaster (Gensan Punch) of SC Films.
Lancaster added: “We were thrilled to work with such a talented and acclaimed team. The film has great nail-biting tension from beginning to end combined with plenty of unexpected emotional twists. We believe Orang Ikan has great potential, and we’re confident that audiences around the world will be just as excited.”
Other titles on the SC Films slate for Cannes this year include animation Jungle Beat 2: The Past, new footage from animated feature Girl in the Clouds, live-action feature Grow and psychological thriller Breeder.
The post Shudder Acquires Historical Horror ‘Orang Ikan’ appeared first on Deadline.
