Vision Films is set to release the award-winning horror movie The Unwilling from Academy Award-nominated writer/director Jonathan Heap to DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD on May 1st, 2018.
The reading of a despised father’s will takes a twisted turn when a mysterious box arrives, tempting the surviving family members with their deepest, darkest desires. As the box’s mysterious hold on them increases, they turn on themselves and each other as they struggle to overcome the evil entity—possibly from their father—now looking for a new, living host on which to feed.
The Unwilling stars David Lipper (Frequency, High Strung, Fullhouse), Dina Meyer (Starship Troopers, Saw I-II-III, IV), Bree Williamson (True Detective, General Hospital), Levy Tran (Furious 7, Female Fight Club), Austin Highsmith (Gangster Squad, Criminal Minds), Robert Rusler, and Lance Henriksen (After The Sun Fell, The Blacklist).
Jonathan Heap’s previous work includes Benefit of Doubt for Miramax in 1993, reality show Destination X, and short film 12:01 pm, for which he received an Oscar nomination. The Director of Photography is Academy Award-, Emmy Award-, and International Cinematographer Guild Award-winner David Stump (X-Men, X-Men 2).
The Unwilling was produced by Julia Verdin (2 Jacks, Born of War) for Rough Diamond Productions. Lead actor David Lipper co-wrote the script with Heap and served as co-producer. Also co-producing is award-winning writer Philip Morton (Fire Down Below, Fantastic Four, SNL), whose other current projects include penning the script for Amortals at Warner Bros. For Andrew Lazar. Jim Johnston (The Real World, Zoom) served as Executive Producer.
Jonathan Heap says: “I have always been inspired by the works of directors F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang and their interplay of light and shadow, line and form that deconstructs reality to match the inner emotional landscape of the characters on screen. In The Unwilling I endeavored to combine my love of German expressionism – the shadow world made real – with a modern contemporary rich emotional style.”
David Lipper says: “I wanted to make a horror film that made you think and that touched on abstract concepts like the relativity of space and time. When I had seen Jonathan Heap’s Oscar-nominated film, 12:01 pm, I knew he was the right guy to team up with, along with longtime writing mentor, Phil Morton. The Unwilling is the culmination of that dream collaboration that is almost impossible to realize in the studio system and the true blessing of making an independent movie.
Managing Director / CEO of Vision Films Lise Romanoff says: “We are thrilled to be releasing The Unwilling, an intelligent horror movie shot in 4k, which gives it an unprecedented visual depth.
