‘Night Of The Living Dead’ Vertical Microdrama Readied For Horror-Focused App Room418

EXCLUSIVE: A newly-established microdrama business geared towards horror is adapting genre classic Night of the Living Dead ahead of its full launch.

L.A.-based Room 418 is positioning itself as a studio and platform that puts “vertical-first originals at the center of a dedicated destination for horror fans, alongside curated programming in vertical, horizontal and mixed formats.” A slate of acquired shows will launch the vertical video app, with original productions following.

Former Blink49 Studios, CBC and Shaftesbury exec Dylen Postnikoff is leading Room 418 as co-founder and CEO. Postnikoff, a comms and marketing specialist who helped shape the international profiles of Schitt’s Creek and Anne With an E, has been working at Wild Cards maker Blink49 since June last year.

With horror from emerging creators already one of the stories of the year in film and TV through the successes of Curry Barker’s Obsession and Kane Parsons’ Backrooms, Room418 is looking to tap into the zeitgeist. As such, it is planning on working with creatives who’ve found success on Wattpad and digital platforms.

An invite-only beta version of the Room418 app will launch this fall ahead of a commercial launch, featuring a slate of licensed horror content. Ten original and adapted projects have been optioned and are in development as well.

Notably on the development slate is a vertical reimagining of George A. Romero’s 1968 horror classic Night of the Living Dead. The film has been in the public domain since its original release due to an error by its original distributor. The news comes hours after Deadline revealed filming has wrapped on Twilight of the Dead, a horror pic considered the “final chapter” of the late Romero’s zombie saga.

Also on the slate is a screen adaptation of Ben Sobieck’s When the Black-Eyed Children Knock, which was popular on Wattpad. Room418 and Slash Management are also co-producing an original project with digital horror creator Monse Gutierrez, whose social handle is @CVNELA. The company is also collaborating with L.A.-based REELi Studios on an original horror series inspired by Filipino folklore, with production planned in the Philippines.

“What makes horror so interesting globally is that fear is universal, but the mythology is local,” said Postnikoff. “Every market has its own stories, folklore and voices, and horror audiences are unusually willing to cross borders to discover them. At the same time, mobile has changed where discovery actually happens. We’re building Room418 to connect a global genre audience with a new generation of creators and stories designed for the way people are watching now.”

The Room418 team see horror as particularly well-suited to the growing microdrama market, with cliffhangers and fan culture making aligning the genre with vertical video’s quick-hit format.

“Vertical changes more than the frame,” said Postnikoff. “It changes the rhythm of the storytelling, how quickly you establish a world, where you build tension and how you earn the next episode. What excites us is what that unlocks.

“A microseries can be a complete entertainment experience in its own right, but it can also introduce a filmmaker, prove an audience for an idea and become the first expression of IP that grows into film, television and beyond.”

Postnikoff has worked in entertainment and media for more than 15 years, leading on brand and franchise strategy for the likes of Murdoch Mysteries and Kim’s Convenience. She’s hoping to apply her expertize in studio positioning, corp comms and audience growth to Room418’s mission to create a horror-first destination for genre fans.

Room418 is working with technology firm KINO Studios on the app’s product and technical infrastructure. Members of KINO’s founding team previously were executive producers on A24’s Undertone, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Should Room418 originals be successful, the company is eyeing expansions into film, television, adaptations and experiences. The invite-only beta of the Room418 app will launch later this fall ahead of the company’s commercial rollout.