EXCLUSIVE: Reel Suspects has acquired sales rights to Alex Phillips’ erotic thriller Anything That Moves, which premiered last week to rave reviews from the genre fans at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival.
The Paris-based genre sales specialist previously worked on Chicago filmmaker Phillips’ well-received first feature, the body horror All Jacked Up and Full of Worms.
Hal Baum and Jiana Nicole co-star in the new movie as dating sex workers Liam and Thea who deliver food and additional favors to clients across the city, while a serial killer stacks up gory murders in the backdrop.
When their clients start falling victim to the killer, their lives and relationship are pushed to the limit.
Phillips has revealed he made the movie partly in response to what he sees as growing polarization and conservatism within U.S. society.
“With the divisions among us ratcheted up to an absurd level of insanity, we are all set up to be afraid of each other. I wanted to bring to life an unafraid, emotionally open, naive protagonist able to bridge the gaps between all sorts of people across a wild city through physical intimacy,” he explained in a director’s note.
“At this moment, that idea of open intimacy is also a political one – it naturally attacks the cultural conservatism consuming the United States.”
Baum and Nicole are joined in the cast by former adult stars Ginger Lynn (The Devil’s Rejects) and Nina Hartley (Boogie Nights).
“We’re really happy about this film, that should also reach cult status very quickly and attract both festivals and buyers. It’s totally mind blowing, sexy, violent and shot in 16mm film,” said Reel Suspects CEO Matteo Lovadina.
Phillips’ 2022 debut feature All Jacked Up and Full of Worms also premiered at Fantasia, where it won the New Flesh Jury Award. It went on to play 21 festivals including Austin’s Fantastic Fest where it was acquired by Cineverse and released as a Screambox Original in the U.S.
It is a Special Movies, Vinegar Syndrome and Missing Link production. Producers are Georgia Bernstein, Liane Cunje and Spencer Parsons, with executive producers Joe Rubin, Ryan Emerson, Ralph Stevens, Ian Stone, Eddie Linker, Stephen Lanus and Amar Gupta.
