Alejandro Hidalgo is set to direct The Hungry One, a supernatural horror film set in Malaysia during the Hungry Ghost Festival, according to Variety. The project was introduced at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Contents & Film Market, with Abnormal Studios handling worldwide sales.
The announcement marks Hidalgo’s entry into a Southeast Asian horror setting after a career built largely on Latin American genre films. For fans who followed his earlier work, the move signals an expansion into new cultural territory while keeping him in the same supernatural horror lane that built his reputation.
The Role And Project Details
Hidalgo will direct The Hungry One, which unfolds during the Hungry Ghost Festival, a 15-day period in Malaysian tradition when the underworld is believed to open and the dead mingle with the living, according to Variety. The story follows Emily, an American woman who travels with her Chinese Malaysian husband, Simon, and their son, Louis, to his family’s mansion in Malaysia for the summer. Their stay coincides with the festival, and Emily becomes targeted by escalating encounters with a vengeful presence trying to cross over. She must uncover the house’s hidden past to protect her family.
The story was shaped by a writer with deep ties to Malaysian-Chinese culture who drew on family traditions to build the film’s world, according to Variety.
The Project So Far
Abnormal Studios, a subsidiary of Westec Media Limited, is handling worldwide sales. The company has been acquiring and releasing films since 2020 and has handled more than 400 titles, according to Variety. Clover Films, a Singapore-based company, has acquired distribution rights for Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Harrison Allen is producing the film. Allen previously won the live action short Oscar for the Netflix title “The Singers.” Thomas Percy Kim, a Sundance and Toronto fellow whose debut feature “Isle Child” premiered in Toronto, is also attached to the project.
Justin Parker wrote the screenplay. Parker worked on HBO’s Emmy-nominated limited series “Station Eleven” and served as a writer on the docuseries “Religion of Sports.”
The film is currently in pre-production, with producers working to lock the final portion of financing, according to Variety.
The Director’s Recent Work
Hidalgo’s feature debut, “The House at the End of Time,” stands as Venezuela’s biggest horror hit at the box office and has built a cult following over the years. His 2021 film “The Exorcism of God” premiered at Fantastic Fest and sold to more than 150 countries, with Saban Films handling its U.S. theatrical release. That film ended 2022 as the highest-grossing Latin American film worldwide.
The project’s story creator noted the Hungry Ghost Festival’s visual richness. “Growing up in Asia, I always felt the Hungry Ghost Festival was incredibly rich visually, from the fire and offerings to the rituals and mythology behind it,” the writer said, according to Variety. “When you capture that and shoot it cinematically, it’s movie gold. It gives us a world that audiences may not have seen before, but one that feels immediately atmospheric, mysterious and made for horror.”
What’s Next
The Hungry One remains in pre-production as producers finalize financing. No release date or production start has been announced. The film’s presence at the Busan market indicates sales and distribution deals beyond Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia could follow as the project moves forward.
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