David F. Sandberg to Direct Cryogenic Horror 'Mommy's Home' for Lionsgate
David F. Sandberg will direct the psychological horror film "Mommy's Home" for Lionsgate, according to Variety. The project, first revealed by the trade outlet The InSneider, teams the Swedish film-maker with a screenplay by James Morosini.
The logline is a hook in itself: a young father's family life becomes terrifyingly unhinged when his cryogenically preserved mother is thawed out and sent to live with him. Horror built around a domestic setup — a parent who has been literally frozen in time re-entering the household — gives Sandberg a premise well suited to his established strengths.
Sandberg is best known for writing and directing "Lights Out," the 2016 breakout that began as a three-minute short. He moved from horror to the superhero arena with "Shazam!" (2019) and its 2023 sequel, then returned to scares with "Until Dawn" in 2025. His slate is crowded: he also has "Below," set up at Netflix with James Wan's Atomic Monster, and "A Little Slice of Hell" in development at Paramount.
Morosini, who wrote the "Mommy's Home" script, has one prior feature screenwriting credit — "I Love My Dad" (2022), a dark comedy he also directed. The new film marks his second feature screenplay.
Behind the camera, the producer ranks are deep. Craig Flores, Dawn Olmstead and Anonymous Content produce, alongside Sandberg and his partner Lotta Losten through their company Mångata. The executive producer list includes Nathan Kahane, James Morosini, David Levine, Garrett Kemble and Ryan Schwartz. On the Lionsgate side, Scott O'Brien and Maria Ascanio are overseeing the project, and Dan Freedman negotiated the deal for the studio.
No production start date, release window, or casting has been announced. Lionsgate has not yet placed the film on its release calendar.
For a director who built his name on primal, light-switch terror — "Lights Out" turned the simple act of flipping a switch into dread — the idea of a parent returning from cryogenic suspension carries a similar charge. The horror lives in something familiar turned uncanny: a mother who is recognisably herself and dangerously not. With Sandberg's taste for high-concept fear and Morosini's instinct for dark comedy, the tonal balance will be the project to watch as it moves toward production.
