Dark Sky Films Takes U.S. Rights to Austin Thriller American Dollhouse
Dark Sky Films has acquired U.S. rights to American Dollhouse, a thriller from Austin director John Valley, and plans to release it in cinemas in January 2027, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film is a stalker story. Sarah inherits her childhood home, and a neighbour's obsession with her turns violent. The festival listing for the film describes it as a modern take on proto-slasher classics such as Psycho and Black Christmas.
Dark Sky Films is the genre label of MPI Media Group, a company that releases horror and other thrillers. Greg Newman, the label's executive vice president, negotiated the U.S. deal with Mike Chapman of Blue Finch Films. Blue Finch handles international sales for the picture, so it is the company selling the film to buyers outside the United States.
The deal has already moved beyond the U.S. Vortex Media has acquired Canadian rights from Blue Finch Films, so Canadian cinemas and viewers will get the film through that company.
The cast is led by Hailley Lauren, alongside Kelsey Pribilski, Tinus Seaux, Danielle Evon Ploeger and Richard C. Jones. David Axe, Samuel Butler, Shane Greb, Christian Sosa and Jon Wroblewski produced the film.
The film began its public life at the festival circuit. It had its world premiere at South by Southwest, the film and music festival held each spring in Austin, Texas. The Daily Texan reported in March 2026 that the premiere screened at the Alamo Drafthouse and marked Valley's SXSW debut.
For independent filmmakers, the path from a festival screening to a cinema can take a long time. Festivals work as marketplaces where sales companies pitch films to distributors, and a deal like this one is often how a film gets a release date. Here, the date is set for January 2027, a little under two years after the festival premiere. The U.S. release will be handled by Dark Sky Films, and the film's route to other countries runs through its sales agent and local buyers.
Valley is an Austin director, and the film's Texas roots are part of its story. Its path from a festival stage to a cinema screen in the United States and Canada now has a set timetable.
