Fresnadillo’s thriller Intruders to open San Sebastian

28 Weeks Later director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s English-language thriller/horror Intruders, starring Clive Owen and Carice van Houten, will open this year’s San Sebastian Film Festival on September 16. 

Intruders is one of the most hotly anticipated Spanish titles of the year. Based on a script by Nicolás Casariego and Jaime Marqués, Intruders tells the story of two families whose lives are turned upside down by menacing apparitions. In Spain, a mother protects her son from a faceless stranger, while in the UK a young girl has terrifying dreams of Hollowface, a demon who becomes a threat to the girl and her family.

“[The film] reflects my love of the darkest visual universe, of the demons buried in our unconscious,” said Fresnadillo, who also told Screen recently that “the film will focus more on the chain of fear that grows in these seemingly normal and happy families as their kids are visited by unknown entities, rather than just focus on the evil spirits”.

Intruders’ international cast includes Clive Owen, Carice van Houten, Daniel Brühl, Pilar López de Ayala and Kerry Fox.

The film was produced by Universal Pictures and major Spanish outfits Apaches Entertainment and Antena 3 Films, with UPI handling distribution worldwide.

Intruders will be screened at the opening gala of the 59th San Sebastian International Film Festival, which runs from September 16 to 24.