Stuart Ford’s IM Global will kick off sales in Berlin through its Octane genre division on the hot pair of Lords Of Salem from Rob Zombie and Kevin Smith’s horror debut and Sundance premiere Red State.

Smith will attend the EFM to present a private screening of his unsettling portrait of religious fanaticism in the US heartland (pictured) that was produced by Ford’s former Miramax colleague Jon Gordon.

Ford brokered the Red State deal with Smith’s distribution consultant David Dinnerstein and Alan Sacks of Schreck, Rose, Dapello. Smith announced immediately after the Park City premiere that he will self-release the film in the US through a mini-tour followed by a targeted theatrical release in October.

Zombie’s Lords Of Salem continues Octane’s relationship with Haunted Movies, the Alliance Films / Jason Blum production venture that also produced Toronto hit Insidious and Barry Levinson’s zombie eco-thriller The Bay.

The story follows a DJ in Salem who unleashes a horde of demonic minions after she plays a cursed record.

“I’ve been a Kevin Smith acolyte since my Miramax days and we’re very excited Kevin’s now bringing his very sharp eye to the genre world,” Ford said. “Red State is the perfect edgy, controversial genre material for our Octane label.

“Rob Zombie is one of the kings of the contemporary horror arena. We know he has a huge worldwide following, and it’s a pleasure to be continuing our relationship with the Haunted Movies team.”

Octane head Tatyana Joffe will also show buyers first footage from The Bay and the label will host a private screening for the worldwide distributors of Insidious, which Sony and FilmDistrict will release in the US in April. 

The Octane slate includes Jean Claude Van Damme action title Dragon Eyes and the Jim Caviezel action film Transit, both produced under Octane’s partnership with Courtney Solomon’s Action Package; and Dark Castle’s Dungeons And Dragons 3.

Ford and his president of sales and distribution Jonathan Deckter will also be looking to lead discussions on Madonna’s W.E. and Jose Padilha’s Panorama entry and Brazilian box office sensation Elite Squad 2, which has amassed around $70m in Brazil to become the biggest hit of all time in Latin America. Recent slate highlights include the Reliance-financed Walking With Dinosaurs 3D, which Fox will release across most of the world, and the $45m Dredd in 3D,

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