Singapore-based Mokster Films has acquired worldwide rights to Tran Trong Dan’s upcoming Vietnamese horror The Guardian Demon, which is set for release this summer.
The film is based on the local legend of the guardian demon, who is summoned to protect family treasures through human sacrificing rituals. Set in a remote rice village, the story revolves around the clan’s greedy master who wants to claim recently discovered treasures for himself, and two newly arrived outsiders who have their own agenda - a young girl seeking work and a young writer looking for the truth behind the mysterious death of his aunt.
Through the film, Vietnamese-US director Dan, who is also the writer-producer, aims to explore deeply rooted spiritual traditions passed down through generations, while also “condemning outdated customs that suppress people’s pursuit of happiness”.
The main backers include Dan’s US-based Blue Lantern and V Pictures, a subsidiary of the Vietnamese arm of Korean exhibitor CJ CGV. A local release is scheduled for June 20 through CJ CGV.
Local supernatural horror features have been drawing large audiences to theatres, including recent CJ CGV releases The Corpse, The Ancestral Home and The Soul Lantern. This trio of films took around $19.2m (VND500bn) between them, of which The Ancestral Home accounted for more than $9.3m (VND242bn) and ranked as one of the highest grossing Vietnamese films of all time.
The Guardian Demon reunites lead actors Quoc Truong and Mac Van Khoa from action film Bad Blood, Dan’s directorial feature debut, which grossed nearly $1.92m (VND50bn) in 2023. The cast also features newcomer Phuong Thanh and Le Nam from The Ancestral Home.
Dan, who is sometimes credited as Dan Tran, was a producer before turning to directing. His producing credits include 2012’s The House in the Alley, 2014’s Gentle and 2021’s The Ancestral.
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