Jacques Audiard Reunites With Netflix for French Horror Film 'La Nuit ravagée'

Director Jacques Audiard is set to reunite with Netflix for a new French-language horror film, according to a report from Variety. The project marks a significant genre departure for the Oscar-nominated filmmaker.

Netflix has optioned the rights to Jean-Baptiste Del Amo's critically acclaimed horror novel "La Nuit ravagée" and has tapped Audiard to develop the adaptation. The streamer had no comment on the report.

What is 'La Nuit ravagée' about?

The novel is set in a fictional suburb on the outskirts of Toulouse. It follows a group of teenagers drawn to an abandoned house that exerts a strange power over them. After one of their friends dies under disturbing circumstances, they enter the house, unaware it is alive with something supernatural. Once inside, it begins to feed on their private fears, desires, and traumas, turning their psychological vulnerabilities into something monstrous.

Published last year, the book has been hailed as a loving homage to horror films, especially the works of Stephen King. It blends fantasy and horror with social realism, confronting issues like racism, homophobia, and domestic violence while capturing adolescent anxiety.

How is this a departure for Jacques Audiard?

Audiard has never ventured into horror before. His career is built on stories about outsiders navigating brutal worlds, as seen in films like "A Prophet," "Dheepan," "Rust and Bone," and his recent musical crime drama "Emilia Pérez." He is expected to deliver more than a straightforward genre film, emphasizing the social realism and sensory prose of the source material.

Since the project will be a Netflix original film, it will likely skip a theatrical release in France due to windowing rules that restrict the streamer's access to theatrical movies for 15 months. Audiard joins other high-profile international auteurs like Guillermo del Toro and Lee Chang-dong who have worked with Netflix on original films.