There are some young individuals in this world whose talent seems so boundless and who show so much potential at the beginning of their careers that the mind staggers at the endless possibilities of the future. Juan Antonio Bayona is one of those people. I still remember the first time I watched Bayona’s The Orphanage (his feature-film directorial debut), a movie whose command of mood and horror is so deft that I felt physically ill with anticipation during certain segments (e.g. the “Red light - green light” scene in the darkness).

Thus, I was extremely excited to learn that Bayona will be teaming up again with producer Guillermo Del Toro to direct Hater for Universal, with a script by Shield veteran Glen Mazarra based off a book by David Moody. The book describes a society rocked by citizens who are suddenly susceptible to random bouts of violent, homicidal rage. Essentially, it sounds a lot like The Happening, only with people hurting each other instead of themselves. Let’s hope it can avoid that movie’s hokiness and the ridiculous of its Shyamalan-style twist ending [Update: Commenters also rightfully point out that the book's plot is similar to that of The Signal]. I, for one, can’t wait for Bayona to get back into the game.

Source: Variety

[Fun Fact: You can purchase a used copy of the paperback version of Hater used on Amazon for $527.04. Guess that edition is a tad rare?]