Movies

Fangoria Studios Announces Its First Movie With Creature Feature 'Sitora'

By Danielle Ryan

You've heard of the werewolves of London, but what about the were-tigers of Malaysia?

Fangoria Studios has announced its first feature film, and it's a modern, practical effects-driven creature-feature.

Sitora is inspired by a lost Malay horror film from 1964 called Sitora Harimau Judian. The film was written and directed by Malaysian auteur P. Ramlee, but it is rumored to have been destroyed in a flood. (You can still find copies of the novel based on the movie, should you be so inclined.)Sitora is set in the rural fringes of urban sprawl and centers on a tyrannical shaman who keeps villagers under his control with the threat of a half-man, half tiger. The film will be take place in Malaysia and be filmed in Malay. Writer-director Diffan Sina Norman is based out of L.A. but was born in Kuala Lumpur, giving Sitora a sense of authenticity. Wan Hanafi Su is attached to play Sir, but other casting details have yet to be released.

In addition to the press release sent out, Fangoria also revealed the first image of a possible poster or marketing image via their Instagram. Check it out below.

"Everyone Screams in the Same Language"

Tara Ansley, Fangoria co-owner and producer on Sitora, took to twitter to share just why she was excited about Fango's first feature.

Sitora was a recipient of a FINAS Feature Film Development Grant, an official selection at the Southeast Asian Film Lab, and an official selection at the Network of Asian Fantastic Films Project Spotlight.

"Sitora is a perfect example of who we are – Fangoria Studios' mission is to celebrate genre filmmaking by providing a platform for scary stories with deep roots in culture, folklore, legends and the macabre on the international stage," the folks at Fangoria said in their press release. "We believe that horror is truly global and has cross-demographic appeal. Fear is universal. When it comes to horror, everyone screams in the same language."

There's something intensely creepy about a weretiger. Wolves hunt in packs, but a tiger is deadly on its own. Put together with a remote village in the thick jungle, a weretiger is just about the scariest thing I can think of (besides WordPress crashing). I'm hoping that the movie's a hit and we get more practical effects-driven movies about diverse were-creatures from around the world. Maybe they can all eventually team up like some kind of Lycanthropic League of Heroes. We'll have to wait and see, but until then you can check out updates on Sitora and other Fangoria projects on their website.

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