THE HOLY BOY: Shudder Acquires Paolo Strippoli's Arthouse Horror, Plans a 2026 Release

The Holy Boy evoked the same kind of admiration we felt when first watching Tomas Alfredson’s Let the Right One In back in 2008. That you were watching something beautiful happen on screen, both in story and in visual elements - and you were waiting for the tables to turn and all hell to break loose. 

 

With a sense of visual style that breathes sophistication, and a story that culminates in bursts of frantic energy as the town reaches a state of panic, it is easy to compare The Holy Boy to more recent works like Get Out and Hereditary. It is hard not to call this elevated horror. If they are not careful and continue to make these kinds of art horror flicks, Paolo Strippoli’s name could be mentioned in the same sentence as Ari Aster or Jordan Peele in the not-too-distant future. 

Shudder announced today that they have acquired the North American, UK, and Irish rights to Paolo Strippoli’s menacing horror fable THE HOLY BOY. The film celebrated its world premiere at the 2025 Venice Film Festival before making its North American bow at Fantastic Fest, where it earned both the Next Wave Best Director Award and the coveted Audience Award. The film stars Michele Riondino alongside standout first-time actor Giulio Feltri, and is produced by Laura Paolucci, Domenico Procacci, Stefano Sardo, and Ines Vasiljevic. Shudder will debut THE HOLY BOY in 2026. 

 

THE HOLY BOY follows Sergio, a teacher tormented by his past who is transferred to Remis, a secluded village known as the happiest town in Italy. But Sergio soon discovers that behind the town’s joyful facade lies a disturbing secret: Each week, the villagers gather to hug Matteo, an introverted fifteen-year-old whose embrace can free one of all pain and sorrow. As Sergio uncovers that the village’s devotion to Matteo is far from benevolent, his attempt to rescue the boy known as the Angel of Remis ignites the community’s vengeful nature.

 

Paolo Strippoli is an Italian filmmaker. In 2019, he won the Franco Solinas Award for Best Screenplay with the film L'ANGELO INFELICE, written with Jacopo del Giudice and Milo Tissone. In 2020, he directed the Netflix original film A CLASSIC HORROR STORY with Roberto De Feo, winning Best Director at the 67th Taormina Film Fest. In 2022, his second feature film, the psychological horror PIOVE, was released, competing at the Sitges Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, and Alice Nella Città. THE HOLY BOY (La valle dei sorrisi), marks his third feature film.

 

“Shudder is a guiding light in visionary genre cinema, and I am beyond thrilled they will bring THE HOLY BOY to a wider, passionate audience,” said director Paolo Strippoli. “The film explores our relationship with pain—the shortcuts we take to avoid it, and the way in which pain itself makes us fully human. We imagined a town that does not exist but could, and a ritual that does not exist but could: an uncanny embrace that takes away all suffering. Soon, new audiences will embrace THE HOLY BOY, and discover its terrifying consequences.”

 

Shudder’s Senior Vice President of Programming and Acquisitions Samuel Zimmerman commented, “We were blown away by THE HOLY BOY. Paolo Strippoli crafts an eerie and provocative horror film, one that builds to an astonishing finish. We knew instantly this belonged with Shudder.”