Saint Clare: Bella Thorne serial killer thriller gets a July release date

Back in 2019, it was announced that Riverdale‘s Madelaine Petsch had signed on to star in a horror comedy called Clare at 16, which was going to be written and directed by Mark Pavia, the filmmaker behind the 1997 Stephen King adaptation The Night Flier, and based on a novel by Don Roff. That iteration of the project didn’t make it into production, and in 2022 Bella Thorne (Infamous) not only signed on to star in the title role of what was now being called Saint Clare, but she also brought Dying to Play (a.k.a. Braid) director Mitzi Peirone on board to write and direct the film. Now, Variety reports that Quiver Distribution has acquired the North American rights to the film and are planning to give Saint Clare a VOD and limited theatrical release on July 18th.

The Don Roff novel told the following story: The small town of Pickman Flats offers a bright sunny place filled with quaint shopping and wine tasting. But underneath the town’s inviting exterior lies a dark underbelly, a sinister element that lurks in the shadows. Clare is a devoted vegan who goes to Catholic high school, is fastidious in her manner, and also, well, a serial killer. The Other Clare takes over at the most inopportune of times. She tries to keep her inner beast’s lust for blood at bay, but it’s hard when there are so many creeps around who help to unleash it. What secret lies hidden beneath Pickman Flats? And who is Clare really? Scripted by Peirone and American Psycho co-writer Guinevere Turner, Saint Clare follows Clare Bleecker (Thorne), a quiet catholic college student with a divine vocation for killing.

Thorne is joined in the cast by Ryan Phillippe (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Rebecca De Mornay (Mother’s Day), Frank Whaley (Pulp Fiction), Bart Johnson (High School Musical), and Dylan Flashner (The Card Counter).

Peirone provided the following statement: “I think making Saint Clare taught me the same lessons the titular character is forced to master on her journey towards her own fate. To me, artists and people of faith are rather alike: both endeavors require relentless vision, unwavering belief, and sacrifice. So just like the martyred visionary general Joan of Arc, Clare has taught me that when you are destined with vision and clarity of purpose, then nothing can scare you – not loneliness, not violence, not being misunderstood and called insane, not rejection and ultimately not even death.” Quiver Distribution Co-Presidents Berry Meyerowitz and Jeff Sackman added, “We are thrilled to share Saint Clare with audiences. The film unfolds as a visually striking and intense meditation into the sense of isolation and quiet evil that haunts this world, driven by a sublime performance from Bella Thorne and an evocative, gothic soundtrack from Zola Jesus.“

Are you interested in Saint Clare, and are you glad to hear that it has a July release date? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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