Shudder Acquires Paolo Strippoli’s Horror Fable The Holy Boy

TalkTeaV
Oct 2
2 min read

Updated: Oct 4

A dark tale of devotion and pain heads to Shudder in 2026

Michele Riondino as Sergio Rossetti confronts Giulio Feltri as Matteo Corbin, the “Angel of Remis,” dressed in a white gown in The Holy Boy (2025): Image Courtesy of Shudder/AMC Networks

Michele Riondino as Sergio Rossetti confronts Giulio Feltri as Matteo Corbin, the “Angel of Remis,” dressed in a white gown in The Holy Boy (2025): Image Courtesy of Shudder/AMC Networks

Shudder has secured the North American, UK, and Irish rights to The Holy Boy, a new horror fable from Italian filmmaker Paolo Strippoli. The film will premiere on the streaming service in 2026, following an award-winning run on the festival circuit.

The story centers on Sergio, a teacher haunted by his past who relocates to Remis, a remote village celebrated as the happiest town in Italy. Beneath its cheerful image lies a disturbing ritual: every week, villagers line up to hug Matteo, a quiet teenager whose embrace is said to erase suffering. As Sergio discovers the truth behind this devotion, his attempt to save the boy known as the “Angel of Remis” sparks a terrifying backlash from the community.

The Holy Boy made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival before moving to Austin’s Fantastic Fest, where it won the Next Wave Best Director Award and the Audience Award. The film stars Michele Riondino alongside newcomer Giulio Feltri. It was produced by Laura Paolucci, Domenico Procacci, Stefano Sardo, and Ines Vasiljevic.

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Strippoli has been a rising name in Italian genre cinema since co-directing A Classic Horror Story for Netflix in 2020, a film that earned him Best Director at the Taormina Film Festival. His 2022 feature Piove competed at Sitges and Fantastic Fest. With The Holy Boy, his third feature, Strippoli leans into folklore-inspired horror while exploring deeper human themes.

“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,” Strippoli said in a statement. “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.”

Samuel Zimmerman, Shudder’s Senior Vice President of Programming and Acquisitions, praised the film’s vision. “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.”

Shudder has built a reputation for spotlighting bold and original horror, and The Holy Boy looks to continue that tradition with a haunting mix of folklore, moral dilemmas, and unsettling atmosphere.

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