Fangoria Studios, the independent film and television studio behind horror films such as “Satanic Panic” and “VFW,” has announced the production of “Bloodsucking Darkness,” a live-action adaptation of Junji Ito’s “Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection.” The acclaimed Japanese horror mangaka will collaborate with the studio to bring his unique style of horror to the big screen. Jeff Howard, the screenwriter of “The Haunting of Hill House,” “Midnight Mass,” and “Oculus,” will develop the adaptation for Fangoria Studios.

Junji Ito, the creator of “Uzumaki,” “Gyo,” and “Smashed,” began his career as a manga horror writer while working as a dental technician. In 1998, he began serializing “Uzumaki” in Big Comic Spirits, and since then, he has published a number of unique works. Ito has won several prestigious awards for his work, including the “Best Adaptation from Another Medium” for “Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection” in 2019 and the “Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia” for “Remina” in 2021.

“Ito’s stories and visuals are pure nightmare fuel,” said Armen Aghaeian, SVP of Fangoria Studios. “The team at Fangoria is honored to be working alongside Junji Ito. We are excited to bring the horror found in the pages of his work to life onto the biggest screens possible.”

Tara Ansley, Armen Aghaeian, and Abhi Goel will produce under Fangoria Studios alongside Yasu Kutami and Tsubasa Yamaguchi of Amuse Group USA. Phil Wurtzel will serve as an executive producer through his production company Friel Films. Jeff Howard and Kevin Nicklaus will serve as executive producers along with Ryan Lewis and Joe Riley from Zero Gravity Management.