Production has officially concluded on The Occupant of the Room, the narrative debut from filmmaker and film scholar Kier‑La Janisse. Known for the SXSW‑winning documentary Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror and the memoir House of Psychotic Women, Janisse moves into scripted storytelling with a project styled after the BBC’s classic “Ghost Stories for Christmas.”
Adapted by Janisse from Algernon Blackwood’s original short story, the film follows a schoolteacher who arrives late at an Alpine hotel without a reservation and is offered the room of a missing guest—only to face a night of escalating, unexplained events.
The feature is led by multi‑hyphenate Don McKellar (The Sympathizer), with supporting performances from Ben Petrie (BlackBerry) and Delphine Roussell (The ABCs of Death 2). Cinematography is by Karim Hussain (Infinity Pool, Possessor).
Production is spearheaded by Ruby Mannequin Films’ Liane Cunje and Shannon Hanmer, alongside Janisse’s Spectacular Optical. Executive producers include David Gregory and Carl Daft of Severin Films, plus Rob Cotterill of Yer Dead Productions. The film will be presented to markets and festivals this fall.
