Last week, producer Jason Blum garnered justifiable criticism for his interview with Polygon, in which he said, “There are not a lot of female directors period and even less who are inclined to do horror.” His remarks were quickly denounced as tone-deaf and ignorant by many, as the amount of women directors who want to do horror are abundant. A quick look on Twitter would reveal a list of talented women, such as Nikyatu Jusu, Robin Shenea Williams and Ciara Boniface. There’s also Dee Rees, who gave an update on her Blumhouse-produced horror film on the podcast TIFF Long Take.

“I still owe Jason Blum a script,” Rees said. “My partner and I are writing a horror movie.”

For those unfamiliar, word of Dee Rees developing a horror film stretches back to 2017. It was reported that the Mudbound writer and director was working on a horror movie pitch about Black lesbians in rural America who reside in a haunted house, or, are being told they are unwelcome by their community for being Black and lesbian. In a New York Times Magazine piece, titled “The Scarily Profitable Hits of Jason Blum,” Rees expressed that she was a horror fan, referencing the films Hush and Creep as some of her favorites. Earlier this year, Rees was nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Mudbound. With news that Rees’ horror film is still in development, now would be a better time for studios to invest in more horror films directed by women.

Hear the rest of Rees’ interview here.

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